# Muzzle velocity/Rate of fire for the USS Monitor's main guns?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muzzle-velocity-rate-of-fire-for-the-uss-monitors-main-guns/336371>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 20, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muzzle-velocity-rate-of-fire-for-the-uss-monitors-main-guns/336371 "2005-12-20T00:13:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muzzle-velocity-rate-of-fire-for-the-uss-monitors-main-guns/336371/1 "2005-12-20T00:13:35Z")

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I was just wondering…does anyone here happen to know the muzzle velocity and/or rate of fire of the main guns of the ironclad USS _Monitor_? They were two XI-Inch Dahlgren smoothbore guns, if I’m not mistaken.

Can anyone help me out?

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muzzle-velocity-rate-of-fire-for-the-uss-monitors-main-guns/336371/2 "2005-12-20T00:25:16Z")

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Extrapolating from [here](http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/steam6.htm), I’d guess around 2000fps.

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**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muzzle-velocity-rate-of-fire-for-the-uss-monitors-main-guns/336371/3 "2005-12-20T02:32:09Z")

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According to **silenus’** cite and 11" smoothbore has a range of 1650 yards for an elevation angle of 15[sup]o[/sup]. In a vacuum this would mean a muzzle velocity of 700 ft/sec. In the atmosphere that probably would mean a velocity of something a little over 1000 ft/sec.

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**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muzzle-velocity-rate-of-fire-for-the-uss-monitors-main-guns/336371/4 "2005-12-20T02:41:06Z")

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> [@David Simmons](#):
>
> According to **silenus’** cite and 11" smoothbore has a range of 1650 yards for an elevation angle of 15[sup]o[/sup]. In a vacuum this would mean a muzzle velocity of 700 ft/sec. In the atmosphere that probably would mean a velocity of something a little over 1000 ft/sec.

That’s a range of 2650 yards and **not** 1650.