The 16″/50 gun was designed to fire the projectiles listed below. The total weight of the gun with its recoiling parts is 292,000 pounds. The range tables for these projectiles are calculated with the full service charge of 6 bags of powder, a total weight of 650 pounds, which is the standard powder charge for this gun.
See also Greatest Man-o’-War.
Projectiles
Mark 8 Mod 0 AP — 2,700-pound projectile. Length 72″, radius of ogive 144″. Muzzle velocity (service charge) 2,425 feet per second. Range (service charge) 40,185 yards. Range tables:
- OP 770 — Range Tables, 16-Inch AP Mk 8 Mod 0, 2700 lb
- OP 1457 — Range Tables, 16-Inch AP Mk 8 Mod 0, 2700 lb
Mark 13 Mod 0 HC — 1,900-pound projectile. Length 64″, radius of ogive 144″. Muzzle velocity (service charge) 2,690 feet per second. Range (service charge) 41,622 yards. Range tables:
- OP 1100 — Range Tables, 16-Inch HC Mk 13 Mod 0, 1900 lb
- OP 1091 — Antiaircraft Range Tables, 16-Inch HC Mk 13 Mod 0, 1900 lb
Gun Firing Data
| Gun firing order | Left, Right, Center barrels |
| Firing delay | 0.06 second (no delay for the left barrel) |
| Recoil period at 15° elevation | 0.43 second |
| Counter-recoil period at 15° elevation | 0.90 second |
Projectile Stowage by Turret
| Location | Turret I | Turret II | Turret III |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper projectile flat — outer ring | 120 | 70 | 100 |
| Lower projectile flat — outer ring | 126 | 125 | 126 |
| Inner ring (each flat) | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Fixed stowage, third level | — | 121 | — |
| Total stowage | 390 | 460 | 370 |
Each turret carries an inner ring on both the upper and the lower projectile flat (72 projectiles each), so the inner-ring figure counts twice toward the turret total.
| Total stowed projectiles (all three turrets) | 1,220 |
| Drill projectiles (9 per turret) | 27 |
For a view of the projectile stowage inside the turret, see 7E1 — Projectile Stowage. See also OP 769 — Configuration of the Three-Gun Turrets, USS New Jersey, 30 April 1968 reactivation.
Ship and Turret Dimensions
The Iowa-class battleships have an overall length of 888 feet and a beam of 108 feet.
| Turret | Centerline axis from the bow | Trunnion height above the waterline |
|---|---|---|
| Turret 16/1 | 224 feet | 26.15 feet |
| Turret 16/2 | 296 feet | 34.65 feet |
| Turret 16/3 | 642 feet | 28.4 feet |
The centerline of the gun trunnions is about 132″ forward of the vertical centerline of the turret. Thus the trunnion of the center gun rotates on an arc of radius 132″ from the centerline of the turret. The left and right gun trunnions, being on the same centerline as the center gun but outboard of it, rotate on a slightly larger arc.
Related: USS New Jersey 30 April 1968 Reactivation · The New Jersey in Transit of the Panama Canal, 1983