1) The propellant charge was in six bags.

2) The HE projectile figures given above are from "Naval Weapons of World War Two."  However, Aldo Fraccaroli gives the weight as 1,817 lbs. (824.3 kg) and the muzzle velocity as 2,887 fps (880 mps).

3) Outfit was 495 APC and 171 HE projectiles.

4) The following comments were recieved from Maurizio Di Sciullo:

The Model 1934 was extremely accurate and was able to deliver very consistent and predictable patterns with devastating hitting power - with the ammunition used for trials.  Unfortunately, the materials and supply process in Italy works differently than it does in most other countries.  In the U.S., for example, if one wished to test a sample of 16" shells, they might pull an example from stock, and inspect it directly.  In Italy, the firm producing the equipment would have the advantage of providing the item for test, thereby possibly delivering an example which would be of atypically good quality with respect to serialized units.  This was the problem with the Model 1934 - the firms producing the ammunition did not all produce projectiles of proper quality.  [Admiral Angelo] Iachino complained about this in post-war books.  Some actions showed a run of good projectiles, where others were plagued by terribly bad examples.  Possibly the greatest contrast was seen between the shooting of Littorio in the first battle of Sirte Gulf and that of Vittorio Veneto in the 28 March Guado encounter.  Despite the fact that Littorio was shooting at targets 32,000 yards away while Veneto was attacking at first Orion and afterwards Gloucester at only 24,000 yards, the Littorio's shot groups were significantly more consistent, despite the greater range, doubtlessly owing to a batch of properly fabricated 381-mm projectiles.

1) The sources listed below differ about the maximum range of this weapon.  It is possible that the maximum elevation of the mounting was 36 degrees and the maximum range usually given for the APC projectile is for that elevation.  The APC range table given above is from "Naval Weapons of World War Two."  The figures for the HE projectile are from "Warship Volume I" articles by Aldo Fraccaroli and are for a muzzle velocity of 2,887 fps (880 mps).

2) During gunnery trials at the Cottrau firing ground, near Viareggo, at 45 degree elevation the APC projectiles reached 50,610 yards (46,280 m) and HE projectiles reached 52,790 yards (48,270 m).

1) The mountings were of Ansaldo design, but the ones on Vittorio Veneto and two of those on Roma were manufactured by OTO.  These were all electrically powered.

2) Guns were mounted in individual cast steel cradles and separated by splinter bulkheads.

3) The turrets were supported by 72 tapered rollers organized in groups of four, the lower roller path being flat while the upper was tapered.  Immediately below this was a ring of 24 spring loaded vertical rollers and there were eight centering rollers at the lower end of the turret axis.

4) Aim in both training and elevation was "follow the pointer" although the elevation could be controlled by the layer through "stabilized aiming."

5) Shell rooms were below the magazines and projectiles were moved by overhead gear to a ring conveyor on rails in the shell handling room.  Projectiles were then raised to a working chamber.  From there, the projectiles were loaded into a interesting combination projectile and propellant cage hoist.  This was a pair of three-level cages, one up and one down, set back 14 degrees from the vertical.  The upper two levels each held three bags of powder while the lower one held the projectile.  Power was supplied by electric winches.  In the working chamber, the three levels were loaded together from vertically arranged transfer trays, but in the gunhouse the shell compartment was brought in line with the gun axis to be rammed and the charge compartments were then lowered in succession.  The 1 degree difference between the loading angle and the cages was to ensure that the rammer chain was rigid along its entire run.

6) The gun axes were 103.5 in (264 cm) apart.