What did Battleship Calibre APC Shells look like after punching through heavy armor plate?
This is an 19” (Probably 18 1/2”) thick Class B Armor plate manufactured for USS Alabama BB-60 after being shot by two 14" Mk 16 MOD 8 1500 lb. APC shells at 30 degrees oblique impact angle.
These 14” shells were fired from a 14”/45 gun with reduced powder charges to where they had a measured impact velocity of around 2000 FPS.
Note one shell has punched all the way through, while the second is stuck in the plate. Dahlgren shell testing reports often mention shells with “Chewed Up Noses” and that is definitely the case here, although the shell remains in burstable condition. Note that the base plug of the stuck projectile has been removed, probably to ensure it had no explosive charge for display.
The “Sheath Hardened” USN 14" Mk 16 MOD 8 #1500 APC Shell was the best 14” oblique angle armor penetrator when tested post war at Dahlgren.
Many thanks to Evan Dwyer for these pictures.
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This is an 19” (Probably 18 1/2”) thick Class B Armor plate manufactured for USS Alabama BB-60 after being shot by two 14" Mk 16 MOD 8 1500 lb. APC shells at 30 degrees oblique impact angle.
These 14” shells were fired from a 14”/45 gun with reduced powder charges to where they had a measured impact velocity of around 2000 FPS.
Note one shell has punched all the way through, while the second is stuck in the plate. Dahlgren shell testing reports often mention shells with “Chewed Up Noses” and that is definitely the case here, although the shell remains in burstable condition. Note that the base plug of the stuck projectile has been removed, probably to ensure it had no explosive charge for display.
The “Sheath Hardened” USN 14" Mk 16 MOD 8 #1500 APC Shell was the best 14” oblique angle armor penetrator when tested post war at Dahlgren.
Many thanks to Evan Dwyer for these pictures.
statistics: Posted by PMKS — 4:39 PM - 1 day ago — Replies 2 — Views 179