Another naval artillery question.

[tom black]

Not wanting to steal Don's thunder I'll ask this question. Again, on the old WWII films, immediately after the battleships fire their 16" cannons, they lower the barrels. Was this to facilitate loading? Thanks.
Tom

 

[Tallbald]

Looking forward to learning this also. I remember seeing that but it didn't register with me until you asked, Tom.
I hadn't thought a great deal about Naval guns until recently, when I recalled that back in the early 1970's, a friend's father was a supervisor at the Naval armament station in Louisville, KY where we grew up. Once I toured the facility during an open house with Mike and his Dad and to this day have stood in awe of the sheer size of the guns our Navy can bring to bear on our enemies.
Don.

 

[Bob Wright]

Yes, for loading. The rammer was a mechanical device and could not be elevated. The projectile was something like nine feet up into the barrel.

You will notice, too, a puff of white "smoke" wafting from the muzzles also. This was a puff of nitrogen gas (think that was the stuff) that was blown through the bores to make sure all sparks were out. Sort of like swabbing the old field guns with a wet mop.


Bob Wright

 

[gunzo]

From what I could quickly read, I agree with Bob. The elevator lifted a shell with an avg. wt. of somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 pounds & a rammer shoved it into the chamber. The 6 bags of powder totaling 660 pounds were shoved in behind the shell.
A lifter/rammer with variable angles could be possible, but them on a fixed position, & the barrel angling to that position seems like the logical choice considering the technology at the time.
Tom Black probably nailed it. To load.

 

[DeletedMember275]

Many types of artillery do this - drop back to 'zero elevation' after firing to facilitate loading. Also, if you watch video of (post-WWII) tanks or self-propelled artillery firing, you'll notice a smoke ring that exits the muzzle after firing. That is caused by the bore evacuator (the larger diameter cylinder on the outside of the gun tube) forcing the remaining smoke out the muzzle when the breech is opened, so that it doesn't fill up the turret or cab of the vehicle.

 

[tom black]

Great stuff gentlemen. I always wondered what that gizmo was.
Tom

 

[Jeepnik]

Yes, for loading. The rammer was a mechanical device and could not be elevated. The projectile was something like nine feet up into the barrel.

You will notice, too, a puff of white "smoke" wafting from the muzzles also. This was a puff of nitrogen gas (think that was the stuff) that was blown through the bores to make sure all sparks were out. Sort of like swabbing the old field guns with a wet mop.


Bob Wright

Nitrogen, I always thought it was steam to put out any embers left over to prevent the powder from the next load igniting.

 

[Pierow]

Nitrogen, I always thought it was steam to put out any embers left over to prevent the powder from the next load igniting.

Nice to be able to have these questions answered. This fascinates me.

Just an interesting thought. As Bob mentioned Nitrogen being used to flush out / extinguish any embers within the gun. The opposite is done when a rocket is launched. When you saw the shuttles launched you'll recall sparks shooting horizontally near the rocket nozzles just prior to launching. Those sparks are shot through that area so as to combust any stray fuel vapors that could otherwise combust uncontrolled. NASA called them "nitrogen scavengers."

A fireworks company in Florida use to make those devices for NASA.

Pierow

 

[blume357]

I got a chuckle a few years back watching the movie Battle Ship where a couple of old vets get on a battle ship and run it and then operate the cannons... I watched a you tube video a few years before where it explained it took a minimum of 54 sailors to operate just one of those cannons....

 

[Ale-8(1)]

The full story . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0D-ulUrMIo

Fascinating! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[Wyandot Jim]

If any of you are in the Mobile AL. area the USS Alabama is one of the few BBs that you can go all the way into the main 16"gun turret. At least you could in the 80s. Very interesting.
In fact the whole park is great and the Sub USS Drum is outstanding.

 

[Sturgis270]

Here is a very good video of a gun turret operation,from Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OmOQs0ziSU

 

[Armybrat]

If any of you are in the Mobile AL. area the USS Alabama is one of the few BBs that you can go all the way into the main 16"gun turret. At least you could in the 80s. Very interesting.
In fact the whole park is great and the Sub USS Drum is outstanding.

Toured both vessels with my family in 1985. Outstanding visit and my 3 sons were in awe.

 

[Jeepnik]

The full story . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0D-ulUrMIo

Fascinating! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

As I can look out the window and literally see the USS Iowa I know how impressive she is. And to get it in operating condition would take years if not decades. Still, last I heard she was still a USN vessel "on loan" to the City of Los Angeles.

 

[bobski]

gun school use to be in nab little creek va.
pretty amazing math goes on in that school. slick training aids are used all tied into computers to show impacts based on calculations. pass fail tolerance is tuff stuff for students. don't think for one minute gunners a knuckle draggers one bit.