Table of Contents
How far can battleship guns shoot?
They fired 2,700 pounds (1,225 kg) armor-piercing projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 2,500 ft/s (762 m/s), or 1,900 pounds (862 kg) high-capacity projectiles at 2,690 ft/s (820 m/s), up to 24 miles (21 nmi; 39 km).
How many guns are on a battleship?
The turrets are “three-gun,” not “triple”, because each barrel can be elevated independently; they can also be fired independently. The ship could fire any combination of its guns, including a broadside of all nine. Contrary to myth, the ships do not move much sideways when a broadside is fired.
What was the largest battleship ever built with 18 inch guns?
It was the largest and heaviest gun ever used by the British. Only the Second-World-War Japanese 46 cm/45 Type 94 had a larger calibre, 18.1 inches (46 cm) and lighter shell….BL 18-inch Mk I naval gun.
| BL 18-Inch Mk1 | |
|---|---|
| Barrel length | 60 ft (18.3 m) (L/39) |
| Shell weight | 3,320 lb (1,510 kg) |
| Caliber | 18 in (457 mm) |
| Breech | Welin breech block |
How Far Can Navy guns shoot?
General Characteristics Primary Function: Fully-automatic, naval gun mount. Range: 13 nautical miles (14.9 statute miles) with conventional ammunition. Type Fire: 16-20 rounds per minute automatic, conventional ammunition.
How far can a ship cannon shoot?
Range could be up to 1500 yards, but the round shot quickly wandered in its trajectory, and was very hard to aim at extreme range. On a small ship, like a pirate vessel, guns were typically kept on the open deck, not on a specialized gun deck with gun ports.
How heavy was a 15-inch shell?
1,920 lbs
Weight of shell: 1,920 lbs (4 AP crh shell), 1,938 lbs (6 crh AP shell – 1937). Weight of charge: 428 lbs cordite, 490 lbs cordite for supercharge. The firing life of a 15-inch gun was approximately 335 full charge firings using standard charges, after which it had to be re-lined.
What is the largest warship in the world?
List
| Name | Ships in class | Length |
|---|---|---|
| USS Enterprise | 1 | 342 m (1,123 ft) |
| Gerald R. Ford class | 2 | 337 m (1,106 ft) |
| Nimitz class | 10 | 333 m (1,092 ft) |
| Kitty Hawk class | 3 | 327 m (1,073 ft) |
What is a 5 inch gun used for on ships?
U.S. battleships and some destroyers were armed with high-velocity 5-inch/51s (the second number refers the length of the barrel in multiples of caliber; in this case, 5-inch caliber x 51 = 255-inch barrel). The gun was designed for use against unarmored destroyers, so its high velocity was not needed to penetrate armor.
What happened to the number 2 turret on the USS Enterprise?
The big cruiser made additional war cruises in 1968–69 and 1972–73. During the latter, a faulty base fuse exploded as the center gun of Number 2 turret was fired, destroying the weapon. As the shooting war stopped at about that time, the gun was not replaced.
Why did the US Navy choose the 5-inch/38 gun?
After toying with a 5.4-inch/40 and then a 5-inch/40, the Bureau of Ordnance determined that a gun 38 calibers long—the 5-inch/38—fit the bill for battleships (and cruisers) as well as destroyers. It did not hurt that the Navy would combine the new gun with the best medium-caliber antiaircraft fire-control system of World War II, the Mark 37.
United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun barrel had an internal diameter of 8 inches (203 mm), and the barrel was 55 calibers long (barrel length is 8 inch × 55 = 440 inches or 36.6 feet or 11 meters). These built-up guns weighed about 30 tons including a liner, tube, jacket, and five hoops.