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BlacktailFA — Blacktail visits the USS Iowa! Part 64
Published: 2013-08-14 08:01:04 +0000 UTC; Views: 571; Favourites: 7; Downloads: 3
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This is a replica of a full charge for the USS Iowa's 16-inch guns, which gives you some idea of how incredibly powerful they are.The 5 powder bags are mock-ups, but the shell itself is real --- albeit a training round, whose ballistics simulate those of a High-Capacity ("HC"; the US Navy term for a High-Explosive round) projectile. You can tell that it's a non-explosive training round by it's blue paintjob, which is probably why the Navy allowed it to be put on display in the first place.
The Iowa class Battleships have been issued a range of projectiles over the years, but the most common are the Mk.8 AP (Armor-Piercing) round, and the Mk.14 HC round. These weigh 2700lbs and 1900lbs, respectively (I previously said 1800lbs, which was apparently a mistake --- they're even heavier!). It was a Mk.14 that the Iowa herself fired, when achieving the record of the longest-ranged 16-inch shot in history in 1988.
I've linked to this page in my comments before, but it's worth a refresher to appreciate how powerful this ammunition is;
www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_…
Finally, it's worth noting that due to the colossal weight of the one-ton projectiles and 200lb powder bags, the cycling loading processes of the Iowa class Battleship's main guns is heavily-automated. The gun crew mostly provides oversight and makes minor manual alignments, but otherwise virtually never actually lifts or pushes anything.
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Comments: 6
thats a big round form a battleship O_O how dangerous is it if were to hit a naval target (not likely to happen since most ships go above 30 knots nowdays)
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Well, this is just a training round (identified by their blue coloring), but a Mk.14 HC round has a lethal radius of 500yds from the concussion alone, and a casualty radius of 1000yds from the shrapnel.
The blast from a Mk.8 AP round is similar (though not as dramatic, with only 1/3 the filler), but what sets it apart is it's armor penetration figures;
5000yds: 29.39"
10000yds: 26.16" (1.71" deck)
15000yds: 23.04" (2.79" deck)
20000yds: 20.04" (3.9" deck)
25000yds: 17.36" (5.17" deck)
30000yds: 14.97" (6.65" deck)
35000yds: 12.97 (8.48" deck)
40000yds: 11.02" (11.26" deck)
45000yds: Out of range
Those figures are in inches, against RHA Steel. Against concrete, the same numbers apply, but in FEET rather than inches.
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the Kirov class cruiser forced us to drag these back into service
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It was actually a combination of that, and the "600-Ship Navy" policy.
The Iowas were effective as a response to the Kirovs...;
home.comcast.net/~shipsoftheus…
...but the "600-Ship Navy" was one of the US military's biggest blunders. For every new ship they put into service, several others were retired. Perhaps the most appealing example was in 1983, when the Navy bought two Perry class Frigates, but retired 13 Forrest Sherman class Gun Destroyers. To add insult to injury, 12 of those 13 Forrest Shermans had just 3 years prior undergone a massive overhaul that greatly extended their remaining service lives, and outfitted them with better ASW weapons, sensors, and electronics than would ever be seen on a Perry during the rest of the Cold War. Another 11 Forrest Shermans were retired the year before.
Another example, also from 1983, was the retirement of 5 Thomaston class Dock Landing Ships, when only a single example of the new Whidbey Island class Dock Landing Ships was authorized in that year.
There were also 4 Decatur class Missile Destroyers that were decommissioned in 1983, but only one Sprunace class Destroyer took their place --- and the Hayler was the last ship in her class.
Ultimately, instead of growing from a 400-ship Navy to a 600-ship Navy, this trend continued, and less ships were in service by 1990 than there were in 1980. Today, the US Navy has less than 200 warships, and more regions of responsibility than ever before.
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