Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!cbnewse!cbnewsd!cbfsb!cbnewsc!cbnews!cbnews!military From: phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Phil Gustafson) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: battleships Message-ID: <1991Feb19.031700.16527@cbnews.att.com> Date: 19 Feb 91 03:17:00 GMT References: <1991Feb13.220636.4720@cbnews.att.com> <1991Feb15.064150.7336@cbnews.att.com> <1991Feb18.052418.9551@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: Famed Parquet Floor Lines: 52 Approved: military@att.att.com From: phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Phil Gustafson) In article <1991Feb18.052418.9551@cbnews.att.com> steve@nuchat.sccsi.com (Steve Nuchia) writes: >phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Phil Gustafson) writes: >>for the Iowas!) and were routinely exceeded in wartime. 16" guns have >>to be relined every 200-300 rounds, depending on the size of the charges >>and projectiles used. > >I was told that during 'Nam they were worried about using up the >last of the liners and discovered that a teflon garbage bag "condom" >on the shell reduced the wear to just about zero. > >Could have been a sea story, but it sounded plausible, and I know >the U.S. no longer has any plant that makes 16" barrel liners. Phil, >was your statement a general one or do you have up-to-date info >on the estimated life of the BB gun liners? My statement was general. Next trip to the library I'll see whether I can find any specific info. The use of Hefty bags as projectile comdoms is a new one on me. The only detailed description of 16" gun operation in modern times that I've come across was a report on the Iowa turret explosion. No plastic liner was used there, so it's at least not always done. This has come up before, but does anyone have any idea how many 16"/50's and liners still exist? Could we reline a gun if we had to? >[mod.note: I would presume they still have available 16" practice >ammunition. My reference (Friedman, _US Naval Weapons_ is on loan right >now, but as I recall this special round and powder charge increased >barrel life by an order of magnitude. - Bill ] Just using HE, rather than armor-piercing, ammo eases things on the gun a great deal. Seeing as there's no armor around to pierce, one suspects that that's what they're using. Practice ammo is just that -- it carries no explosive charge. Annoying if it actually hits you, but Mostly Harmless otherwise. Trivia for the day: On October 10, 1942, the _Idaho_ fired its forward magazines to exhaustion, more or less to prove that she could do it. 100 rounds each from six guns took 143 salvos (when firing time came, all the guns weren't always ready) and about three and a half hours. There were only thirteen misfires in 600 rounds. Must have been noisy. -- | phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG | Phil Gustafson | {ames|pyramid|vsi1}!zorch!phil | UN*X/graphics consultant | sgi!gsi!phil | 1550 Martin Ave., San Jose CA 95126 | phil@gsi | 408/286-1749