And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
That’s the shell, all right. While artillery shells move fast, they can be spotted with the ol’ Mk I eyeball, if you watch closely. I’ve watched numerous 81mm and 60mm mortar shells leave the tube, during my Army years.
During my time, I’ve seen 8 inch shells chugging overhead on a overcast sky. Just like as a coach on the rifle range. On a bright clear day, if you’re standing over a shooter. The shock wave is clearly visible. It used to instill confidence in my shooters, that I could call the value and posit before the the target was pulled.
If that's a 16 inch shell, it will leave an 80 yard crater. Anyway that's what some friends of mine told me and they were stationed on the USS New Jersey off Vietnam.
A good friend of mine was about to be overrun way out in the boonies one time in Viet Nam and they were saved by fire from the New Jersey. (He might have said the Iowa, not sure) Anyway he said it was amazing to be as far inland as they were and get artillery support from the Navy!
The New Jersey was the only Iowa class battleship to fire her rifles during the Vietnam War. She fired 6000 sixteen (16) inch projectiles in total. I was on the AB at Tuy Hoa in 1968 and she fired several projectiles over us. The New Jersey was visible offshore so that means she was inside fifteen (15) miles while firing. Her target was 5-6 miles to our west. There was no problem feeling their impact nor hearing the explosions.
Did the photograph catch the shell after it was fired, look in the upper left of the picture? If not what is it?
ReplyDeleteThat’s the shell, all right. While artillery shells move fast, they can be spotted with the ol’ Mk I eyeball, if you watch closely. I’ve watched numerous 81mm and 60mm mortar shells leave the tube, during my Army years.
ReplyDeleteDuring my time, I’ve seen 8 inch shells chugging overhead on a overcast sky.
DeleteJust like as a coach on the rifle range. On a bright clear day, if you’re standing over a shooter. The shock wave is clearly visible.
It used to instill confidence in my shooters, that I could call the value and posit before the the target was pulled.
I had a high school teacher who'd been in the navy in WW2, he said you could watch the battleship rounds as they went on their way to the beach.
DeleteIf that's a 16 inch shell, it will leave an 80 yard crater. Anyway that's what some friends of mine told me and they were stationed on the USS New Jersey off Vietnam.
ReplyDeleteA good friend of mine was about to be overrun way out in the boonies one time in Viet Nam and they were saved by fire from the New Jersey. (He might have said the Iowa, not sure) Anyway he said it was amazing to be as far inland as they were and get artillery support from the Navy!
ReplyDeleteThe New Jersey was the only Iowa class battleship to fire her rifles during the Vietnam War. She fired 6000 sixteen (16) inch projectiles in total. I was on the AB at Tuy Hoa in 1968 and she fired several projectiles over us. The New Jersey was visible offshore so that means she was inside fifteen (15) miles while firing. Her target was 5-6 miles to our west. There was no problem feeling their impact nor hearing the explosions.
ReplyDeleteA shell the size of a VW bug fired from 26 miles away with accuracy is impressive in anyone's book.
DeleteA color version of this pic can be had via the TinEye PC image search app. The picture is of the USS_Missouri_(BB-63)_RIMPAC.
ReplyDeleteMuch higher res and lots clearer to see the shell, deck, entire ship actually.
The URL for a high resolution color image of USS MISSOURI firing:
ReplyDeletehttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/USS_Missouri_%28BB-63%29_RIMPAC-90.jpg
The URL for a high resolution color image of an aerial view of a broadside from the USS IOWA:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_16-50_mk7_Iowa_pic.jpg