William,
Having toured the battleship USS Alabama on display in Mobile Bay, I have to agree with your admiration for the 16 in. gun. The projectiles are on display in the magazine, and weigh around 2000 lbs. each, if I remember correctly. Couple that with a range of many miles (can't remember how many, but an astounding number) and incredible accuracy and one's jaw begins to slacken. I recall them explaining how the projectiles had to be moved around by hand, at times, and I pictured what it would be like to wrestle with a 5 ft., round, one ton chunk in rough seas trying to roll you over. Oh, yeah - people are trying to shell you, too, at the same time. Also, I can't begin to imagine the scene in the magazine of the Iowa (I believe it was) when the demonstration for the politician went horribly catastrophic.
