Charles L. Cotton wrote:oljames3 wrote:16 days
https://countingdownto.com/countdown/ev ... 19c43f2239
Armament of the Iowa-class battleship - Wikipedia, the free ...
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USS Iowa fires a full broadside of nine 16 inch (406 mm)/50-caliber and six 5-inch (127 mm)/38-caliber guns during a target exercise.
Okay, this brings up a question I've long had about large guns, but never looked up. How are large guns classified in caliber? A 16" gun is a 50 caliber? A 5" gun is a 38 caliber?
Chas.
Caliber on ship guns is the designation for their length in relation to their bore. A 50 caliber is 50 times the 16-inch bore diameter which makes the barrel 66.6 feet long, from breech face to muzzle. The 5" 38 caliber is a little short of 16 feet.
EDIT TO ADD: ELB beat me to it. :-)
