The Big Guns! (http://www.usswisconsin.org/Pictures/bigguns.htm) (http://www.usswashington.com/16inch.htm)   Mark 7 16inch\50caliber Barrels: Nine Turrets: Three Projectile Weight: Armor Piercing 2,700 pounds Bombardment 2,240 pounds Muzzle Velocity: Armor Piercing 2,300 feet/second Bombardment 2,635 feet/second Range: Gun Mount Elevation = 45 degrees Armor Piercing 42,000 yards (26 miles) Bombardment 47,000 yards Firing Cycle: 30 seconds Ammo Carried: 1,188 AP/HC Crew Per Turret-2 Officers & 170 Men The Mark 7 16 inch/50 Caliber gun is the main weapon aboard the Iowa class Battleships. The name 16 inch regards to the size of the shell, 16 inches in diameter the 50 caliber means that the bore is 50 times the size of the diameter, over 66 feet long.The gun could fire two different shells, One an Armor piercing projectile, weighing 2,700 pounds with a range of 36,900 yards. The other projectile a bombardment shell weighing 19,00 pounds that could travel 47,000 yards. The armor piercing shell could penetrate through 16 inch face hardened armor or 16 feet of solid concrete. The shell is propelled by 3 silk bags of black powder, ignited behind the projectile.     (http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/battleships/iowa/bb61-ia.html), (http://www.usswisconsin.org/Pictures/bigguns.htm), (http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/weaps/mk-7.htm)