Guymon, OK | Tiberius - 2/12/2024 06:23
I had no idea on barrel life of the 16" guns. They must of had a pile of replacements on board. I guess spent barrels went over the side. At 267,xxx lbs I wonder how they were replaced at sea. Thanks for the pictures.
Big guns like that (including land-based artillery) are known as "built-up" guns because of their construction. Basically, they're made of several different layers with the rifling being on the innermost layer (liner). When they were shot out, the liner would be replaced, not the entire barrel. This had to be done in the yard when the ship would come in for a refit. As an aside, I haven't done any digging into it specifically, but I'm sure the total round count for those guns is way less than you think. |
Road trip yesterday. Good day.
