Spend a lot of money to create the world's largest battleship main gun so far!

The caliber of the main guns of battleships during World War II represented the manufacturing level of heavy industry, and only a few countries were able to manufacture large-caliber battleships. As we all know, the maximum caliber of the main gun of the US Navy battleship is 406 mm, which is a huge gap with the 460 mm main gun of the Yamato class of Japan.

406 naval gun fires

The production of large-caliber naval guns requires not only strong funds but also sufficient technical equipment. When Japan was developing the 460 mm gun, it was discovered that its own equipment could not be manufactured at all. Therefore, he did not hesitate to invest a huge amount of money to import 15,000 tons of hydraulic presses and three 70 tons of acid open hearth furnaces from Germany, which created the world's largest battleship main gun so far.

It can be seen how difficult it is to build such a super weapon. Therefore, the later super large and 510 mm naval guns only existed in Japanese ideas. In contrast, the situation in the United States is completely different. As early as 1898, the United States was able to build a 406 mm cannon. In the early 1920s, the US Navy also ordered a 457 mm naval gun. However, when the sample gun was almost half completed, the 1922 "Washington Naval Treaty" stipulated that the main gun caliber of battleships should not exceed 16 inches (406 mm), so the US Navy only continued to improve and improve the 406 mm caliber naval gun. Upgrade, and the 457 main gun was also left out because it was a “prohibited weapon”. When the

MK7 406 mm naval gun

was researching and designing new battleships from 1927 to 1928 and 1938, the American designers also considered using the 457 mm gun, but the navy rejected it many times. The reason is that the weight of such a cannon is too heavy and the service life of the barrel is too short, and the angle of the bullet is also very limited. The most important factor is the violation of the treaty. However, after the start of World War II, the treaty restrictions no longer exist, and the test model of the 457 mm naval gun has once again attracted the attention of the military.

In 1940, the Montana-class battleship planned by the US Navy focused on strengthening firepower. The project organizing committee proposed a plan to install a 457 mm naval gun. However, after considering various factors such as range, firepower density, and displacement, it was decided to follow the design of the MK7 406 mm naval gun.

Yamato’s 460 mm main gun

, ​​in the eyes of the US military, the performance of the 406 mm naval gun is already very good. Its 1.2-ton capped armor-piercing projectile can penetrate 508 mm armor at a distance of 18.3 km, but the Yamato-class armor simply cannot. resistance. The fire control radar and ballistic computer equipped by the US military make the accuracy of the naval gun far beyond the Yamato class. Although the caliber of Montana's main gun is about 50 mm smaller than the larger and smaller guns, Montana has a very large advantage in firepower density. The Montana’s main gun fired armor-piercing projectiles weighing approximately 29.4 tons per minute, while Yamato’s was only 19.71 tons. And Montana has 4 main turrets, while Yamato has only 3, Montana also has the upper hand in shooting flexibility.

In addition, in the era of Montana and Yamato, battleships were actually dead. Aircraft carriers have begun to dominate naval battles, and the construction and maintenance of battleships is expensive. For example, the cost of a 406 mm naval gun in the US military is 286,000 US dollars, and the replacement of the inner tube requires 38,000 US dollars, while the price of a P-51 fighter is only 54,000 US dollars. In view of this, the 457 mm naval gun is bound to be more expensive. If all 12 main guns of Montana are equipped with 457 mm main guns, the total price may already be equal to all the carrier-based aircraft of the same Essex-class aircraft carrier. . But obviously, the strategic value of a fleet of aircraft carriers is greater, otherwise the U.S. military would not allow the powerful Iowa to serve as the escort of the aircraft carrier.

It can be said that the United States is fully capable of installing 457 mm main guns for the Montana-class battleships, but the Japanese battleships are not strong enough to force the US military to install such naval guns, even the US military does not even need to build the Montana-class battleships. Up.