Boyd Allen, Story byIt is not practical to load stick powder for large naval guns in the same way that top competitors do. You might be surprised to learn that the massive 14″ and 16″ naval guns of the U.S. Navy also fired shells propelled by extruded stick powders. These ‘kernels,’ however, could not be dispensed in small quantities. A single stick or a ‘grain’ was over 2″ long.
The U.S.S. Iowa fires her massive 16” main battery. The U.S. Navy Iowa-class battleships were armed with nine massive 16-inch Mark 7 guns in three turrets. The large naval guns were 50 calibers in length, i.e. The barrels were 66.7 feet from chamber to muzzle, or 50 times the bore diameter. Joe McNeil’s father, who was a DuPont employee, was involved in the manufacture of propellants for large naval guns. Joe writes: “My father worked for DuPont for over 40 years. Each time the country went to war, he was assigned the gun powder factories that DuPont ran on behalf of the government for only $1 per year. His last assignment was the Indiana Ordnance Plant, Jefferson, Indiana in 1952 to 1958. He made a display case of all the different powders produced at the plant, and left it with me. It’s the reason I have a grain 16” gun-powder. He took me to the Jefferson proving ground when they tested the gun powder in a 16″ gun. We watched the firing of that gun from a distance of half a mile, but it left an impression. They had rings that they used to test the performance and quality of the shells and powder. This was a fond memory of my father and his work. Here are some photos of the gun powder grains made during the Korean War by the Indiana Ordnance Works, where Joe McNeil’s father worked. Above is a display case showing the different powders made at the DuPont facility. The powders include: 75MM Pack Howitzer (37 MM/AA), 50 Cal. They include: 20 MM 4831 and 30 Cal. 4895, 76 MM, 3”, 5”, 90 MM, 4.7”, 240MM, 8”, 280 MM, 175 MM, 155 MM Howitzer, 155 MM Gun M.P., 8” Gun M.P., 12”, 14, 16”. There are different ‘grains.’ These are for specific rounds.
16-inch/50-caliber gun projectile plus six propellant bags. Display mockup aboard U.S.S. Iowa (BB-61) in San Pedro, CA. Photo by James Madison under Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
