Posted on 02/08/2021 10:10:59 AM PST by Onthebrink
But why not 18s to match Yamato and her sister?
Keep em coming - everyone loves it!
Put some holes in it but didn’t sink it. Neither did the aircraft used.
But it did help that the magazine for the secondary batteries that took a direct hit was empty.
1. I don't think they knew the IJN was building ships with 18" main guns when the Montana's were designed.
2. Going back to the never completed South Dakota Class, the USN had a lot experience with 16" main guns, and how to build ships, turrets, shell hoists, shells, and the like, strong enough to work reliably, without burdening ships with unnecessary weight. Converting to 18" guns would have required a great deal of work to acquire the same knowledge with the larger guns. It would also mean a having to stock a third size of shell for battleship main guns, 14", 16" and 18". Better to put that effort into get more performance out of the existing 16" guns used by all of the post WWI battleships, with improved propellants, shells and radar assisted fire control.
Makes sense.
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