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  • Regarding the firing delay or "ripple" firing of the main rifles:

    If I'm understanding the reasons for this, they are, in no particular order:

    Because the blast won't interfere with the shell next door and throw its trajectory off a bit

    Because it's easier on the ship itself



    Any other reason? Could the blast ever detonate a shell coming out of the barrel next to it?

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    • Originally posted by Pacfanweb View Post
      Regarding the firing delay or "ripple" firing of the main rifles:

      If I'm understanding the reasons for this, they are, in no particular order:

      Because the blast won't interfere with the shell next door and throw its trajectory off a bit

      Because it's easier on the ship itself



      Any other reason? Could the blast ever detonate a shell coming out of the barrel next to it?
      You are somewhat correct on both counts. After conducting stress readings on the roller paths and turret foundation (1 1/2" thick Special Treated Steel shaped (more or less) like a truncated cone), we finally decided that a 1/2 second delay between each gun firing during a salvo fire, gives time for the entire supporting structure to return from compression. The fact that the delay time improved projectile accuracy was a secondary benefit.

      But we still limited full elevation to only 42 degrees, though the guns are designed to elevate 45 degrees for maximum range, in order to take excessive pressure off the roller in the roller path. If I recall, in WW II, the USS Texas had a problem with her rollers flattening out when the guns were at too high of an elevation.

      But I've also been told that, during the Korean War, one of our Iowa class Battleships was able to get her gun barrels raised to 45 degrees relative to the tangent of the Earth's curvature. This was done by deliberately positioning the ship alongside an underwater sand bar and ballasting down onto the sand bar listing the ship at least 4 degrees. But I haven't seen any official report on that though it is perfectly logical.

      And for the last part of your question, ummm, it might be possible for the muzzle blast of an adjoining barrel to activate the base fuse of a shell just a fraction of a second ahead of it. I don't recall which book I have that shows a photo of one of our Iowa's firing a full salvo but you could see the shaving brush fan out of black smoke from a warhead detonating in the air.

      Hard to say which is better. The shell going off after it's well away from you or having the problem the "Mamie" had during the battle of Casablanca where many of the fuses screwed themselves out half way to the target.
      Last edited by RustyBattleship; 21 Jul 16,, 04:10.
      Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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      • So you actually have a picture of the detonation happening? That'd be fascinating to see sometime.
        I know, add it to your list, lol.

        Thanks for your knowledge.

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        • Originally posted by Pacfanweb View Post
          So you actually have a picture of the detonation happening? That'd be fascinating to see sometime.
          I know, add it to your list, lol.

          Thanks for your knowledge.
          I have a four foot tall bookcase full of ship related books. Which shelf has that book would take me some time to find. I really shouldn't be on line right now because my wife is under the weather and I promised to empty the dish washer, take her car to get washed and zap a few more Miller Moths invading our kitchen.

          THEN I will head out to VFW Post 8615 for my daily double Vodka. After that, I will look for the book (if I haven't put it away someplace else).

          I'm also running low on happiness because not a single copy of my book has been sold this month. Hope just one sells before next Tuesday and I can count it as a birthday present for my 80th year on this planet. But if one doesn't sell, well, I have a back up plan.
          Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

          Comment


          • Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post
            I have a four foot tall bookcase full of ship related books. Which shelf has that book would take me some time to find. I really shouldn't be on line right now because my wife is under the weather and I promised to empty the dish washer, take her car to get washed and zap a few more Miller Moths invading our kitchen.

            THEN I will head out to VFW Post 8615 for my daily double Vodka. After that, I will look for the book (if I haven't put it away someplace else).

            I'm also running low on happiness because not a single copy of my book has been sold this month. Hope just one sells before next Tuesday and I can count it as a birthday present for my 80th year on this planet. But if one doesn't sell, well, I have a back up plan.
            I just fixed that for you. Happy Birthday!
            Can't wait to get the book.

            Comment


            • Originally posted by Pacfanweb View Post
              I just fixed that for you. Happy Birthday!
              Can't wait to get the book.
              Thank you very much. But I really wasn't to push anybody on this board. However, if I can finish my back up plan, well, let's just wait and see. Your previous posting put me to work. I could not find the photo I had in mind (but I haven't gone through all of my books). But I did find a photo in Newell & Smith's book on the USS Missouri on page 123 and a follow up photo in Paul Stillwell's book on the Battleship Missouri on page 181 that will answer your question on pre-detonation.

              Hopefully I can scan those pages tomorrow and provide you some uploads. Maybe not uploads. I don't know your email address and haven't figured out how to post pictures on this forum yet (they USED to be EASY). Just remember, artillery projectiles of any caliber were made by the hundreds of thousands. Mostly all by women (a cousin of mine was a male supervisor in one of the munitions factories just northeast of the San Fernando Valley). Women were the best to use as they have a natural sense of detail perfection OR imperfection.

              But then there is Murphy's first law. "If ANYTHING could POSSIBLY go WRONG. IT WILL."
              Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

              Comment


              • Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post
                I have a four foot tall bookcase full of ship related books. ...
                Man oh man, what I wouldn't give for the chance to go through that collection!

                Guess I'll look at my copy of "the book" tonight. I've read most of the text, but the pictures and the lists are fascinating in their own rights.

                Hope your wife gets to feeling better, Mr. L.

                We celebrated my Dad's 80th this past weekend. He's doing well. He ran/walked a 5K earlier that day...

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                • Originally posted by Cruiser View Post
                  Man oh man, what I wouldn't give for the chance to go through that collection!

                  Guess I'll look at my copy of "the book" tonight. I've read most of the text, but the pictures and the lists are fascinating in their own rights.

                  Hope your wife gets to feeling better, Mr. L.

                  We celebrated my Dad's 80th this past weekend. He's doing well. He ran/walked a 5K earlier that day...
                  Thank you. She is feeling better but still frustrated with the new COSTCO CITIBANK card that is all f*ck*d up. She spent 45 minutes ON HOLD yesterday. I pulled up the website and found over a hundred complaints that the switch over from American Express to Citibank is causing extraordinary confusions on our balances. She finally was able to get a balance straightened out so I will make a bank run tomorrow morning to deposit some money and transfer some from another account. But besides buying gasoline at COSTCO, we will probably do more shopping at Walmart which is within .30-06 distance from our house (would need a .50 caliber Barrett to hit COSTCO).

                  No. I would not actually shoot at the stores. That's just the way I gauge distances from one place to another. Can I walk there or should I take the truck with my handicap placard?

                  Interesting calculations from one of the crew members of the Battleship Iowa. To drive from the ship to the Los Angeles City Hall would take about an hour and a half. To take public transportation would take about two hours. If terrorists took over the City Hall, a 16"/50 Hi-Cap from turret III would get there in 5 1/2 seconds.

                  Well, I haven't confirmed those numbers myself, but those of you who like to do number crunching can figure it out yourselves.
                  Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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                  • Well honestly, if you did shoot at Wal Mart, they wouldn't consider that out of the ordinary.

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                    • Does anyone know where I can find measured drawings of the Harpoon and Armored Box Launchers on the Iowas?

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                      • Originally posted by Pacfanweb View Post
                        Well honestly, if you did shoot at Wal Mart, they wouldn't consider that out of the ordinary.
                        Oh golley. That was so many years ago when I always had them at my desk. Last time I used them was back in the 80's helping a friend of mine make a 1:96 master model of one. As a matter of fact, he probably still has the molds. Contact The Scale Shipyard.

                        The Harpoon launcher tubes were not the standard issue. They were ARMORED tubes so there is a lot of 1 3/4" thick Aluminum Armor around them at certain places.

                        The ABL's were also 1.75" thick Armor. But, if you are building a model of the New Jersey, the aft two ABL's on the 03 level were built by FMC (Food Machinery Company that also built the M2 & M3 Bradley "tanks"). All the others were built by General Dynamics. The foundations are a bit different between the two companies.

                        The plans I had for the ABL foundations on the Iowa I have already donated to the ship. Otherwise they would be handy determining the length and width of the ABL's themselves.

                        Then again, everything we considered "Classified, Secret or Need to Know" in those days is now available on the Internet.
                        Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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                        • Once I asked a manufacturer for measurements for modeling and they sent me complete plans on how to build the weapon.

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                          • I am also looking for measured drawings of the Phalanx mounts.

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                            • Originally posted by bigjimslade View Post
                              I am also looking for measured drawings of the Phalanx mounts.
                              That shouldn't be too hard. General Dynamics built them also. But Remember: The BB's had the Block 1 mounts that did not have a barrel support frame around them. The replicas we have on the Iowa are Block 3 mounts.
                              Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

                              Comment


                              • Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post
                                That shouldn't be too hard. General Dynamics built them also. But Remember: The BB's had the Block 1 mounts that did not have a barrel support frame around them. The replicas we have on the Iowa are Block 3 mounts.

                                So far no joy and I've got all this empty area to fill in:

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