The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.

Monday, July 18, 2022

USS Iowa-Class Battleships-- Part 3: Saving One of Those Big Guns

There is yet another reasoon why we won't be seeing these warships returning to active duty again and that is a serious lack of spare parts.  Warships require specialized parts and to maintain the USS New Jersey museum, workers have to travel over to the nearby inactive fleet in Philadelphia Navy Yard to scavenge what they can find.

And, there us also the fact that the Navy continues its policy of getting rid of  equipment it doesn't need.

OVER A BARREL

Storing and maintaining equipment from  retired warships can be  costly, but recently it was reported that a nonprofit group managed to save several battleship barrels (cannons) produced for the U.S. Navy during World War II.  One that had been destined for a scrapyard will now get a new lease on life in Virginia Beach.

The Coast Defense  Study Group was able to acquire a 120-ton barrel, one of nine that had been stored in Chesapeake.  These were capable of firing a  projectile weighing between 1,900 pounds and 2,700 pounds for up to 24 miles.

It was manufactured during the war for the Iowa-class battleships.

--GreGen


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