tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post5546055462340314819..comments2024-03-26T20:17:30.126-07:00Comments on Every Blade of Grass: Inert 16"/50 Caliber Shells on the Battleship Iowadrjimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-65846210911119066892015-02-23T15:17:21.713-08:002015-02-23T15:17:21.713-08:00Thanks!
I never knew that, and I'll pass it a...Thanks!<br /><br />I never knew that, and I'll pass it along to anyone on the ship who might ask.drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-89576802467114370542015-02-23T15:16:41.429-08:002015-02-23T15:16:41.429-08:00Thanks!
They probably removed it from one of the ...Thanks!<br /><br />They probably removed it from one of the spaces that's being readied for the tour.drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-75914404329633958602015-02-19T22:33:14.261-08:002015-02-19T22:33:14.261-08:00AAR 47 means the steel strapping is from a manufac...AAR 47 means the steel strapping is from a manufacturer approved by the Association of American Railroads, the number designates the company, not the year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-55291173695427280092015-02-19T22:29:34.091-08:002015-02-19T22:29:34.091-08:00Not an air filter, a dehumidifier, as TXGunGeek no...Not an air filter, a dehumidifier, as TXGunGeek noted, they uses desiccants. They keep the air in compartments dry to reduce or prevent corrosionThey're still made and used in other industries, too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-83186984679688795182014-12-10T20:56:08.063-08:002014-12-10T20:56:08.063-08:00Just noticed your comment was stuck in the "a...Just noticed your comment was stuck in the "awaiting moderation" folder.<br /><br />Thanks for pointing out what it is.<br /><br />I don't know if that came with the shells, or was pulled out of some compartment on the ship.<br /><br />I thought they removed all those after she came out of Suisun Bay, but maybe one was overlooked.drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-869489874029761232014-11-27T15:24:02.113-08:002014-11-27T15:24:02.113-08:00Actually the odd piece of machinery is an air filt...Actually the odd piece of machinery is an air filter. It has a rotating drum of desiccant that the room air is blown through to dry it and then it has a heater and blower that regenerates the opposite side of the filter. It turns continuously to keep fresh desiccant in the airflow. They are still made by CargoCair and still used in some cleanroom equipment. As in I've installed a few.TXGunGeekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13405501054321031442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-78210984286902685222014-11-01T16:18:37.574-07:002014-11-01T16:18:37.574-07:00No, it's just that one shell.
The rest are in...No, it's just that one shell.<br /><br />The rest are in excellent condition, and could be fired today, if need be.drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-19854656876069913582014-11-01T09:25:39.330-07:002014-11-01T09:25:39.330-07:00Almost forgot - that odd piece of machinery by Car...Almost forgot - that odd piece of machinery by Cargocaire looks to be some kind of heavy-duty banding machine for securing heavy loads.0007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-60529793047842890312014-11-01T09:19:56.793-07:002014-11-01T09:19:56.793-07:00If all the copper bands are cut in about the same ...If all the copper bands are cut in about the same way, I suspect that the cutting has something to do with "de-milling" the projectile - i.e. rendering it/them un-useable for their original purpose.0007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-16442873484813758932014-10-23T11:32:00.215-07:002014-10-23T11:32:00.215-07:00I'm told they used the 5" guns on the Iow...I'm told they used the 5" guns on the Iowa for spotting the big guns!drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-83317688124696657562014-10-23T11:31:06.623-07:002014-10-23T11:31:06.623-07:00Yep. We have a little pamphlet that all the tour g...Yep. We have a little pamphlet that all the tour guides carry, just in case people ask that.<br /><br />The gun barrels on the Iowa are a tad under 67' long.<br /><br />Sad to say, but we couldn't build anything like this these days. We don't even have any factories left that could produce the armor plate, or any of the other specialized hardware used to build a battleship!drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-76887337659164057992014-10-23T11:28:22.939-07:002014-10-23T11:28:22.939-07:00Yeah, a couple of these would probably bust the ax...Yeah, a couple of these would probably bust the axles on a UPS truck!drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-74595228299160010752014-10-23T11:27:17.379-07:002014-10-23T11:27:17.379-07:00OK, so it's roughly equivalent to the IMO numb...OK, so it's roughly equivalent to the IMO number painted on the ships I used to work on.drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-56936401826242180812014-10-23T11:23:56.989-07:002014-10-23T11:23:56.989-07:00Well, to me they're pretty "inert", ...Well, to me they're pretty "inert", which is what I was always taught to call munitions painted blue.<br /><br />Somewhere around here I have a couple of blue training rounds that are stenciled "inert", which is why I called them that.<br /><br />Would "Training Rounds" be a better description for the post title?drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-64834597366878948162014-10-23T08:59:21.783-07:002014-10-23T08:59:21.783-07:00Those pix sure dwarf my old tin can, in comparison...Those pix sure dwarf my old tin can, in comparison. A 5" shell that a man can carry isn't even in the same class ...Rev. Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588179227576383679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-29401523491141929572014-10-23T08:18:45.515-07:002014-10-23T08:18:45.515-07:00They are not inert, really, they're just not H...They are not inert, really, they're just not HE (or other combat type) shells. They are more like solid bullets. They can be fired and would have been used in gunnery practice. <br /><br />All the training munitions we used with aircraft were painted this color. We used to call them "blue bombs". A small charge could be loaded in the nose to give a detonation on impact that would serve as a location marker for judging the accuracy.ASM826https://www.blogger.com/profile/04017388670319590449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-2234129376175881092014-10-23T07:11:32.710-07:002014-10-23T07:11:32.710-07:00Why are the the shells marked 16"/50 cal? Th...Why are the the shells marked 16"/50 cal? The "50 cal" in this case has nothing to do with the shells but, instead, the length or barrel of the gun - the caliber (typically 50 or 45 for the big guns) is the length of the barrel expressed as the number of multiples of the bore diameter. In this case, its bore is 16" diameter and its length is 50 X 16 inches (800 inches). I didn't know that until I noticed the 16"/50 cal marking on the guns for the Mighty Mo and, after stumping the tour guide, went and found out what it means.Knuckleheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09245646229814895145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-57873200773013431012014-10-23T05:45:49.087-07:002014-10-23T05:45:49.087-07:00Cool! I'm going to show those to my UPS guy th...Cool! I'm going to show those to my UPS guy the next time he starts whining about that 12,000 rounds of .30-06 that he had to pull up my driveway on a hand dolly one day a few years back.Murphy's Lawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17164780742334950772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901205574058136834.post-35368052481879064992014-10-23T04:56:55.628-07:002014-10-23T04:56:55.628-07:0026MW is the designator for 26 foot Motor Whaleboat...26MW is the designator for 26 foot Motor Whaleboat, the last four are it's registry number.Old NFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.com