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

[Tom in N.J.]

The navy has many 16" gun tubes and barrels left from those not used in the building of cancelled battleships in WWII. Back in 2011 there were 15 each 16" gun barrels up for surplus sale. They had to be demiled per navy spec on site. They were Mark 7s....

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[Seaspriter]

16" gun barrels up for surplus sale.

Am I reading the barrel label correctly? It seems to indicate the barrel weighs 237, 175 lbs -- no wonder they were called "heavy guns."

[vintage hunter]

Am I reading the barrel label correctly?

Yep, you sure are. And that's sans the breech. With the breech it weighed about 268,000lbs.

[Seaspriter]

With the breech it weighed about 268,000lbs.

So, for 3 of them per turret, that's over 3/4 million pounds, plus the mounting platforms and magazine feed system, plus heavily armoured turrets -- over 1 million pounds per 3-barreled turret. And she had three 3-barreled turrets. Plus twenty 5inch 38s, and multiple batteries of Anti-Aircraft guns. It's just hard to fathom the fire-power amassed in such a small space. Was there any weaponry as powerful in such a concentrated location? ( A nuclear submarine with nuclear warheads is the only thing that comes to mind.)

[vintage hunter]

Was there any weaponry as powerful in such a concentrated location?

A B-52 armed with a nuke. The Iowa's had nuclear capabilities also from the 50's on in the form of a 1900lb Mk.23 nuclear shell was loaded with a 20 kiloton warhead.

[WarPig1976]

237, 175 lbs

That's three Tractor Trailers PER barrel loaded to their absolute maximum legal road weight. Not cheap to move after you bought it!!!

[browningautorifle]

That's three Tractor Trailers PER barrel

So, I guess since these would be intended for scrap material, they'd be cut in situ and pieced out? Smaller is better? That would take some torch work. Lots of gas to burn through those bad boys.

[jmoore]

The navy has many 16" gun tubes and barrels left from those not used in the building of cancelled battleships in WWII. Back in 2011 there were 15 each 16" gun barrels up for surplus sale. They had to be demiled per navy spec on site. They were Mark 7s....

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Not exactly road transportable "as is" were they?