How to Build a Battleships Main Guns - Is a Bigger Battery Better?

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 23. 04. 2024
  • Claim your 30-day free trial for MagellanTV here: sponsr.is/magellantv_drachinifel
    Hear the voices of those who were actually there in 'Remembering Pearl Harbor', 'The Last Voices of WW1' and many others.
    Today we take a look at some of the basics on how a battleship gun in constructed and what variations you might see in so doing.
    Sources:
    www.amazon.co.uk/Naval-Ordnan...
    Text Book of Gunnery - 1902 - Ordnance Office
    Popular Science Monthly - Volume 91
    Brasseys Naval Annual - Various
    Naval History books, use code 'DRACH' for 25% off - www.usni.org/press/books?f%5B...
    Free naval photos and channel posters - www.drachinifel.co.uk
    Want to support the channel? - / drachinifel
    Want to talk about ships? / discord
    'Legionnaire' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

Komentáře • 769

  • @Drachinifel
    @Drachinifel  Před 22 dny +57

    Claim your 30-day free trial for MagellanTV here: sponsr.is/magellantv_drachinifel
    Hear the voices of those who were actually there in 'Remembering Pearl Harbor', 'The Last Voices of WW1' and many others.
    Also - Pinned post for Q&A :)

    • @user-sd3ik9rt6d
      @user-sd3ik9rt6d Před 22 dny +7

      Its always nice to see the construction techniques of guns through history. What was the largest gun planned for ship use that was planned but not necessarily built or used?

    • @RaptorBeast7
      @RaptorBeast7 Před 22 dny +3

      What are some never built ship designs that you think had the most potential to be good designs? I understand this may be difficult to answer since you can only hypothesize so much, but I was curious if this was something you've ever put some deep thought into.

    • @ar4040smith
      @ar4040smith Před 22 dny +1

      I believe I asked this already, however, I don't believe it has been answered yet. What was , in your opinion, the first modern naval gun? Also, could we possibly get a Wednesday special about it's development and influence? Thanks Drach

    • @bkjeong4302
      @bkjeong4302 Před 22 dny +4

      Is there any truth to the idea Nimitz criticized the Japanese for not attacking the PH fuel storage facilities, and if true, why did he not realize that naval bunker oil isn’t that flammable or that the fuel was stored in reinforced concrete tanks, making the fuel storage far harder for the Japanese to damage with available munitions than the “missed opportunity” narrative claims?

    • @gabrielcoelho2346
      @gabrielcoelho2346 Před 22 dny +3

      Hi Drach. I don't know if my armchair general stance makes sense but here it goes: I find it confusing that land based and ship based artillery isn't shared. I know that the germans had 9.4 inch railway guns that were taken from their pre dreadnoughts. Would it be feasable to mount 155 mm NATO guns into a ship to make the modern version of a treaty era light cruiser?

  • @TheCaptainbeefylog
    @TheCaptainbeefylog Před 22 dny +409

    Now I know everything I need to build my own naval guns. I'm off to the shed!

    • @ndenise3460
      @ndenise3460 Před 22 dny +15

      There is a guy on CZcams that fast his own cannon, however yt? Gave him strikes because he was building fyre arms

    • @Brommear
      @Brommear Před 22 dny

      Have you considered hoe a shed would re-enter the atmosphere?

    • @dougjb7848
      @dougjb7848 Před 22 dny

      Is your name Geoff, or Derek?

    • @TheCaptainbeefylog
      @TheCaptainbeefylog Před 22 dny

      @@dougjb7848 nope.

    • @The_ZeroLine
      @The_ZeroLine Před 22 dny +5

      @@ndenise3460YT is the worst.

  • @BlaBla-pf8mf
    @BlaBla-pf8mf Před 22 dny +323

    For the second voyage of HMS Beagle, famous for its influence on geologist Charles Darwin ideas, captain FitzRoy equipped the ship with brass guns at his own expense so they wouldn't interfere with magnetic instruments. His purchase of brass guns from Rio de Janeiro in 1832 shows that they were still relatively popular even at that date.

    • @gasperpoklukar8372
      @gasperpoklukar8372 Před 22 dny +12

      Brass, not bronze?

    • @davidaustin1276
      @davidaustin1276 Před 22 dny +34

      Brass is cheaper and less malleable than bronze due to the high zinc content, the malleability is what made bronze so forgiving and the choice for quality artillery.

    • @abyssaljam441
      @abyssaljam441 Před 22 dny +4

      You beat me to the fact!

    • @carloshenriquezimmer7543
      @carloshenriquezimmer7543 Před 22 dny +27

      ​@@gasperpoklukar8372 well, it is not clear. Those two words were used interchangeably for quite some time, even after they became oficially what we know today. Expressions like "red brass" or "white bronze" were common, meaning modern bronze and arsenic bronze, respectivelly
      Only after 1900 we can say for sure, if they say brass is made of copper and zinc. Bronze in the other hand is still meaning every tipe of bronze, be it alloyed with tin, lead or arsenic.
      After lead and arsenic became oficially banned from household utensils and building materials (70's, I believe) it became mandatory to describe what was in the bronze, if was not tin.
      That is why we should never eat or drink from antique bronze utensils; you could be ingesting lead.

    • @riograndedosulball248
      @riograndedosulball248 Před 22 dny +18

      One can think about how many thousands of guns, stemming from some centuries of European warfare, eventually wound up in South America. Historically the Iberian powers dumped everything in excess/obsolete there. That's how Portuguese pieces from the XV century were still guarding minor coastal fortifications into the late 1800s. Or how a Spanish piece from 1640 was captured amongst the Paraguayan guns in the siege of Uruguaiana (1865)

  • @Scribbles_proud
    @Scribbles_proud Před 22 dny +155

    Drach, whenever you ask the question "should I do a video on the finer points of........", I can 100% guarante the answer is always yes, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES YES! Congratulations on you new arrival and great video as always.

  • @kai990
    @kai990 Před 22 dny +267

    Dear Drach, would you please do a video on the electrical systems of war ships in general and their history?

    • @scooterdescooter4018
      @scooterdescooter4018 Před 22 dny +22

      ::featuring special guest: USS South Dakota.::

    • @m.streicher8286
      @m.streicher8286 Před 22 dny +21

      I love this video concept. It's a highly understudied part of naval history.

    • @WhySolSirius
      @WhySolSirius Před 22 dny +9

      This would definitely be an interesting watch.

    • @crabmansteve6844
      @crabmansteve6844 Před 22 dny +3

      Absolutely this.

    • @Firebolt193
      @Firebolt193 Před 22 dny +5

      The electrical engineer in me would adore something like this

  • @coldwarrior78
    @coldwarrior78 Před 21 dnem +69

    As an engineer, I must compliment you on taking a very complex subject and presenting it simply enough that my wife actually listened. A very thorough and comprehensive look at a critical aspect of naval warfare.

  • @michaelkinsey4649
    @michaelkinsey4649 Před 20 dny +18

    My Grandfather was an engineer and said he was involved in making the guns for Nelson and Rodney; said they used deep wells full of whale oil to cool the vertically-lowered heated steel barrels.

  • @b1laxson
    @b1laxson Před 22 dny +246

    I like big guns I can not lie. You other sailors can't deny. When a ship sails by with itty bitty guns its not a threat. You wanna be rough you pull up in a tough. Cuz they notice when the barrels are thicc!

    • @dukenukem8381
      @dukenukem8381 Před 22 dny +14

      We gonna need a bigger gun

    • @Optrixx
      @Optrixx Před 22 dny +19

      I knight thee Son of Sir Mix-a-Lot O.G. hahahahha good one!

    • @RCAvhstape
      @RCAvhstape Před 22 dny +13

      My rangefinder don't want none unless you got gun hon!

    • @misterangel8486
      @misterangel8486 Před 21 dnem

      Well..this comment made my day 😂👍 thank you.😎🍸

    • @stickemuppunkitsthefunlovi4733
      @stickemuppunkitsthefunlovi4733 Před 21 dnem +1

      Feed the guns, tuppence a day. Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a day.

  • @LaPabst
    @LaPabst Před 22 dny +79

    Great job, I am a Machinist and have been for decades... We still use some of these techniques to this day to produce very high pressure hydrologic and air cylinders for the military.

    • @davefellhoelter1343
      @davefellhoelter1343 Před 21 dnem +4

      I tested this stuff and passivated and O2 cleaned, also did CNG hydrogen compression with Cryo, had time in forges, foundries, and presses as a pre and teen, had mechine shop in my auto and wood shop, this is Machanic PORN for me.
      I love the "smell of a" machine shop, foundry, forg, or refinery? WD 40 is my aftershave smell of chioce.

  • @brucefelger4015
    @brucefelger4015 Před 22 dny +58

    the liners of the 16" 50's on the Iowas, actually unwind, getting slightly longer with every shot fired. They start out flush with the muzzle, but gradually they get longer as the rifling is slightly unwound from the inertia of spinning a 2700 pound shell.

    • @marvthedog1972
      @marvthedog1972 Před 22 dny +5

      good way to know when it's time to reline the barrel

    • @magnemoe1
      @magnemoe1 Před 22 dny +10

      I assume this is common for battleship guns. As I understand none of the main guns was relined after they was reactivated for the Korean war.
      Granted they was doing shore bombardment so you used reduces charge unless range demanded it and the HE shells was lighter than the AP ones.
      It was also titanium powder I think added to the gunpowder who drastically reduced barrel wear on large guns.

    • @rootbeerpoptart
      @rootbeerpoptart Před 22 dny +12

      I remember watching a video from New Jersey about a giant gun circumciser

    • @timkohchi2048
      @timkohchi2048 Před 22 dny +8

      Wrong they are NOT “wound” so they cannot unwind. They twist and deform plastically.

    • @matthewbutt2340
      @matthewbutt2340 Před 13 dny

      ​@timkohchi2048 thanks for the unnecessary clarification

  • @CharlesStearman
    @CharlesStearman Před 22 dny +37

    There is an amusing story about one of the M-class submarines having the muzzle of its 12-inch gun blown off during firing trails - the muzzle end remained attached to the rest of the gun by the wire winding, which unravelled as the muzzle part sank to the seabed, leaving the submarine anchored in place by its own gun.

    • @waverleyjournalise5757
      @waverleyjournalise5757 Před 21 dnem +9

      "Sir, there's a problem with the anchors"
      "Why do you use the plural, seaman?"
      "That's the problem, sir now we've got two of them!"

    • @fzyturtle
      @fzyturtle Před 12 dny +3

      This is Poseidon's idea of a combination exchange program and practical joke.

  • @spockofdune8657
    @spockofdune8657 Před 22 dny +69

    I never leave home without my Drachinifel

  • @PixelmechanicYYZ
    @PixelmechanicYYZ Před 22 dny +29

    Tom Scott (The Older One) from the Battleship Texas has a very detailed video on the process of building Texas' 14 inchers. He deep dives into every single hoop and ring used as well as the assembly order. Very interesting!

    • @robertlian2009
      @robertlian2009 Před 22 dny +3

      Thanks for mentioning Tom Scott. You beat me to it. 😊 His videos are great!

  • @glennsimpson7659
    @glennsimpson7659 Před 19 dny +16

    You can see how expensive and specialised the gun making machinery was. So when a lot of it was scrapped after WW1, it was hard to reconstitute it in the run up to WW2, at least in Britain. For example, the 70 foot deep pits needed to assemble the guns and to cool them with oil (rape seed oil if I recall correctly) and the 70 foot long lathes and boring bars had to be recreated before any gun making could occur. Armour manufacture was similarly affected, which is why the belt armour for Duke of York was ordered from Czechoslovakia (and was got out by rail just before the Germans took over in Prague).

    • @nathanredder7325
      @nathanredder7325 Před 13 dny +1

      Why was so much gun making machinery scrapped in the interwar years? Was it because of the treaties and construction holiday?

    • @glennsimpson7659
      @glennsimpson7659 Před 12 dny +3

      @@nathanredder7325 Exactly. After the 1922 Washington treaty, there were (except for Rodney and Nelson) to be no new battleships built world-wide, and therefore no new big gun orders for at least 10 years. With the possibility of further disarmament after that. The principal big gun makers Vickers and Armstrongs shared Rodney and Nelson’s guns between them. These firms later merged, but even between them could not afford to have factories, workers and plant sitting idle for 10 years or more. They preserved some capacity but, for example, many of the deep pits used to temper, cool and assemble the big naval rifles were filled in and the premises repurposed. See ‘The Battleship Builders’ by Johnston & Buxton. Seaforth Publishing, 2013 - ISBN 978-1-59114-027-6, a most informative book.

  • @Thetiersofmadness
    @Thetiersofmadness Před 22 dny +50

    The last time I was this early, HMS Captain was still afloat

    • @alexmoskowitz811
      @alexmoskowitz811 Před 22 dny +9

      The last time I was this early, guns were being cast in bronze

    • @sirmalus5153
      @sirmalus5153 Před 22 dny +4

      The last time I was this early, guns still fired stone balls.

    • @6idangle
      @6idangle Před 22 dny +5

      Last time I was this early rome had a large navy

  • @robertward7382
    @robertward7382 Před 22 dny +28

    I think, think my grandad may have been involved making these. He worked on a very long lathe in a Sheffield steel works connected with making big guns.

  • @cleveland2286
    @cleveland2286 Před 22 dny +36

    For those who haven't worked with cast iron before, to say it "explodes" when it fails would be a bit of an understatement. Cast iron is so extremely brittle that it doesn't bend at all, it fragments into very small pieces and chunks. A gun of that size would be like a bomb going off if it ever failed - and it would do so without warning. An extremely painful and gruesome death is about the only result for anyone near it. It makes sense that even though brass in such large quantities would be exceptionally expensive, they would be willing to use it.

    • @Colt45hatchback
      @Colt45hatchback Před 16 dny +1

      My only experience comes from what may be cast iron or cast steel, unsure as the term seems to be a bit interchangeable at a laymans level, but i have experienced the aftermath of an engine block dissasembling itself when at high rpm the bearing on the big end of the conrod decided to slip over the other half of it and then lock the conrod in place, causing the rod to break and smash through the side and bottom... Engine bay had dents and a few schrapnel holes, as did the oil sump. Amusingly, this one old toyota engine refused to straight up die from this, and still semi happily ran on the remaining 3 cylinders and minimal if any oil, well enough that i could drive it off the trailer, about 100mtrs to my shed and then into the shed for a replacement engine haha

    • @kevinrayner5812
      @kevinrayner5812 Před 12 dny +1

      @@Colt45hatchback My metallury is very rusty, excuse the pun, but isn't steel up to about 0.8% carbon. Cast Iron is 3 or 4% carbon. Melts at a lower temperature and flows very easily. Very strong in compression but useless in tension. OK in engine blocks but some crankshafts were also cast iron.

    • @Colt45hatchback
      @Colt45hatchback Před 8 dny

      @@kevinrayner5812 you're right im fairly sure, thats why im fairly sure the block is cast steel as its mostly under tension (holding both the head to the block, and when combustion occurs, the lower half of the block to the top half when the rotating assembly wants to move downward and the cylinder head wants to move upward

    • @andresmartinezramos7513
      @andresmartinezramos7513 Před 17 hodinami

      @@kevinrayner5812 The carbon content by weight of steel ranges between 0.02% and 2.14%. Past that point it is considered casting iron. Beneath, pure iron.
      At approximately 0.8% you find the eutectoid point of carbon-steel alloys, the resulting steel being almost completely composed of pearlite. Under 0.8 you will find crystals of of both pearlite and ferrite, over that there will be both pearlite and cementite.
      Over 2.14 you have cast irons, characterized by the presence of ledeburite.

    • @kevinrayner5812
      @kevinrayner5812 Před 17 hodinami

      What is steel above .8% used for. If .8% is tool steel are their tool steels greater than .8%

  • @RayBecker
    @RayBecker Před 22 dny +5

    Shipmate, I really like when you come over to America. I had gone to "A" School in Virginia Beach and there were a couple of chaps from the Royal Navy. Those guys were awesome! The way they carried themselves was impressive. We actually learned from them as well as the school Instructor. So, I will always have a fondness for anything from Britain and the Royal Navy in particular.

  • @mhmt1453
    @mhmt1453 Před 22 dny +13

    Any video you make is good for me! It’s interesting… and hear me out, I’m 58. I’m probably at least a couple of decades older than you, and although I’ve been something of a WW2 historian since I was around six years old, I have learned so much through your channel. For instance, until I became a “fan,” I never really understood the practicalities and/or conventions of warship guns. I never considered the tonnage or spatial budget necessary to construct a battleship or battle cruiser, so I often wistfully thought, “I wish the US would’ve made 18 inch guns.” It hadn’t occurred to me that that the weight of these and their barbettes were impractical for a ship that a) had to transit the Panama Canal, and b) needed the requisite speed to keep up with the fast carriers.
    By now, I think I like the 15 inch guns ships like Valiant had as much as the 16” 50 cal. guns of the Iowas, knowing that while not having the range of Yamato’s guns, either could certainly put holes in her just the same. Only now do I get the balancing budget of propulsion vs. armor. vs. armament.
    *you might appreciate this: several years ago I bought a cabin cruiser and fully intended to name her “Warspite.” Unfortunately, my girlfriend at the time hated that idea, and so I had to settle for “Rhiannon” (yes, like the Fleetwood Mac song). A decade on and she is gone as well as the boat, but I remain undaunted. If I ever get another boat, not only will she be awarded the name of the great battleship, I intend to fly the white ensign from her mast.

    • @abercrombieblovs2042
      @abercrombieblovs2042 Před 22 dny +2

      If I ever purchase a screw steamer and refurbish her, rest assured that the Kaiser's naval jack will be fluttering proudly from the stern. If we pass each other by, I will make sure to get on the radio and say, "There appears to be nothing wrong with your bloody ship today!"

    • @genreynolds6685
      @genreynolds6685 Před 19 dny +2

      I don’t think you can legally fly the White Ensign on any ship that isn’t a King’s Ship. It is reserved in Admiralty Law for the Royal Navy. By all means name her Warspite, though.

    • @mhmt1453
      @mhmt1453 Před 19 dny +1

      @@genreynolds6685 I was gonna ask if that was legal. Something told me the Royal Navy had some rule or other about that.

    • @Jpdt19
      @Jpdt19 Před 18 dny

      ​@@mhmt1453they do tend to be rather firm about it. You should manage a red ensign however if that was acceptable.

  • @AugmentedGravity
    @AugmentedGravity Před 22 dny +11

    I'm all here for a metallurgy video!

  • @hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156

    You've just kept me fascinated for a whole 39 minutes, on a subject I had zero expectations about. Superb material. Cheers.

  • @animal16365
    @animal16365 Před 22 dny +24

    Q&A. How did the manufacturers of wire wound guns anchor the ends of the wire??

    • @StepSherpa
      @StepSherpa Před 22 dny +2

      I wonder if it's almost like a spring where the first winding is essentially a band

    • @thewheelieguy
      @thewheelieguy Před 12 dny

      Weld the end into place as an anchor

    • @Vicus_of_Utrecht
      @Vicus_of_Utrecht Před 5 dny

      Sperm.

  • @torsenlabs21
    @torsenlabs21 Před 14 dny +2

    As someone with a background in engineering and physics, this has been one of my favorite videos you have released. Thank you for doing more in depth peices like this.

  • @stevenslater2669
    @stevenslater2669 Před 18 dny +4

    My father worked in a Philadelphia defense plant from about 1943-‘45. He machined 16 inch 50 caliber gun barrels at Midvale Steel. I should say my dad’s job involved machining the outer surface of the and rough boring of the inner diameter in preparation for fitting of the rifled sleeve. He said that other than mounting of the rough forging and initial machining for the (Huge!) steady rest, the work was fairly routine and not very taxing. Unless - the engineers had fiddled with the metallurgy again. Then he would get very busy with a lot of help from the engineers trying out different cutting tools, feeds and speeds.
    My twin brother & I were only a couple years old, and what I remember the most was when he came home from the graveyard shift, he always had a package of Campfire Marshmallows in his shirt pocket. We’d hug & kiss him, then grab the marshmallows, take them back to our room and eat them in bed. We were really bummed out when he left that job toward the end of WWII.

    • @garbo8962
      @garbo8962 Před 17 dny

      I installed a micro film machine at the old Midvale Philly.plant back in 1973. They closed in 1976. My dad worked for the Frankford Arsenal before WW2. think they made most of the small rounds used in WW2. PHILLY was a large military supplier. phila, naval yard, Camden ship & Hog Island ship, Frankford Arsenal, Midvale steel and the two.large Budd company all toll probably employed close to 75,000:workers during WW2. unfortunately all closed up.

  • @Kevin_Kennelly
    @Kevin_Kennelly Před 22 dny +13

    Brilliant.
    Bravo.
    My favorite type of video is when you focus on a particular technology and it's evolution.
    31:52 "the world's biggest and messiest slinky"
    And yes....please go into the finer details. Annealing, Quenching.

  • @bradgolding6847
    @bradgolding6847 Před 22 dny +6

    What a great video! As a former tank gunnery instructor, I found this utterly fascinating, many thanks!

  • @lexington476
    @lexington476 Před 22 dny +21

    31:54 we totally need a picture of said slinky 🙂.

    • @MarkoDash
      @MarkoDash Před 22 dny +2

      that *is* a picture of said slinky

  • @kpdubbs7117
    @kpdubbs7117 Před 22 dny +18

    I am just starting this vid but I can already tell it's going to be a blast!

  • @Thom3748
    @Thom3748 Před 22 dny +8

    One of your best videos… I had a number of questions over the years about how these large devices were manufactured, and you gave a complete history of the development of big guns. Very nicely done.

  • @admiralcraddock464
    @admiralcraddock464 Před 20 dny +4

    At 23.30 you mention excess gun barrels would often be ordered for possible future use, these being kept in stock ashore. Back in the very early eighties, before it closed, I did some wok in the Woolwich Arsenal MOD site. I was told they still had several very large naval gun barrels stored away in one the numerous wharehouses. Thse would never have been used as the type of ship they would have been fitted to had long since gone. I should imagine that no one in authourity was bothered to organise the neccessary paperwork and allocate the funds to dispose of them, so they just lay there gathering dust until the site was eventually cleared a few years later.

    • @Jpdt19
      @Jpdt19 Před 18 dny

      Hopefully these ended up in the museums in Portsmouth. Thanks for the story.

  • @JuStsme0nE123
    @JuStsme0nE123 Před 22 dny +9

    I've been hoping on more engineering video's ever since the naval boilers video, and I've really enjoyed the armor one too.
    So yeah, please do a deep dive, those are my favourites on this channel!

  • @mikebrase5161
    @mikebrase5161 Před 22 dny +10

    The size and sheer numbers of Naval Guns pumped out during the American Civil War is pretty amazing. As far as non Naval guns a machinist friend of mine built in his shop a 12lb Whitworth. That thing is super cool and super accurate.

    • @davidharner5865
      @davidharner5865 Před 22 dny

      'America' is two continents, not one country. Do you mean U .S.? U.S. has never had a Civil War. Do you mean the war between U.S. and C.S.A.?

    • @Shinzon23
      @Shinzon23 Před 22 dny +4

      ​ @davidharner5865 thou art overthinking this, and if there was nay a "American Civil War", explain why that name comes up for thine conflict....

    • @mikebrase5161
      @mikebrase5161 Před 22 dny

      @@Shinzon23 he's either a Troll or being willfully stupid

    • @davidharner5865
      @davidharner5865 Před 22 dny

      You are aware that many people believe incorrectly that they live in a Capitalist Democracy named America, correct? I Am NOT overthinking, words have meanings.​@Shinzon23

    • @davidharner5865
      @davidharner5865 Před 22 dny

      ​@@Shinzon23postscript: you would make a better impression if you were to text in grammatical English!

  • @shinjiikari1021
    @shinjiikari1021 Před 22 dny +6

    Well, this is extremely useful for my life's goal to re build the hms hood.

  • @crichtonbruce4329
    @crichtonbruce4329 Před 22 dny +2

    Thank you so much for this one Mr. Drach. I've been hoping for you to do this topic for a long time, particularly including info. on the re-lining of guns. Your skills as a teacher and presenter are second to none.

  • @billwit7878
    @billwit7878 Před 22 dny +40

    Tensile stress causes barrels to crack. Adding residual compressive stress will cancel those tensile stress. The reason for press fitting sleeves over the barrel was to add compressive stress at the barrel bore.

    • @GarretTheGussy
      @GarretTheGussy Před 22 dny +6

      Yes I watched the video too

    • @DM-h2h77f8gh
      @DM-h2h77f8gh Před 22 dny +6

      I read an article several years ago going into great detail on how U.S. Navy guns were made, which mentioned an alternative to creating the inward pressure called "auto-frettage. From Wikipedia:
      "...a bored monoblock tube is filled with hydraulic fluid at pressures higher than the finished gun will experience during firing. Upon release of hydraulic pressure, the internal diameter of the monoblock tube will have been increased by approximately 6%. The outer portion of the finished monoblock rebounds to approximately its original diameter and exerts compressive forces on the inner portion similar to the separate cylinders of a built-up gun."
      It also mentioned that sometimes grit was added between the tubes of a built-up gun to give them more of a grip on each other when they were being shrunk together.
      The shrinking process for assembling built-up gun was particularly interesting: a hole was dug in the ground deep enough for the gun, the tubes were lowered into it standing up, first the inside one, then the next one (still hot) over it. Then a hollow ring suspended on wires with spray jets on the inside and oil hoses attached to it was used to spray oil over the outside tube from bottom to top, so that the breach ends of the tubes would shrink together first and so on up the gun to the muzzle ends. For a 16 inch 50 caliber battleship gun the hole would have to have been about 70 feet deep - the height of a 7 story building!
      I believe I read the article on the NavWeaps site, but unfortunately I wasn't able to find it again to post a link to it here.

    • @billwit7878
      @billwit7878 Před 22 dny +2

      Also, cast cannons had a method to increase residual compressive stress at the bore surface, they did this by circulating water in the bore so that solidified first. This progressive solidification outward helped reduce tensile stress at the bore.

    • @andersjjensen
      @andersjjensen Před 22 dny +4

      That you've managed to get 34 upvotes by quoting the content almost verbatim is bewildering...

    • @wierdalien1
      @wierdalien1 Před 22 dny

      ​@@andersjjensenpeople are inpatient

  • @richardw2566
    @richardw2566 Před 22 dny +3

    "Should I do a video on the finer points of: (fill in the blank)" Please do and the sooner the better. Congrats on the new arrival. Bravo Zulu!

  • @melissamiranti4858
    @melissamiranti4858 Před 22 dny +2

    I would like to hear about the forging process in more detail! I love it when you go into metallurgy stuff, since that's so far outside my experience that it's all new to me.
    I've listened to you talk for so many hours, and I could listen for so many more.

  • @weaponizedautism6589
    @weaponizedautism6589 Před 22 dny +3

    I would definitly love a video that goes more in depth on battleships armour design and what kind of advantages and disadvantages certain armour designs offered. Would be interesting to see some experimental armour scemes be covered as well if there are any.

  • @danasmith3288
    @danasmith3288 Před 18 dny +2

    Drach,
    Having worked in foundry with ductile and gray iron, I appreciate your talent in making a difficult subject made easy. Very well done.

  • @magellantv
    @magellantv Před 22 dny +5

    Well, this was an incredibly enlightening video. Thank you!

  • @oleran4569
    @oleran4569 Před 22 dny +2

    I've been hoping for this one. Yes! A deeper dive would be appreciated.

  • @pedenharley6266
    @pedenharley6266 Před 22 dny +2

    Drach, thank you for this video! A great explanation. I’d love to see more about the evolution of mountings.

  • @philipsmith7913
    @philipsmith7913 Před 22 dny +1

    An excellent explanation of gun construction. I learnt a great deal. Thank you.

  • @GrahamHill-oz1bu
    @GrahamHill-oz1bu Před 22 dny +1

    happy to listen while i snooze to Drachnifel as i trust your narrative and sometimes it is a priceless tutorial about my special interest with full attention. Subscribed and those gun barrels: never knew some composite ones were supported by miles of wire: there's the picture evidence. Many thanks Sir!

  • @wastelander89
    @wastelander89 Před 22 dny +1

    Thank u so much for making this video I been looking specifically for this video and couldn't find any good ones. U made the best video on this topic hands down. I really appreciate how you describe things I'm detail while still getting to the point. I learned so much thanks alot for this video

  • @f-xdemers2825
    @f-xdemers2825 Před 21 dnem +1

    That is the type of subject that grabs my attention and sustains my interest. Very informative. Thank you.

  • @user-hz3wl1zs9s
    @user-hz3wl1zs9s Před 22 dny +5

    I nominate this as Drach's most interesting video yet -- AWESOME!

  • @robdgaming
    @robdgaming Před 21 dnem

    Thank you so much for this detailed yet digestible explanation of both methods of making 19th-20 century large naval guns.

  • @stco2426
    @stco2426 Před 15 dny

    Amazing. Well told and many thanks!

  • @d133710n
    @d133710n Před 22 dny +74

    Build better gums with Drac Brand Toothpaste

    • @johnserrano9689
      @johnserrano9689 Před 22 dny +5

      I'm sorry, that wasn't toothpaste sir, as Drach only offers a line of "severe hemorrhoid ceam" and "Donkey Dong Anal Lube"

    • @haytorrock3312
      @haytorrock3312 Před 22 dny +2

      Build better Gnus with Drac brand Ungulate breeding program.

    • @greenseaships
      @greenseaships Před 22 dny +4

      As a rule, I never trust British toothpaste...

    • @invadegreece9281
      @invadegreece9281 Před 19 dny

      @@johnserrano9689a

  • @markustorma4210
    @markustorma4210 Před 22 dny +3

    I would really love to see a video on how the overall loading process of big guns evolved after breechloading started to happen. Few details were available in this video already but only for the last 5mins. Want more! Metallurgy videos also will never fail to catch my attention

  • @willarth9186
    @willarth9186 Před 22 dny +2

    Nothing is better with my morning coffee than finding a NEW Drach vid on my computer!

  • @user-tf3ir8sc5m
    @user-tf3ir8sc5m Před 16 dny

    Excellent, well-detailed explanation of the overall process. I have seen many era-specific films of the manufacturing process, but they tend to focus on the pressing and hammering portions of the process. I have seen operational footage which demonstrates the different breach lock aproaches, and it is easy to see the difficulties of using sliding locks with large guns in them. I was aware of the sleaving process, but I thank you for providing insight into the winding process, of which, I was not aware.

  • @maxenielsen
    @maxenielsen Před 13 dny

    Very, very interesting and informative!
    Thank you!

  • @RJN82
    @RJN82 Před 18 dny

    Great choice of topic - thanks!

  • @brerobsym
    @brerobsym Před 22 dny +2

    Drach, you could give a dissertation on the chemical process of drying paint, and I would watch it! Love your descriptions and detail, keep it up. ❤

  • @panzer_ace_107stankdivisio8

    “Bigger is always better” That’s why I use a 120mm CIWS battery to defend my aircraft carriers from incoming hypersonic threats.
    Edit:
    I spelled CIWS wrong :(

    • @Hirosjimma
      @Hirosjimma Před 22 dny +5

      Ahh yes a Close Weapon In System :p

    • @alexdunphy3716
      @alexdunphy3716 Před 22 dny +6

      ​@@Hirosjimmawell to be fair, if the weapon is in your system then it's probably pretty close by

  • @robertfrost1683
    @robertfrost1683 Před 22 dny +1

    Thanks for posting

  • @neilwilson5785
    @neilwilson5785 Před 22 dny +2

    34:01 I was going to go to bed but now I need to get the slide rule out and determine the relative properties of traditional vs wire wound guns. Thanks for the homework Drach!

  • @raimohansen9407
    @raimohansen9407 Před 8 dny

    What an excellent channel! Thank you immensely for this top notch presentation! Yes I would LOVE to see additional deeper dive content on metallurgy/annealing/heat treatment etc!

  • @stevemolina8801
    @stevemolina8801 Před 22 dny +2

    .A great refresher as it has been a few years since I was in gunnery school!

  • @pork_cake
    @pork_cake Před 22 dny +3

    I know it's outside your wheelhouse Drach, but it would be incredible if you could make some content on the history of machine tools, you are uniquely qualified for it!

    • @mpetersen6
      @mpetersen6 Před 22 dny

      All machine tools start with the lathe. Not the metal working lathes we know today but more akin to a woodturners lathe. Clickspring has a video on just what the first precision lathe may have been like. I would love to see a video on just how the multiple step and possibly multiple lead interrupted threads of the naval rifles like the 16"50 on the Iowa's for example where cut.

  • @rolandnador5891
    @rolandnador5891 Před 21 dnem

    So interesting! Thanks for uploading! I'm glad i've found your channel!

  • @stephenallen4374
    @stephenallen4374 Před 22 dny

    Thank you you've done a wonderful research job on these guns

  • @johnsykesiii1629
    @johnsykesiii1629 Před 22 dny +2

    Excellent summary, Drach.

  • @tokencivilian8507
    @tokencivilian8507 Před 22 dny +1

    Yes, on the armor / steel vid.
    As for this one - great stuff. The illustrations with all the nomenclature for the various bits and pieces were super helpful. Reading those terms without a visual - screw box liner, locking ring, etc, made it hard for me at least to visualize where, exactly, those were. Now I know. Thx.

  • @pacomb
    @pacomb Před dnem

    What a great video!! Congratulations. So well described. I am looking forward for a second video with more interesting details of the process

  • @thedevilinthecircuit1414
    @thedevilinthecircuit1414 Před 22 dny +2

    Fascinating stuffas always! When heating steel for an interference 'press fit', the general rule is it contracts .001" for every 1" of thickness when cooling. Which means these huge sleeve fits need to be machined to *extremely* precise tolerances.

  • @fringehead
    @fringehead Před 22 dny +1

    A very interesting and comprehensive show

  • @jamesburns8247
    @jamesburns8247 Před 17 dny

    You provided a fascinating narration and I loved it.

  • @alexbenis4726
    @alexbenis4726 Před 22 dny +1

    That was so interesting, I always wondered what was meant by wire round guns! This must have taken a lot of research and work to produce and it is appreciated.

  • @razor6888
    @razor6888 Před 22 dny +3

    As always ..., excellent Drachinifel. 🙂

  • @raydunakin
    @raydunakin Před 4 dny

    This was very interesting!

  • @malcolmtaylor518
    @malcolmtaylor518 Před 22 dny +1

    Great selection of photos, as usual.

  • @JohnSmith-se9yl
    @JohnSmith-se9yl Před 22 dny

    Excellent Report! The information provided is top notch. Thanks Drach

  • @danapeck5382
    @danapeck5382 Před 15 dny

    Fascinating, thanks, much appreciated

  • @arneldobumatay3702
    @arneldobumatay3702 Před 15 dny

    That was quite a technical video. I'll have to watch it several more time to understand most of it!

  • @alanbutler7712
    @alanbutler7712 Před 9 dny

    That was fascinating! Thank you!

  • @The_ZeroLine
    @The_ZeroLine Před 22 dny +1

    Thank you. I had zero idea how these guns were actually built and assembled prior to this video.

  • @lestergillis8171
    @lestergillis8171 Před dnem

    Illustrations were excellent. Narrative was easy to understand.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

  • @ditzydoo4378
    @ditzydoo4378 Před 22 dny +3

    Watervliet Arsenal (July 14, 1813 - Present) is the place where "The Big Gun Shop," for manufacturing missions. This gun shop once produced 16-inch guns and many other weapons for the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps. were forged in a huge vertical forge. They still make the nations cannon barrels for such as the US Army's M-109/M777 howitzers.

  • @phirozebattiwala5996
    @phirozebattiwala5996 Před 12 dny

    Very nice explanation. Thank You

  • @admanpaulandrew
    @admanpaulandrew Před 17 dny

    Hi Drach, you do love a good tech piece. Great job.

  • @woodywoodman2319
    @woodywoodman2319 Před 22 dny +1

    Yes to more details on hardening!!

  • @RakkasanRakkasan
    @RakkasanRakkasan Před 22 dny +3

    There is a documentary about the Annapolis navy yard and the gun factory. The gun's on the Iowa class were the biggest they could make. To go bigger they would have to build a whole new gun works it is impressive to see .

  • @rodbeadle6444
    @rodbeadle6444 Před 22 dny

    Thanks for doing this video. Extremely interesting stuff!

  • @dovahgamer9689
    @dovahgamer9689 Před 15 dny +1

    Never thought that all the stuff i had to learn as a technical designer would help me in understanding gun construction.

  • @Emu0181
    @Emu0181 Před 22 dny +3

    I remember from reading about the Manhattan Project that prior to it's use as a fissile material, uranium was mostly used in glass making (uranium glass) and in gun barrels. I always assumed that it was an alloying metal, but what properties it would add? Hardness? Or was my assumption wrong and it was used in some other capacity altogether?

  • @masaharumorimoto4761
    @masaharumorimoto4761 Před 22 dny +2

    Fascinating! The slinky wire failures look so funny :)

  • @titanscerw
    @titanscerw Před 22 dny

    Awesome expose in to very interesting topic of whole battleship technology! Truly peak of human engineering ingenuity.
    Would love to hear even more indepth ins and outs of it.
    Thank you for your work.

  • @fredfarnackle5455
    @fredfarnackle5455 Před 20 dny

    Thanks, Drach. Nice talk, thanks.👍

  • @rogerwatkinson6633
    @rogerwatkinson6633 Před 15 dny

    Excellent detail in this video. Loved it :)

  • @garyhill2740
    @garyhill2740 Před 22 dny +1

    Another fascinating informative video! I particularly enjoyed the mention of the Des Moines class. Some of my favorite warships of all time.
    If missles had not replaced guns going into the Cold War, likely all cruisers and battleships would eventually had automatic guns.

  • @73Trident
    @73Trident Před 22 dny

    That was very interesting, Thanks Drach.

  • @Curt_Sampson
    @Curt_Sampson Před 16 dny

    Yes, I love these engineering-focused videos. More please!

  • @tomhath8413
    @tomhath8413 Před 22 dny +3

    It's worth visiting a museum ship to appreciate how big those gun barrels are.

  • @larryseaquist
    @larryseaquist Před 14 dny

    Even for us old hands in naval gunnery, an exceptionally useful tutorial, Drach. Thank you.

  • @steli8unz318
    @steli8unz318 Před 9 dny

    Nice and interesting video.
    Need more of this kind

  • @SpookyDeCat
    @SpookyDeCat Před 13 dny

    I would be interested in a more in depth dive into sousing, recoil systems, mounting arrangements, etc. I find fascinating some of the clockwork breach mechanisms. Thanks for the great content. I love battleships!

  • @genreynolds6685
    @genreynolds6685 Před 19 dny

    Excellent video, Drach. Spoked bicycle wheels are built using the same principle as in 17:45. The spokes are brought to high tension which produces compressive stress in the rim, which “shrinks” ever so slightly. As the wheel rolls under the weight of the rider, the spoke at the instantaneous bottom unloads from the compression but must always remain in enough residual tension to prevent it, and the wheel, from buckling in flexion. All spoked wheels are compressive structures but wire spoked wheels exploit the high strength of steel in tension to bear compressive loads. Pneumatic tires, first used on bicycles, are similar to gun barrels also.