The USS Massachusetts has AA guns just like you describe. I spent plenty of time running them as a kid. I looked up the USS Inaugural... I didn't get to why it sank but it was exposed during the 2021 drought and cut up for scrap metalJSinMO wrote: ↑Thu Jul 27, 2023 11:50 pm I could spend a day and a half going through those ships! If you go back I hope you can get some pictures.
We used to have a WW2 mine sweeper docked on the St. Louis riverfront. The USS Inaugural. I went through it a couple of times as a kid. I remember there were 2 guns on the back deck that had manual traverse and elevation. You could sit at each gun and crank the handles to move them around. Unfortunately during the great flood of 93 she broke her moorings, floated downriver and sank. A rather sad ending for sure.
it's half hour away and not too crowed. I'm not much for staying in the sun all day but can't complain about the whole affair. Weather was great, the water pleasant, we had ice cream and burgers on the beach (in that order). 
Harry