In a message dated 1/10/01 2:01:44 AM Pacific Standard Time,
olaf_greve@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
> A thing I have heard,
> but of which I've always wondered whether it is true or not, is that the
> recoil of firing the big guns of a battleship like the USS Missouri causes
> the whole ship (!) to move about 1m of distance in the opposite direction
as
> to the one in which the shot was fired (which I think typically is
> sideways).
Yep, that's what happens, Olaf. It doesn't displace instantaneously, of
course. But it DOES move the ship (even the mighty 880 foot "Mo") sideways
(for every action, etc.). Those big guns throw a 2000 lb. projectile (think
of a VW Beetle...) 20 miles! Still a powerful and awe-inspiring weapon, even
with today's cruise missiles, F18's, etc. I wouldn't want to be on the
receiving end of one of those guns.
As a Coastie, the biggest gun I was near was a 3" WWII era mount on a 378
foot cutter. We made practice bombing runs on a small Hawaiian Island named
Kahoolawe, off the S.W. coast of Maui, as did the Navy (the Hawaiian people
have always fought this -- I'm on their side on that -- all of Hawaii should
be protected and unspoiled). On the bridge, it was downright painful to
witness. You would swear the glass in the bridge windows would shatter, as
well as your eardrums (even with earplugs). The smoke and burned powder
flakes would be blown up through the bridge. Half way to the stern, down in
the galley, it was still incredibly loud. Heck, a 50 cal. is pretty dang
loud if you are within 100 feet of it. I can only imagine what the great
guns of the Mo sound like. We miss her here in Puget Sound, but she is in
the best place, I think, next to her fallen sister ships in Pearl Harbor. A
special place.
Har, ships 'n guns!
Rich
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