Navy Caliber

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Navy Caliber is far, far different from Army.

16 x 50 = 16 in and 16x50 or 800 inches for barrel length.

" In Navy-speak, a gun is designated by the caliber in inches and the barrel length in calibers. The Wisconsin's guns are 16 x 50, meaning 16 x 50 inches long, or 800 inches. In Army-speak, this makes them carbines. For example, the M1 Garand would be, in Navy-speak, .30 x 80 whereas the M1 Carbine would be .30 x 60. A 16 inch gun at 80 calibers long, a ratio comparable to the Garand, would be over 106 feet long. For no practical gain.

One more thing. Destroyers of the time used 5 inch guns. The standard of 1937 and later was the 5 x 38, meaning a barrel length of about sixteen feet, yielding a muzzle velocity of 2,500 feet per second. The ubiquitous Fletcher Class of WWII had five of 'em. The Wisconsin had twenty of 'em as secondary guns. Their high rate of fire made them nearly ideal for anti-aircraft use, in support of ground troops, or against unarmored ships."

Both photos feature 16in guns. The Wisconsin and Coastal Defense - Panama.


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