An Iowa-class turret illustrates the difference between full automation and extensive mechanical assistance. Rammers and related machinery moved 16-inch shells and charges that were far too heavy for crews to handle efficiently by hand. The turret rollers, below-deck cage, and ammunition-moving mechanisms all had to be developed alongside the barrels themselves. Those systems also created specialised crew positions that had not existed on an 1860s gun deck. Their weight and location affected the ship around them, making ammunition handling part of naval architecture as well as gun drill.
Chapter · 56:00-59:11
Heavy shells made mechanical ammunition handling essential
Rammers, rollers, and below-deck turret machinery moved ammunition that crews could no longer handle efficiently by muscle alone.