Penetration Test

[ndnchf]

Since it's been a little slow here I thought I'd show you a little something out of the ordinary.  This fits here I believe, well sort of.  Its a black powder rifle firing a hollow base bullet and it reloads after each shot.  

I work at a naval base and this is on display for all to see.  Its a projectile fired from a battleship's 14" naval rifle into 19" of hardened armor plate from the USS Alabama.  The projectile almost penetrated completely through, but not quite.  Not something you see every day.





Sorry the photos aren't better, but I snapped them with my cell phone.

Here's a better photo of the back side showing the hollow base projectile buried in the armor plating.

[D-Hansen]

Thanks for sharing the photo,  That's cool!

D-Hansen

[dusty texian]

WOW

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[ndnchf]

Its a pretty impressive sight.  Imagine the heat and concussion generated when that projectile hit.  You can see how the steel flowed outward as the projectile pressed in.   

[dusty texian]

That is raw power. Bet that would be somthing to see in slowmotion.,,,Dusty

[Mean Bob Mean]

Now, most of you fellers probably need two hands to fire that 14" gun.

Mean Bob

[TwoWalks Baldridge]

Now, most of you fellers probably need two hands to fire that 14" gun.

Mean Bob

I was thinking 2 for gunfighter but I might need more Wheaties and spinach.

[ndnchf]

I'd hate to be the guy who has to reset those targets.

[cpt dan blodgett]

Think where all that molten steel went and how fast it was traveling.  Would put a serious hurt on anyone on the other side of that armor plate

[w44wcf]

ndnchf,
Thank you for the pics. Impressive!  Here's a pic of a portion of the 26" thick armor plate from the Yamato apparently penetrated by a 16" shell.
http://www.williammaloney.com/Aviation/USNavyMuseum/OtherExhibits/images/32Yamato26InchArmorPlate.jpg  

The highest penetration projectile that I am aware of is from the 31" DORA and Gustav German guns which were so large that they had to be transported on two railroad tracks side by side. It fired an 11,000 lb(!!) explosive and 16,000 lb. (!!!) armor piercing projectiles.

Check the size of the projectile and powder charges!!


w44wcf

[Shotgun Franklin]

Wasn't the 'USS Texas' the last Battleship to have 14" guns? If I remember right it was, they were noted for their great accuracy. The 'Texas' was called The Sharpshooter of the Fleet.

[ndnchf]

That's an impressive view of Yamato's penetrated armor.  Must have been a job raising that from the sea floor.  The Germans really believed in the "bigger is better" theory, those Gustavs are monsters. 

On the Dahlgren naval base where I work, there also resides the only remaining experimental 18" US battleship gun barrel.  It is on display next to a standard 16" barrel for comparison.  I have walked up and looked at them closely.  The 16" is a big rifle, but the 18" when viewed next to it is enormous.  Here's a link with info and the photo.

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_18-48_mk1.htm

[pony express]

890lb powder charge!!! It's hard enough to find a couple of pounds of powder in most gun shops anymore.

[Drydock]

After the Texas came the 2 ship "Oklahoma" class, then the three ship "Pennslvania" class, then the 3 ship Mississippi class, all with 14" guns.  The Texas was the last US battleship to carry her entire main armanment in twin turrets, and one of the last 2 capitol ships, the other being the Oklahoma, to be powered by by Reciprocating engines. 

[Shotgun Franklin]

Thanks, I probably don't know as much as I ought to about the 'Texas'.

[sail32]

I would think the amour piece penetrated by a 16 inch projectile was a test piece of armour.
The Yamato was sunk by aircraft and as far as I know never engaged another battleship. The Japanese Nagato class had 16 inch guns.
The British HMS Furious, a modified Courageous-class battlecruisers had 18 inch guns, but was converted to an aircraft carrier.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Furious_(47)

[Mean Bob Mean]

ndnchf,
Thank you for the pics. Impressive!  Here's a pic of a portion of the 26" thick armor plate from the Yamato apparently penetrated by a 16" shell.
w44wcf

Yamato was sunk by aerial torpedoes and bombs, she suffered no hits from surface vessels.  I wonder what that is from?  Possibly the Battleships salughtered by the US in the Surigao Strait (although I know of no salvage of any of thsoe)?  

Edit:  Just read previous post, that is the most likely case--test armor. 

[Drydock]

Test armour, recovered from a japanese shipyard, meant for an uncompleted sistership.

The hollow base is actualy the space for the relativly small high explosive "burster" charge, though in this case probably filled with sand.