The 8″/55 caliber gun (spoken «eight-inch-fifty-five-caliber») formed the main battery of United States Navy heavy cruisers and two early aircraft carriers. United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun barrel had an internal diameter of 8 inches (203 mm), and the barrel was 55 calibers long (barrel length is 8 inch × 55 = 440 inches or 36.6 feet or 11 meters).
These built-up guns weighed about 30 tons including a liner, tube, jacket, and five hoops. A down-swing Welin breech block was closed by compressed air from the gas ejector system. Loading with two silk bags each containing 45-pounds (20 kg) of smokeless powder gave a 260-pound (120 kg) projectile a velocity of 2800 feet per second (850 m/s). Range was 18 miles 31,860 yd (29,130 m) at the maximum elevation of 41 degrees. One of USS Louisville’s main gun turrets damaged from kamikaze on January 5, 1945 was removed and taken to the Nevada Test Site and converted into a rotating radiation detector, to collect data on nuclear tests.
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For those who are triggered by me calling these guns "big" then may I suggest you pick up three of each of these rounds in quick succession and throw them into a breach and see how well you do. These guns are anti ship guns. They are big. Big enough to sink ships. So I will stand by them being big. Are they the biggest? Of course not. But that's not what I was stating. ❤️?
BY today's standards these are big guns indeed.
In today's SJW environment the term "gypsy head" would be considered hateful, racist, patriarchal, and (insert your own trigger word here). Every social media forum ablaze with triggered individuals demanding the dismissal from service followed by the death penalty for the navy gunners.
Hanging down from my erect structure are two suspended structures. Rapid fire is dependent on the attending company and I wished I had 8 inches. The barrel might be 55 caliber at times. The ammo is quickly renewed and ready at a moment's notice. The range is somewhat limited though.
This looks to be how they worked in WWII, is it still how they work today?
Great information
Historicallyandentertaining!
I was in Philly, PA, and my brother and his son took me and my son, on the USS New Jersy. He got one of the extended tours. For me, I thought the way the projectile moves from storage to the gun was really neat until I saw the firing computer. There is an hour video for you.
I'm not an expert but it seems to me that these size guns are pointless. These are the main guns on a Cruiser and Cruisers have been obsolete for a century or more.
In the late nineteenth century when steel warships came to the fore, there were battleships — the biggest ship you could make. And torpedo boats — tiny boats that could sink big ships if they could get close enough. Then there were Torpedo Boat Destroyers — to keep them from getting close. Finally there were Cruisers — faster than a battleship but more powerful than a Destroyer.
But then came the "all big gun" Dreadnought — a battle ship with no little guns. These soon became "fast battleships" and at that point cruisers were without a role. By Jutland Cruisers had to hide from the Dreadnoughts. If a Battleship caught a Cruiser within range the Cruiser was soon sunk.
Then came Pearl Harbor and Battleships were then obsolete. Today no Battleships, no Cruisers, no Destroyers, no Torpedo boats. We have missal boats with one single five inch gun but a lot of radar like the Arliegh Burke. I's called a destroyer but it's a whole different beast from WWII destroyers.
Guns are so twentieth century.
These guys are good. They hit a plane flying miles away at 250+mph. I would think any plane hit with one of these guns would be obliterated
lt's videos like these that make me want to be an engineer.
Never had a clue how those worked. Thanks for the knowledge upgrade 🙂
From 1955. I wanted to understand how they aim them…
Considering the volume of fire achieved by these old time guns. Modern missile armed ships could not afford to replicate it with hugely expensive missiles. This is still a role for large calibre rapid fire naval artillery firing low cost dumb shells. Current 4.5 inch guns are simply not capable of the same level of destruction at longer ranges.
Just my opinion.
'Specialization' is strictly apply here. Cool!
I would say these are more medium size guns at least compare it to other navel guns of the time
This video gives me an "erect structure".
OK they could shoot down aircraft, but what did they do when an aircraft came in while in a S2G or S2S engagement? What did do with the 7 HX in the feed when they needed to switch to AA FLAK?
A company in Detroit named the Jam Handy Organization made military training films. I wonder if JH made this one.
The video only briefly mentioned when the fuse is set before firing…just before being loaded into the breach. That moment is where the Newport News (CA-148, the sister ship of the Salem) had a shell detonate. A lot of good men lost their lives in the "automatic" turret. It's that tragedy that is the only reason why the Newport News isn't a museum ship right now. She had the most accurate guns in the Vietnam war. God rest the souls of the men lost on the grey ghost from the east coast.
Not gonna lie. “8 inch gun” was my nickname in High School
It makes me wonder how many of these gun crew members from actual firing during WWII had to get hearing aids upon discharge from the navy.
They were automatic because the Mark 16 gun in the Des Moines class fired 10 rounds a minute vs. maybe three rounds for the previous Mark 12 and 15. 10 rounds a minute by 9 guns means 90 335 pound 8” shells hitting every minute. Enough to incapacitate any ship even a WWII era battlewagon. The Des Moines class had a similar weight of shot per minute as a WWI era battleship or some of the smaller WWII battleships. All in a heavy cruiser.
Battle hymn of the republic. Nice
Very interesting, thank you for that.
I wish there were more similar instructional videos with illustrations produced by the two other navies that produced large calibre rifles; the Royal Navy and the automatic 6" on the cruisers HMS Tiger and HMS Blake and the Royal Swedish Navy that introduced the Bofors 6" automatic guns used on the HMS Tre Kronor and HMS Göta Lejon. They were also used by the Dutch navy on a couple of designs, they even liked the guns that much they moved them from an older class of cruisers and fitted them on a later class of cruisers. According to the artillery men onboard the later class of cruisers, they were so reliable and accurate they preferred to use them last in the exercise as they usually obliterated the targets, while the OTO Melara fast 76 usually jammed and the missile usually missed the target anyway.
They were scrapped before I entered service, but I have seen earlier and later automatic guns, the 4.7" used on the HMS Halland class and the 4.7" used in the coastal artillery in the form of 12/80 gun mounts. Two different designs and the later was much more modern.
Very well.
12:14 — The 'Spent 8-" Casing' device can now be safely removed from the turret.
"Jeepers, Mr Patches O'Houlihan! You mean i can ram my 8" projectile up a gypsy?"
"You sure can Timmy. All nine of them."
"Holy mackerel!"