This Is What It Takes To Fire The Biggest Gun On The Destroyer USS Barry

When I hauled myself aboard the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer the other day, one of the first things I was shown was the ship's 5-inch, 127mm gun.

"This is how the Barry pays its bills," the ensign showing me around said.

What she meant was that even though the Barry carries an array of missiles including Tomahawks, SM-2s, and SM-3s, among others — the 5-inch is the weapon of choice when engaging any surface, air, or shore targets.

Loaded with an assortment of devastating rounds, the gun can pound out its 20-projectile magazine in about a minute while maintaining pinpoint accuracy via its computerized targeting.

The crew of the USS Barry allowed me to poke around into all aspects of what makes the 5-inch weapon tick, from deep in the ship's magazine, to the firing room, to on deck when the weapon was fired.

All that happens to make this gun so devastating may surprise you.