Q&A · 2:46:53-2:47:16

Were most 16- and 18-inch shells duds?

Shell reliability and gunnery accuracy are separate: a heavy projectile can damage by kinetic impact even without detonating, while most rounds simply miss.

Battleships Fire Control Naval Gunnery

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Question

Were most 16- to 18-inch naval shells duds?

Short answer

No; unexploded hits could still cause major kinetic damage, while many shells caused no damage simply because they missed.

Notes

Most very large naval shells were not duds. A heavy shell that fails to explode can still cause severe damage through kinetic impact. Misses are a separate problem and help explain the use of salvo fire. Failure to damage the target does not by itself demonstrate a faulty explosive charge.