How To Fire The American Navy’s Largest Gun 

The engineering behind these guns and all their mechanisms is just mind boggling.

As for video requests - I think a video that “follows” a sailor from his rack when the GQ alarms goes off to their battle stations would be interesting.

id love to see you "dial in" a fire solution on the gunnery computers like... explain what each knob does

"I wish we still had 1600 crew onboard..." haha Nearly did a whisky spit-take on that one.

I was finally able to see an Iowa class battleship last week with a visit to the USS New Jersey. Great exhibit! Brilliant and friendly staff! Keep up the great work.

I realize that your 16" rammers probably do not now function, but these are fascinating items of "bicycle chain" technology. They of course can be seen--normally at high speed--in video of the guns being loaded, but are probably not movable or even very visible today. Can you make a video focusing on these intriguing rammer assemblies? I don't know if that new cutaway model of the 16" turret shows these in any greater detail. You are all VERY creative here, so............

It's crazy how tight all of the turret spaces mixed with high power motors. Watching the guy load look down the barrel, load the shell, and then call to another guy to "ram" the shell into place. You could easily loose a hand, arm, or worse at each one of these steps!

the guys working with those powder bags and shells must have been jacked up after months of doing that kind of lifting....

Yes! Yes! Yes! More longform content like this guys. Would like to see some of your earliest content reworked now that you folks have become more comfortable with presenting. And don’t worry that videos end up being longer. That’s a Positive. 👍🏼 Though we realize it means more work on the editing side of things. Those of us who will never get a chance to visit an Iowa class battleship deeply appreciate the effort you and Libby put in just to make sure there’s a video each day❣️ I wish the other Iowas could put out this kind of content even ¼ as often as you folks. Thanks Ryan! 🙏🏼

At Jutland, the blast doors on the British battleships were open and powder left everywhere. The opposite of what you showed.

One of the best videos that you see, follow, and understand the loading process. The added lighting and smart camera placements helped tremendously. Thank Ryan, your staff, and volunteers for the hard work!

These ships are engineering marvels. As always, wonderful video about these important pieces of our history.

This was an interesting redo, thank you for preserving the ship and bringing it to people like me that probably won’t be able to see it in person.

It's crazy how complex these systems really are. Now imagine doing this under fire, with shells the size of small cars hitting your ship, killing your friends. Thankfully a true battleship on battleship conflict only happened once during the war. Thank you, Ryan, for the amazing walkthrough on what the whole process looks like from A to Z.

I noticed the new lights immediately. Great!

Having watched the Iowa turret turning videos this made a lot more sense and I'm glad Ryan mentioned that . Keeping these great ships as museums is a massive task and it's a tribute to all concerned they are still around in such good condition .

congrats on 250K guys! well deserved.

I toured the USS Iowa in 2021 at her birth in Long Beach CA. She has been moved one mile west and permanently moored as the Museum of the Pacific. The ship's tour was complete and I was recognized as an Iowan!

I served as a gun chief on the 8" howitzers US Army Field Artillery . The similarities from that to the Navy's 16" guns is striking. Thank you for a great presentation!

I want to see “City at Sea”, covering all the random amenities the ship needs (print shop, library, TV studio etc.) because she was home to 2000+ people for months at a time. If it aired in October it could play up the fact the ship could now count as a “ghost town”.

No one is complaining about the length of your videos Ryan. Other than maybe they are too short! 😅 Can't get enough! We appreciate your efforts and all involved.

Im starting to lose faith that "Under Siege" was actually a documentary.... 😆

It takes a lot of Ps: [P]rojectile, [P]ropellant, [P]rimer, [P]ush breech closed, [P]ush Safe/Fire switch to fire, [P]ull trigger

Excellent video as usual! Super informative! I’m amazed that the lift still works! Need to get back for another tour!! Thank you Ryan!!

@BattleshipNewJersey Sweet video Ryan, you do great work. Your work is a great testament to the Blue shirts who were there. Thank you for all you do.

Ryan I so enjoy watching your videos every night

It never fails to impress! The size of those shells is awe inspiring!

I went to the Battleship New Jersey and Mass. You have no idea the size of the projectile and the power bags. Everything is big and heavy. It was educational to learn about them and you will appreciate what those guys had to deal with. The ship is big and easy to get lost in.

I like seeing parts of the ship operating like when you showed the shells lifting. Really cool to see how ship hasn't just survived, but parts of her still work. Badazz!

How about a video on the chain rammer contraption? Specifically the chain portion and how it functions.

8:25 me casually picking 50kg of groceries, because it has to be one trip from car

When I'm desperately waiting for my guns to reload in WOWS, I'll be more patient from now on, knowing how many steps there are to load and fire them.

What would be the most complicated route that a sailor would normally have to take to abandon ship from a normally inhabited space?

Cool stuff!! I really enjoyed this demonstration of how the turret loading system works

I would love to hear more on the targeting computer that they used. I know it was a mechanical computer that they could input all of the different variables needed for aiming but that's all I know.

This was great. Question for a possible future video: what was a turret officer's job like? What rank did they typically hold and what other duties outside of the turret might they have had?

Heh. Your observation towards the end caught my attention. True, we have to adjust our fire to bring it on-target if it turns out we were a little off. I have some idea of how that works for my brother Marines doing fire missions ashore - the wizards in the FDC take the report from the observer spotting the fall of the shot, calculate the adjustments in windage and elevation, then pass it on to the cannoncockers in the batteries. However, I have no idea how complex it might be to do that when you also have to factor in your own movement, plus the target's movement, when you're shooting in a fleet engagement. (As an aside, many years ago, I toured USS Alabama, and remember being awestruck at how Main Battery Plot made me think of what it would be like to have a tour of God's own Swiss watch - I still don't have a good grasp on how you crank in adjustments for all those additional factors.) I haven't reviewed the whole back catalog of videos, so I apologize of you've done it already. But, could your next video feature a summary of how the Main Battery is aimed and adjusted on target in a fight with another warship? I'll apologize in advance if that's already been covered, and ask only for a link to the video where you covered the topic. But, if you haven't broken it down as simply as you just did for the loading and firing cycle here, could you do that next? Thanks Semper Fi, and Fair Winds, Mike Doyle

Great video, was able to reference the places you were from my walk through a couple years ago. I was thinking it would be amazing to make a one man Montage of Ryan doing every job on the New Jersey to perform one action as a whole.

Beryllium was also used a lot in magazines and other fire control spaces where spark generation is an issue. I still have some beryllium tools from my decom of the HBW.

I wasn't prepared for the "Battleship New Jersey is funded by" spiel changing

I just visited the USAUSNUSMC North Carolina in Wilmington!!

Getting better and better at this Ryan, keep up the good work! I love this stuff!

Ive said it several time, but the guys that designed and built those turrets etc were just amazing.

15:05 the turret fell out of my ship. Love it

"Trying to keep the video brief"? We don't want brief. We want ALL the details!

I'd love to see one of the guns depressed to loading position, and its breech, spanner tray, and powder door opened. Perhaps even put a shell or six powder bags in the spanner tray? I suggest doing this with the center barrel of turret 1, as the lack of a rangefinder in turret 1 makes it the most accessible to guests.

Wow, epic updated video of the powder path, loved the 1st one but this is crystal clear, so much to look at!

Great video. As a follow-up Ryan, could you do a video on where the sailors of Iowa’s number 2 turret were when it exploded? Not trying to be morbid, but 47 sailors were killed and I ‘m wondering what safety features failed or just how far down the explosion went inside of the turret. RIP to all of the sailors.

Fascinating ! Excellent segment, not too long at all ! Thank You !!

I remember an episode about the catacombs way back when. Would love to see a new video about that!

Thanks for this. I toured the Wisconsin in Norfolk, but we couldn’t see any of these areas. Thanks again.

Thank you, this is a gift..... ❤❤❤❤❤😊

Thank you Ryan this was a interesting episode.

Thank you Ryan.

Just read the in depth report of the Iowa gun turret disaster where 47 sailors died. Seeing this adds more help in understanding what happened.

15:00 The tie-downs really feel like more of a design feature to keep the turret solidly in contact with the rest of the ship hull. I can't imagine many scenarios where the turret could potentially fall out completely that don't involve the ship also being fully capsized and at risk of sinking. Instead, it feels like these tie-downs are more to keep cables and hatchways and systems in consistent contact and alignment in order to reduce wear in rough conditions.

Excellent presentation, thank you!!!

Didn't know you'd got the capstans and shell hoists working.

Fabulous. Stunning engineering, stunning team work. Quite remarkable.

Excellent video Ryan!

It's got to be so much fun working on a battleship museum. If I wasn't 3 and a half hours away from New Jersey, I would definitely volunteer my time to the ship. Of course, I live in between both USS New Jersey and USS Massachusetts, so either one will do. Though, I believe I live closer to Massachusetts.

Excellent video. Thanks for taking the time.

I obviously was never on a WWII battleship when it fired its guns, but I did get to explore and play on the battleship Massachusetts at Battleship Cove in Massachusetts. I am so glad I got that chance.

Incredibly well-done tutorial midshipman Ryan, first rate work, youve exceeded my expectations. the lighting is good, the resolution is sharp. i declare this vid, your opus magnum! 😂

Literally just showed my dad the old video about this topic only to see a brand new one just got released. The lighting is so much better now!

How about the firing procedure and how you would aim such a massive gun thats mounted on a pitching deck. That would be really cool to watch.

Like I mentioned before, I'd like to see an update to the 'South Dakota Class Vs Iowa Class: Engine Rooms' video. Perhaps even provide info of North Carolina's engine room.

I dont remember if i have mentioned this before, but ... one day in early 1970, I was able to watch "New Jersey" conduct a fire mission. She was south of Da Nang, but still a few miles north of the Marine's amphibious base where I was. New Jersey was firing broadsides with the 16" guns, to targes well inland. (I assume the target was in the area of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, about 25 miles inland.) The shooting stopped a short way before the northern end of our base. I did take photos, but my camera and film suffered terminal battle damage soon after. So the only proof is in my memory...

How about a video showing all the different variables that are entered into the fire control computer & how these variables affect the fire control solution, for the main battery & the 5" DP guns.

Great!!! Wonderful redo, great editing of the classic footage. Keep up the good work!

I just visited you guys a few days ago, super fun experience!

Loved the remake of this video! It's amazing the difference the lighting made! Loved seeing some of the original video in there as well as archival footage! How about redoing the back parts of the turret where the turret captain as his crew worked! And I'd Love to the the Fosters beer can art in the video. I got such a kick out of that when I toured the battleship a little over a year ago

Detail walkthrough of how a shore bombardment is calculated would be great. Someone had to plot a grid/lat-long and where the ship will be when they fire so you can figure out an azimuth and range to target. In land artillery, this is what happens in the Fire Direction Center (minus the calculations for a moving gun). Ship-to-ship gunnery is handled by your analog fire computer, using sensors to determine range and direction, but what about land targets beyond visual range?

Swedish additive... would you expand on that? Thank you for your continued videos.

The majority of the Pacific Island bombarding in WW2 was done by the older battleships and older cruisers for the newer battleships (Like New Jersey) were used to screen the aircraft carriers and did very little bombarding in WW2.

Nicely done and brief. Thanks!

Best quality video yet. I forget with the openness that youre in a ship. That scares and intrigues me.

A couple days late to this, but my video suggestion would be to explain the story of the Swedish additive you mentioned being used in Vietnam, hearing that made me go “Um…what!? 😅” I might end up looking it up myself, but you make hundreds of videos a year anyway so I imagine every idea is on the table, no matter how small or niche

If you redoing video topics I recommend the boilers. They were the heart of the ship. And simply AWESOME.

i LOVE the sailor art and void space episodes. anything that seems like a secret lol

A great update video of these massive guns! THX!

this was awesome! loved the detail as usual

The Jutland problems, stacking up munitions, was solved with the handling rooms and hoist and they probably would have stacked bags for the people putting them on the hoist if they ever had a line of battle exchange. The night actions were probably the only case, but it appears they really were not sure who they were firing at probably slowed them down below maximum. The primer sets off the powder, I assume fusing was not an option on large shells and any air burst or delays are built into the shell and cannot be changed.

A series of videos going in depth on the entire fire control process. directors, radar and optical, the fire control computers, and going through all the things you don't think about, like the air temperature, humidity, winds aloft, propellant temperature and so on. How all the data gets switched via the switchboards and rerouted for battle damage. The slightly different fire control solutions for the three different turrets. why the center barrel of turret 2 is used for ranging shots. Maybe a side trip to the problems the Washington had during the naval battle of Guadalcanal and how they fixed them on the Iowas. Another video about curator stairmaster training. AKA, who has the worst daily commute on the ship from berthing, normal duty station, mess decks, and heads. I suspect it was the weathermen, but I could be wrong.

I can definitely say that it's a complicated and sophisticated system

This is a semi automatic pistol on a massive scale, with really big bullets.😮

Outstanding Video!! Thank You for preserving history.

Listening as I work, I keep hearing "shooting green shells." Waiting for him to say, "Shooting blue spikey shells."...

Maybe there might be al elastomeric marine paint that can expand and flex with the heating/cooling of the turret outer surface in the weather. This might give longer paint life.

Can I just be amazed that this is a MUSEUM SHIP with 1/4 million subscribers?! GO NEW JERSEY

This video was very interesting! Loved it! I’d like to see a detailed video on what exactly happened when the Iowa’s #2 turret backfired. Would that be possible?

Loghting is great. Ideas: 1. Hol long to walk thru each room or. Space per each deck? Spaces per deck and boat total. What I wNt to lnow os if o go on shop for full Curator tour, how long to walk thru each room with no stopong? 2. What was cost to fire a shell? 16 Inch with si bags of powder....etc. Adjust for inflation.

I would really like to see a comparison of quarters for the different ranks that were on the ship.

Excellent Job guys -- New lights really help -- great video -- quick question -- in some of the historical footage, the crewman nearest the breech had an insulated sleeve or something -- what was that for?

Just to nitpick on the ammunition hoist: It wasn't like a conveyor, it was a ratchet mechanism. The operator raised the shells but raising the hoist. They would go up one step. The shells were then held in place by ratchets that kept them from coming down as the hoist was lowered back down. Then when the hoist was raised again, it would lift the shells another step. The timing of the stationary and moving ratchets could be re-timed to lower the shells back down.

Had the quarter deck watch when they loaded the small arms on the ship. Long time ago for sure.

I know they don't exist on the New Jersey any longer, but I saw 40mm gun directors on the Alabama and the North Carolina and have wondered how they worked.

Love seeing all the archival footage with all the moving pieces still operating. It must have been very noisy passing powder with all those bells ringing constantly.

When I attended Hospital Corps school at Great Lakes they had the gunnery school there and as I understood it there were mock ups or simulators for all the major weapons. Have you been able to get films or information about the battleship guns from there? Just curious as I was there in 1988 and they hadn't started to phase them out yet.

I built a model of the USS New Jersey when I was a kid. I am glad that she found a safe harbor.