Mark 16/1 triple 6 in /47 Turret
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The Mark 16/1 triple 6-inch /47 gun turret (3x152 mm) was a feature of many U.S. cruisers during World War II. The Cleveland-class cruiser from that period had four such turrets.
Each turret carried three 6 inch (15.2 cm) /47 Mark 16 guns
Today one of the few triple gun turrets left in the world is on the museum ship USS Little Rock (CG-4), which is located in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in Buffalo, New York.
6 inch /47 guns
Each gun (called a "rifle" in the Navy) could hurl a 150-pound (68 kg) projectile 13 miles (21 km) against both surface and shore targets. Maximum range at 41 degrees elevation was 14.5 miles (23.3 km). Projectiles varied in weight. An Armor-piercing projectile weighed 130 pounds, a high capacity projectile weighed 105 pounds, and an anti-aircraft projectile weighed 65 pounds. Ammunition was semi-fixed (the projectile and the powder casing were separate). The powder case for these guns was housed in a brass canister and weighed 65 pounds (29 kg).
Eight to ten rounds per minute could be fired from each of the 6-inch guns[1]. Each gun weighed 4.31 tons and could be elevated up to 60 degrees. A round from one of these guns could pierce up to 5 in (127 mm) of hardened armor plate.
Design
A 6-inch triple turret weighed in at about 70 tons, and each rifle barrel was 23 feet 6 inches (7.16 m) long. The turret rested on a barbette or circular shaft that extended several decks into the ship. Projectiles were stored in a projectile handling room in the lower part of the barbette. Over 900 projectiles could be stored in the projectile handling room. Projectiles serviced the guns via hoists.
Powder stores were below the projectile handling room and powder hoists fed the guns. Empty powder canisters were ejected from the turret via an ejector port at the back of the turret. When the guns were firing, it was not unusual to see empty brass canisters piling up on the deck behind the turret. The turret itself had 6.5 inches (170 mm) of armor plate on its face and could train (turn) to follow its target at ten degrees a second.
Ship classes
As well as ships of the Cleveland class, these turrets were also fitted to the Brooklyn, St. Louis, and Fargo class cruisers[1]
Notes
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