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Description
This massive piece of artillery and its sister guns were part of the US Coastal Defense planning from the 1920s to 1946. Originally, these 16-inch (408mm) guns were designed for use aboard the Navy's new Lexington-class battlecruisers, which were under construction at the time. However, the post-World War I Washington Naval Treaty severely curtailed all heavy warship construction, and work on the battlecruisers was discontinued. With the guns already completed but no ships to place them on, these heavy pieces were placed in two-gun batteries around various vital US ports and strategic coastal positions for defense against enemy capital ships at long range, while two of the battlecruisers they would've otherwise armed - USS Lexington and USS Saratoga - were converted into the US Navy's first aircraft carriers, both of which would see significant action in World War II.

Description
This massive piece of artillery and its sister guns were part of the US Coastal Defense planning from the 1920s to 1946. Originally, these 16-inch (408mm) guns were designed for use aboard the Navy's new Lexington-class battlecruisers, which were under construction at the time. However, the post-World War I Washington Naval Treaty severely curtailed all heavy warship construction, and work on the battlecruisers was discontinued. With the guns already completed but no ships to place them on, these heavy pieces were placed in two-gun batteries around various vital US ports and strategic coastal positions for defense against enemy capital ships at long range, while two of the battlecruisers they would've otherwise armed - USS Lexington and USS Saratoga - were converted into the US Navy's first aircraft carriers, both of which would see significant action in World War II.