Mark 16/1 triple 6 in /47 Turret

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Mark 16/1 triple 6 inch /47 gun turret was a feature of many cruisers during World War II. The Cleveland class cruiser from that period had four such turrets. Today one of the few, if perhaps the only, triple gun turret left in the world is on the Museum ship USS Little Rock, which is located in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in Buffalo, New York.

Each gun (called a "rifle" in the Navy) could hurl a 150 pound projectile 13 miles against both surface and shore targets. Maximum range at 41 degrees elevation was 14.5 miles. 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.

Up to six rounds per minute could be fired from each of the 6 inch guns. 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 inches of hardened armor plate. The turret itself had 6.5 inches of armor plate on its face and could train (turn) to follow its target at ten degrees a second.

A 6 inch triple turret weighed in at about 70 tons, and each rifle barrel was 23.5 feet 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.

This article includes text from public information on display on the Museum ship USS Little Rock, which is located in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in Buffalo, New York.