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From: plains!umn-cs!LOCAL!thornley@uunet.UU.NET (David H. Thornley)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: battleships
Message-ID: <1991Feb21.024746.8966@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 21 Feb 91 02:47:46 GMT
References: <1991Feb13.220636.4720@cbnews.att.com> <1991Feb15.064150.7336@cbnews.att.com> <1991Feb18.052418.9551@cbnews.att.com>
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From: plains!umn-cs!LOCAL!thornley@uunet.UU.NET (David H. Thornley)
I found my references on battleship gun barrel life.

Norman Friedman, _U.S._Naval_Weapons_, gives the 16" Mark 7 50-caliber
gun (used on the _Iowa_ class) as having a barrel life of 300 rounds
using the 2700lb shell fired at 2500 fps.  Alternative rounds listed
are the 1900lb 2690 fps service shell (0.43 full-round equivalents),
the 1900lb 1900 fps HC round (0.03), and the 2700lb 1800fps target
shell (0.08).

Therefore, assuming the use of the HC round, each gun could fire
300/0.03 = ten thousand rounds.  Maximum range would doubtless be
reduced, due to the lower muzzle velocity and the lighter shell
(and hence less cross-sectional density), from the 42,000 yards
or so of the main shell.

DHT

[mod.note:  According to Garzke, Dulin, and Sumrall in _Battleships,
US Battleships in WWII_, the 1900-lb HC round had a range of 41,622 yards
on normal (660-lb) charge and 27,350 yards on the 315-lb reduced charge.
The 2700-lb AP round could reach 42,345 yards. - Bill ]