Q&A · 47:24-47:52

A sixteen-gun battleship needs roughly four thousand main-battery shells

High volume of fire only works if the hull reserves enough protected magazine space for about 250 rounds per gun.

Ammunition Battleships Naval Gunnery Naval Logistics Ship Design

Question

Would a sixteen-gun battleship empty its magazines too quickly?

Short answer

It would need about 250 rounds per gun, or more than four thousand shells, so magazine volume must be designed into the ship from the outset.

Notes

Ammunition endurance belongs inside any firepower-heavy design discussion. Sixteen guns at roughly 250 shells each require more than four thousand heavy rounds, imposing major weight, protection, and internal-volume costs.