Appreciating the size of a "Really Big Gun" -- 18" of Raw Muscle

[vintage hunter]

The Wisconsin and Iowa hold the distinction of being the last BB's in commission in the world, being stricken from the NVR fairly recently in March 2006.
The only battleships ever built(AFAIK) that out classed the Iowa's in terms of armor and firepower were the two Japanese super battleships Yamato and Musashi. But not enough to make a real difference had it ever come down to a slugfest between the two classes. The Iowa's had superior fire control systems and even though their 16''/50 caliber Mk.7 main guns and shells were 25% lighter than the Jap 18.1 inchers they still had nearly equal armor penetrating capabilities.
The U.S. Mk.8 AP shell weighed in at 2700lbs and was propelled by a 660lb powder charge to a MV of 2500fps with a range of 24 miles and was capable of penetrating 20-21'' of armor at 20,000 yards, more than enough to defeat the Yamato and Musashi's 16'' belt plates. Yamato class turrets were a tougher nut to crack though having a side armor thickness of 25 1/2''.
The U.S.HC Mk.13 shells weighed 1900lbs and were nothing short of awesome. They were capable of making craters 50' wide by 20' deep. During the Vietnam War they were used on occasion to create helicopter landing zones in the jungle. One Mk.13 shell fired into the jungle would make a LZ 200 yards in diameter and defoliate the trees for a further 300 yards beyond that. It almost makes you feel sorry for the poor bastards unlucky enough to be on the receiving end don't it?