USS Texas (BB-35): Firing the 14 inch guns, Part 1: loading and operations inside the turret.
To fire each 14 inch/45 caliber gun, it required several moving parts and men to move in unison. Gun crews were trained consistently to maximize the amount of rounds fired per minute, as this could mean the difference between life and death in a fire fight.
Each turret required 70 men to operate, which moved the Shells and Powder Bags from their storage in the magazines, deep in the ship, to the Gun House to fire. Each shot required one shell and four powder bags and could be fired a shot every 45 seconds. The shells can vary in weight from 1,400 to 1,500 IBS (635 to 680 kg) depending on the type used. The Powder Bags each weigh from 90 to 105 pounds (41 to 48 kg). Since the Bags were hand carried and loaded, several training manuals from the era recommended these men lift heavy weights every day. This was to ensure they had stamina to last during a prolonged fire fight. This entire process was very labour intensive compared to WWII battleships. The operation of the turrets did not change during her career, except for the addition of an electric hoist for the powder bags later in her career. It costed $777 in 1914 to fire one gun, or $21,110 in 2021.
The Shellman in the gun house calls up a shell, or projectile, from the Upper Handling Room. If there were shells already on this level, men would load a shell from a rack along the outer Bulkhead, onto Upper Projectile Hoist. If there weren't any or not of type requested, a new shell was ordered from the magazine. For more information on this, read my magazine post: link. These men would move the shell to the Lower Projectile Hoist and send it up. The Upper Handling Room could store 30 shells.
At the same time, an Officer ordered for Powder to be sent up. Powder Bags would be loaded onto Powder Hoist and carried up to the Powder Flat Room. See my post on the magazines for their storage and makeup: link.
From there, handlers would feed the bags into a cramped room of the Powder Transfer room, through a port in the floor. A sailor would place the bags on the powder tray. This tray had wooden rollers and the bags would slide down into the Gun Pit.
Two men, called Powder Man 1 and 2, would move the bags on the powder trays in the gun house.
In the Gun House, the breech was unlocked and swung to the side. A metal tray, called the Rammer Tray, was lowered to the breech seat. The shell would be shifted out of the Upper Projectile Hoist and aft onto the Shell Transfer Tray or dump tray.
Then the shell is rolled onto the Platform Tray (Loading Tray). A mechanical rammer would push the shell into the chamber.
It is there, two men, called Powder Man 3 and 4, would lift up the two powder bags from the powder trays and place them on the Rammer Tray. The bags had a rad patch on the back, which contained the primer charge, and would be placed facing aft. The Rammer Man would use a wood pole and with the assistance of the Powder Man 3 and 4, would ram the bags into the chamber. The process would be repeated so there were four bags in the chamber.
The Rammer Tray was folded up and out of the way. The Plugman would close and lock the breech. A primer change was placed on the back of the breech.
The gun crew in the Gun House and Gun Pit would move from their positions and stand along the side of the turret, out of the way as it was elevated and from gun recoil. An officer would then flip a switch to let the crew in the Main Battery Plotting know the gun was armed. See my post on the factors in the targeting and when the trigger was pressed: link.
After the gun was fired, the barrel was lowered back to 0°. The barrel still has hot residue gasses and other debris that can cause blow back, which can seriously injure or kill the crew. The Plugman turned a valve on the side of the barrel, which would release highly compressed air into the barrel to discharge the gas and any unburned material. The Plugman would open the breech and the Powder Man 3 would inspect the barrel for any remaining debris and damage to the gun itself. The Rammer Tray would lower and the process was repeated.
The last time her guns were fired was while transporting Soldiers home, sometime between November and December 1945 during Operation Magic Carpet. One of the men asked the Captain if he could fire one of her guns. The Captain obliged the returning soldier's request.
A special thanks to Tom Scott for allowing me to use some of his animation. He has posted a video on his YouTube channel and is worth a watch, link.
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