Comments on: Don’t Try to Trickle These Sticks… Powder for Big Naval Guns https://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2016/11/dont-try-to-trickle-these-sticks-powder-for-big-naval-guns/ from AccurateShooter.com Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:26:38 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.26 By: Mike Gifford https://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2016/11/dont-try-to-trickle-these-sticks-powder-for-big-naval-guns/comment-page-1/#comment-51650 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 01:52:46 +0000 http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/?p=56103#comment-51650 One of the fondest memories of my route to becoming a Navy officer was my instructor for the Gunnery and Fire Control course, a wise, experienced Senior Chief (started in WWII), who had battleship experience and who led us through the care and feeding of 16″ naval rifles as a matter of historical interest. None of us (probably including Chief Bowling) realized that they would be back for Viet Nam service shortly after we graduated. Tom’s comments above are accurate; to elaborate on them, the 16 inch projectiles weighed in at 1800-2200 lbs, depending on the purpose, and many types were closer to 6 feet tall than 5 if memory serves. Gross range adjustment was indeed established by varying the number of bags (6 max, again if memory serves), and each bag had a small pouch affixed to the back end that contained black powder to force proper ignition. When the last bag was put in the breech, a gunner slit that pouch just before the breech block was closed.

As far as long range accuracy was concerned, the better chief gunner’s mates were pretty phenomenal – my cousin, an armored type, once remarked that they liked to be operating their tanks close enough to the VN coast for a Navy battleship to offer artillery support if they had problems. One of his fellow tankers got in a big problem about 11 miles inland and the New Jersey was about 4 miles off the coast. They were advised to hold on tight, and the New Jersey Gunners proceeded to lay down a donut with a hole about 60 yards in diameter with their tank in the middle of the hole. They were well and truly shaken up by the explosions, but the brief barrage of 16 inch high explosive projectiles from miles away ended the threat in about 3 seconds. Apparently, this sort of marksmanship was the norm the armored guys encountered when they radioed for close support from a battlewagon, and was much appreciated.

Mike

]]> By: Tom Alves https://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2016/11/dont-try-to-trickle-these-sticks-powder-for-big-naval-guns/comment-page-1/#comment-47032 Sun, 08 Mar 2015 18:43:02 +0000 http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/?p=56103#comment-47032 Boyd,
That’s an interesting article. I was a civilian engineer at the Naval Ordnance Station Louisville, KY where the engineers in charge of the guns were based. The Powder Plant was in Jeffersonville,IN a few miles from Louisville. The powder was put into bags made of cotton,I believe, that were sewn at the powder plant and charges were loaded into the guns in increments of those bags of powder. My understanding was that the gunnery officer using the gun fire control system would determine the number of bags required and then give loading orders to the gun crew in the turret(s). I suppose when you are shooting a projectile that is 16 in. dia. and about 5 ft. tall one does not have to be quite as precise as your typical competitive shooter loading fixed ammunition. Thanks for the article.
TA

]]>