USS Missouri Firing 16″ Guns Inside

The Sound of Freedom

The nearest crew member was unfazed during those shots. Judging from his nonchalant emotion, that’s definitely not the first time he’s experienced firing those kinds of guns. For us normal people, that sound might have rattled a lot of eardrums.

This 16-inch naval gun was designed back in 1939 and was used in a lot of conflicts by various Iowa-class battleships like the USS Missouri. It could fire up to 41,622 yards with 660 lb of charges. 

What’s interesting is that it shares almost the same muzzle velocity as a 7.62mm armor-piercing round from an M61. Those rounds could have a maximum range of 4,180 yds at 2,804 ft/s. In comparison, the 16-in Mk 7 gun only had a muzzle velocity of 2,690 ft/s while having 10 times more range and using a 1,900 lb HC shell.

Watch this beast of a gun in action below!