Well, the Iowa class BB was

Nine 16-inch / 50 caliber guns in 3 gun turrets. (Range: 23 miles - Projectiles: Armor Piercing 2,700 lbs and High Capacity 1,900 lbs - Powder: Standard Load six 110 lb bags - Rate of Fire: 2 Rounds per gun per minute)

Twenty 5-inch / 38 caliber dual purpose guns in 10 twin mounts. (Range: 9 miles - Projectile: 55 lbs. - Powder: 30 lbs. - Rate of Fire: 15 Rounds per gun per minute)


Sixty-four 40mm anti-aircraft guns in 16 quad mounts, later increased to eighty guns in 20 mounts. (All were removed in 1967 - 68 modernization)

Forty-nine 20mm anti-aircraft guns, increased during WW II to fifty-seven. (All but a few removed during 1947 - 48 inactivation, remainder removed in 1952)

8 Quad Tomahawk Armored Box Launchers, 4 Quad Harpoon Canister Launchers, 4 Vulcan / Phalanx CIWS all were added during 1981 modernization.


On just the main guns, the Desmoines could put out 10rpmpg x 335lb x 9 guns of armour piercing- 30,150 lb per minute

Iowa class BB was 2rpmpg x 2700lb x 9 AP- 48,600 lb per minute.

Looking only at the long range ( over 20 miles) , the BB put 1.6 times the weight onto target.