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Maggie’s Motivational Pic Thread v2.0 - - New Rules - See Post #1

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Barney, what I wouldn't do to actually find and retrieve that one "unrecovered" 16" round from the river. Thanks for that.

And 168, my Grandfather whom was a Tank Mechanic in WWII stationed in Einskedie Holland has told me of numerous stories regarding shots/rounds such as that. They hated the german 88's the most, and he spoke of many tanks that came in with holes in them, and/or projectiles stuck in the armor.

I have his crest around here somewhere, but "Royal Canadian Ordinance Corp" or something like that. (my bad memory)
 
Isn't this at Washington Navy Yard? Seems to me I saw it or a similar piece there about 25 years ago. Effects of a 16" AP round on the turret armor plate from a Yamato-class BB?

I think it's at Dahlgren proving ground... or was. It was a piece intended for Shinano and 'left over.' Brought back after the war and fired at point-blank with a USN 16" gun. Ideal conditions, angle, etc. Plate was 400 feet from the gun. Drillings are where they took metal samples.

One of the reasons for the test is that the U.S. had never produced armor that thick. And wanted to study the ballistic effect.

Well, there it is!

Awesome picture, OP. Thanks for posting!!!!!

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
Damage from a 16inch AP naval shell?
TWO BALLISTIC TESTS:

PROJECTILE USED:

U.S. Navy 2700-lb 16″ Mark 8 Mod 6 AP with inert filler (“BL&P”) (last version of this projectile manufactured during WWII)

OBLIQUITY: Near-normal (0°)

TEST #1 on 16 October 1946 (IMPACT #33443):

POINT OF IMPACT: Upper center near joint with turret roof at 0.33° obliquity from normal where plate was 25.99″ thick.

STRIKING VELOCITY: 1992 feet/second (607.2 m/sec)

RESULT: Complete penetration and plate snapped in two through impact between side edge and upper end of curved gun port hollow. Hole more-or-less cylindrical, with little difference between front and back of plate. Numerous small cracks also put in plate around impact. No damage to projectile indicated, though projectile had considerable remaining velocity and ended up in the Potomac River, never being recovered. Considerable amount of lamination noted in hole (layering effect parallel to face, much like pages in a book glued together). The upper portion of this broken plate is now on display at the U.S. Navy Memorial Museum at the Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC, just in front of the old Gun Factory building which houses much of the museum today.

TEST #2 on 23 October 1946 (IMPACT #33459):

POINT OF IMPACT: About halfway between first impact and base of plate, centered between cutout for gun port and left edge of plate, at 0.5° obliquity from normal where plate was 25.98″ thick.

STRIKING VELOCITY: 1707 feet/second (502.3 m/sec)

RESULT: Projectile nose tip only penetrated 21″ (53.34cm) into the plate, though punching a hole entirely through. Projectile was completely undamaged (merely lost its windscreen and AP cap, as usual). Plate had exactly the same thing happen to it as with the first test, with numerous small cracks, many laminations, and a complete break through hole between left edge and curved gun port cutout.

CONCLUSIONS:

The U.S. Navy Ballistic Limit (complete penetration minimum velocity with this projectile at normal) estimated at 1839 feet/second (560.5 m/sec), plus or minus 3%, which gives it about a relative plate quality of 0.839 compared to U.S. Class “A” armor (estimated, as no such super-thick plate was ever made in the U.S.). This was about the same as the best WWI-era British KC-type armor, which was what the Japanese were trying for–they had not attempted to make improved face-hardened armor, as the U.S. Navy did during the 1930’s, for actual ship installation.

The plate was excessively brittle internally, with too much “upper bainite” crystal structure due to too-slow cooling. This was due to using the same pre-WWI British Vickers KC-type armor-hardening techniques on plates over 17″ (55.8cm) thick, for which they were never intended. This problem was solved during WWII, but no more VH was ever made except for some thin experimental plates. Brittleness did not seem to reduce resistance to penetration, though cracking might cause problems due to hits that ricocheted off.

Note that one of these experimental plates–7.21″ (18.3cm) VH plate NPG #3133–was patterned on Krupp KC n/A (probably from data traded with Germany during WWII) and was tested by the U.S. Navy at the NPG using 335-pound 8″ Mark 21 Mod 3 and Mod 5 (the latter with the super-hard AP cap, which turned out to be required to penetrate that plate intact) during this same test series. It was found to be THE BEST PLATE OF ITS THICKNESS RANGE (6-8″ (15.2-20.3cm)) EVER TESTED BY THE U.S. NAVY, even though its steel was of the same rather poor quality as the other VH plates tested!!! This caused the U.S. test conductors to state that obviously they did not understand what it took to make a high-quality Class “A” plate, since the 7.21″ VH plate should not have been so good from everything they thought they knew about face-hardened armor!!! Obviously the Japanese could make armor as good as anyone if the specifications had required it!

*********************

FINAL COMMENTS:

At about 40,000 yards, the U.S. Navy 16″/50 firing a 16″ Mark 8 Mod 6 AP projectile (the later Mod 7 and Mod 8 designs were post-WWII, so I usually do not count them and they were no better ballistically, to my knowledge) will hit at about 45° downward angle and 1607 feet/second (489.8 m/sec). Just as with a point blank hit at 2500 feet/second (762 m/sec) and 45° obliquity, this hit too will barely hole the plate as the projectile is hitting at 0° (normal) obliquity, though not completely penetrate it. Any slight barrel wear will lower the muzzle and striking velocities and no holing will occur at THESE OR ANY OTHER ranges, as mentioned. However, this is so far above any real fighting range (even with radar it is hard to see the target due to the earth’s curvature interfering, especially in any kind of imperfect seeing conditions) that I do not even consider it in my computations, while putting the gun barrel up to almost touching the enemy turret is also a pipe dream in real life! Thus, no holing or complete penetrations, ever, though possibly some cracking of the plate and possible jamming of the turret if the crack-off plate piece is dislodged badly enough.

Therefore, these plates are the only warship armor plates that could not be completely penetrated by ANY gun ever put on a warship when installed leaning back at 45°, as they were in the actual turrets!!! Even to completely hole the plate all the way through at that inclination requires a brand new 16″/50 Mark 7 or German 38cm SK C/34 gun at point-blank range firing the latest versions of their respective AP projectiles; it might be cracked at a lower striking velocity, but no hole put entirely through it! AND THEY SAID GUNS HAD COMPLETELY OVERMATCHED ALL ARMOR–*NOT SO*!!!

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As a father I used to be worried that one day I'd stumble upon pics or vids of my sons doing those stupid YouTube challenges. After seeing this shit, I'll take them doing YouTube challenges for 1,000 Alex!

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That is a very important point.
My relatives from other places often suggest that if it comes to shooting here, I should flee and come live with them.
They don't seem to comprehend why I'm like "What? And miss all the fun of slaughtering the wicked?... Surely you jest?"
 
That is a very important point.
My relatives from other places often suggest that if it comes to shooting here, I should flee and come live with them.
They don't seem to comprehend why I'm like "What? And miss all the fun of slaughtering the wicked?... Surely you jest?"
One of my motivations in life is just that. If we are going to have a civil war in this country, I want it to be done while I’m still young enough to do something about it. I would not want to leave it for my kids to deal with. I tell people all the time “Do I lust for blood? No, but I do lust for a constitutional republic like the one envisioned in 1776.” So whatever it takes. I just don’t want it to take too long for it to happen. ??
 
One of my motivations in life is just that. If we are going to have a civil war in this country, I want it to be done while I’m still young enough to do something about it. I would not want to leave it for my kids to deal with. I tell people all the time “Do I lust for blood? No, but I do lust for a constitutional republic like the one envisioned in 1776.” So whatever it takes. I just don’t want it to take too long for it to happen. ??
I'm with you brother, unfortunately, my oldest son just turned 17, and my youngest is 14, so I guess we will more than likely be in it together.
 
One of my motivations in life is just that. If we are going to have a civil war in this country, I want it to be done while I’m still young enough to do something about it. I would not want to leave it for my kids to deal with. I tell people all the time “Do I lust for blood? No, but I do lust for a constitutional republic like the one envisioned in 1776.” So whatever it takes. I just don’t want it to take too long for it to happen. ??

I am an old man with no kids and very little family left, and I am pretty angry in my later years. Let me deal with what may happen rather than people with more years in head of them.
 
I am an old man with no kids and very little family left, and I am pretty angry in my later years. Let me deal with what may happen rather than people with more years in head of them.

Here is something to think about..... let's say you are unlucky and you die of old age being mistreated in a vile old folks home, you can still go to your eternal service of the Almighty Creator knowing that several generations from now, those few who still carry the light of freedom will be toasting your name as they unseal caches of weapons, ammunition, supplies, gold and books that are by then near impossible to get..