The Mighty MO

[Tom-ADC]

Taken a couple of days ago from the USS Nimitz at Pearl Harbor.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL174/1021972/19381983/403328275.jpg

[boolit_boy]

Visited the Mo years ago when she was docked in Bremerton. Awesome experience. Glad to see all three sisters being preserved.

[phaessler]

BEAUTIFUL Tom!!!

[smoked turkey]

WOW! That is a nice picture. Awesome power just setting there.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
That is a great view !
That is one fire mission system I would never want to have aimed at me within 23 miles of my hide. Know a mud-Marine who only wanted to get to call in one fire mission from any 16" turret. Best he ever got were low priority fire missions from the 5" turrets from some DD sitting 4 miles off coast.
But imagine getting to call in a barrage on a hard target for 15 minutes !
Mike in ILL.

[felix]

VietNam was assigned the NewJersey; Kuwait the Missouri ... felix

[462]

Heard the New Jersey, a couple times. Saw the Missouri, at anchor in the bay, once. The Iowa finally has a permanent port. They remain impressive ships.

[felix]

The Missouri fired the first shot as the initiator of Desert Storm. ... felix

[GARCIA]

Darn big varmint rifle!!

[Tim357]

Had my retirement flag flown off her mast. Then went to Hawai'i and actually stepped foot on her decks. What a day!

[Tom-ADC]

I toured her in 2008 during a cruise, I knew that I had lost a cousin who died when the USS Arizona was sunk, he is still on board, it was quite a moment to see his name on the wall of the memorial.
If you can I recommend the Pearl Harbor tour for everyone.

[Frank46]

I was at the Philadelphia naval shipyard back in 1967 waiting for my separation papers to come through. Separation papers as in going from active duty to inactive reserve. The New Jersey was there at the time getting into condition for getting her into service. Went on board and asked permission to walk around. Permission was granted and spent about an hour or so walking the main deck. Those 16" naval rifles were something to see. Frank

[GabbyM]

VietNam was assigned the NewJersey; Kuwait the Missouri ... felix

Let’s not forget the USS Wisconsin was also off Kuwait in the first Gulf war.
My Brothers XO from the USS Talbot back in the mid seventies was captain of the Wisconsin at that time. My brother always spoke of him with great respect. He of course lost touch after the officer was promoted off the FFG to a larger ship. Then about sixteen years later as he was watching TV news after the wars first battles. Camera crews were on the bridge of the Wisconsin in the Gulf. Paned over to the Captain for a mike in your face interview and low and behold there was his old XO. That was a feel good moment for my brother as he did and does seriously respect that man and the US Navy.


Our battle ships and amphibious Marines played a big part in that first war as a deception. Plus the big ships did drop in some rounds. More important is the fact that if things had of gone bad for us the big ships would have been there for plan B. Always a great thing to have a plan B in case the cost effective method fails.

I’ve thought for years they should keep the big BB’s in port and man them with navel reserve forces. Sure could of used them off the coast of Libya last year. But I’m just an old romantic. That money probably is better used to fund our new navel patrol bombers. Right up to the point are enemy learns how to shoot down planes like ducks in a pond.

[felix]

Not only that, the Wisconsin was readied for possible action in Central America, so it was indeed ready for Kuwait by default. The Iowa was ready to assist the Missouri, instead of the Wisconsin, until incompetence on the Iowa blew up one of its turrets when training a new gun crew. ... felix

[Harter66]

The bbls off the Iowa lived here in Hawthorne until about a yr ago when 2 of the 3 were cut up for scrap along w/9 others. The last bbl is awaiting its final disposition, a short muzzle section of #2 I believe is in the Hawthorne Ordiience museum.

The breach ends of the bbls were cut at just 10 ft each scaling in at about 41000 lbs.

I was told by a fellow that served on the Missouri that in WWII those old gals w/ a good crew could lay in standard 1640lb shells in a 300yd circle day in day out at 30 mi. In Korea and Viet Nam w/rocket asisted shell the 300yd circle was moved to 50 miles. The last up grade made it possible to put 3 RAPs inside a football field,field line grid at 75 miles w/any crew. Y'all can do the math but that's way less than MOA.

I've never seen the big guns in person. I've seen the Enterpise and the Constalation(?) 1st person floatin'cities doesn't even begin to do justice.

Thankyou for your service gentlemen.

[dmize]

A very good now deceased friend of mine was a Marine in Korea,he told me of laying on a beach behind a sea wall and having a four gun barrage from the Mighty Mo's 16 inchers fly overhead. Said you could see them in flight.

[Bad Water Bill]

When I was in boot camp (1956) the Co Commander was a GM1 off of a BB but I don't remember which one.

He said that each shell cost more than a brand new fully equipped Caddy.

Now add in just a few #of black powder and tell me what just one broadside cost?:Fire::Fire:

When they fired the broadside it would shove the BB 20 feet sideways. That was some recoil.

[MtGun44]

Bill -

NOT BP, smokeless with grains about 1/2" in diam and six holes thru the middle. I think
there may be a small 'booster" of BP at the primer to make it light better, but the huge
majority of the charge (seems like it is around 100 lbs, but I forget, really) is smokeless.

Bill

[Bad Water Bill]

Sorry but it has been OVER 55 years since I heard him speak those words.

[dmize]

I have seen videos of the gunners loading the charges,they look about the size of a rolled up sleeping bag and I do believe they can vary the number of bags depending on distance of shot....."modern muzzleoading from the breech" LOL
And as far as cost,I have no idea of the big guns but I remember when the last war started and the were salvoing them like bottle rockets a reporter said the new cruise missles were $600,000 a pop.

[chboats]

If I remember correctly, a full charge load was 6 fifty pound bags of powder.

When the NJ was off Vietnam they had a spare set of barrels in Subic Bay. I was able to get up close to them. They were about 24" across at the muzzle and about 48" across the breech and 66' long. The riflings were almost half inch deep. They were impressive. How do you turn a piece of steel that big?

Carl

[Bad Water Bill]

I wonder what happened to the lathe that they used to turn out those bbls?

[Longwood]

Those guns were pretty "Simple" compared to the mechanical computer that they used.
I have seen one, and it was the most intricate and complicated piece of machinery that I have seen.

[dmize]

Have any of you all seen pics of the sailors cleaning them?
About a dozen sailors on the end of a log chain pulling a bore brush the size of a trash can through the barrels.

[dmize]

These are also interesting
http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_16-50_mk7.htm
www.bobhenneman.info/HeavyGun.htm

[Longwood]

I recall seeing movies of the lathes they used to make the barrels.
The machinists actually rode along with the carriages. They stood on platforms built onto the carriage.

[Plate plinker]

A very good now deceased friend of mine was a Marine in Korea,he told me of laying on a beach behind a sea wall and having a four gun barrage from the Mighty Mo's 16 inchers fly overhead. Said you could see them in flight.

Grampa said similar thing in WWII. Story was he was aboard a destroyer (known fact) which was lead ship of a task force. The captain called in they had a ship ahead that was not supposed to be there offered a torpedo run. DENIED.... The TF commander took cAre of the vessel with THE BIG GUNS. Gramps said you could see the cherry read end sailing through the night sky..Most impressive.

Longwood , that must have been an interesting film, what about the process to make the rifling?

[Moonie]

Watched the movie Battleship in the local $1 theater for the second time Tuesday, enjoyed the movie and watching MO in action was amazing, even if it was all CGI.