ebb2 - normal bb2 guns (whichever gunset you like)
ebb3 - normal bb3 guns (sodak guns)

I prefer US BB2 guns by a wide margin.

Triple 14 are my usual favorite, but the dual 16 are also quite good.

I always have preferred the NoCar line, but I don't really like either US BB3 or the guns on them.

if your BO is at lvl 68 you can only use EBB2 Mississipi...

i have tested EBB2 and its just a little worst than Colorado, i have tested it with my very on crew and with same engyes Colo runs at 39 and missi at 37 (or 38 with less than 20 of bulge) whit no usable (for AA sets) T slots the only advantage its just a little better accu (must have bonus for being Event Ship i guess)
EBB2 best set is Dual 16 Mk2, this are the same than Colo and Tenny, triple 14' Mk 7 have worst spread, less damage per shell and 30 degree angle its no-good against UK AW BBs

EBB3 its just great. Maryland its just a Little monty, with same size as any BB2 and more firepower than a BB4. the best set are 16 triples Mk3 (the SoDak set) the only bad news is that your gunners need to be at least at lvl 90 EBVE to shoot those guns good enough...

but if you haven't buyed anything yet just wait for Maryland, don't waste coins on Missi... as missi its just like another BB2 and Maryland its better than any BB3 (maybe even any BB4) in the game

@jotabe
im pretty sure the mississippi goes faster than the colorado. Since you have not reached the speed cap of the ships, you cant compare the speeds just yet. The "requirements" for reaching the speed cap will be different since they use different engines.
So if you wish to compare the ebb2 to the regular BB2s, it comes closest to the penn43 in terms of engine/ship specs

I don't own a mississippi, but I'm already pretty sure it can go 44 knots max with proper setup based on the specs.
The sodak guns will produce the same bad spread whether your gunners are elite or not. The higher level your gunners are, the better your spread will be. (not that it makes a big improvement at endgame)

and personally, i'd prefer the sodak over the maryland simply because of the high speed difference.

normpearii i agree with u in everything

so my point is that there is no real need of purchasing EBB2 missi, because if you got the colo or even the tenny you will not use it...

maryland on the other hand its a EBB3 that has a interesting firepower advantage compared to both BB3 and even BB4

if you want to powerlvl any sailor in US then you should go:

Atlanta (from lvl 12 to 44) >>
>> Balti (from 44 to 62) or Pensa (44 to 65) >>
>> Mississipi (from 6x to 75) or BB2 (from 6x to 75) >>
>> Maryland (from 75 to about 90 or above)

I don't think that the question asked "What is the best gun setup" is a fair question. As you can see, there are several best setups.

Rehor wrote just a couple sentences that didn't get any attention, but you should look more closely at what he is talking about. I'm sure he like that 14" trips or the 16" doubles because of the weight difference saved. By using those lighter turrets, combined with some really good engineers, your ship will be a heck of a lot faster. You can use speed to get into range and then get out of the enemy's range. I'd also comment that he probably prefers a tight shot group and you can't do that with the Sodak guns.

The other way to go is what nomperili is suggesting, the mini monty. I'm guessing that you don't have really high level US engineers (otherwise you'd have experiment with these ships before). When you put those 4 triple 16" turrets on your EBB3 your groan watching the speed goes down with every click. As megabstr said, the main problem with those guns is they are from Sodak and the spread is awful. I have a pair of EBVE L108 gunners on my Sodak. I've used them with triple 12"s on an Alaska for laughs and they block shot; but on the Sodak I still get a spread about the length of my own ship.

If you have the coins, I'd spend them on the EBB3 and not the EBB2. Its worth the wait. As far as the guns go, I guess it depends on how good you are. If you have some skill, I'd consider Rehor's setup. If you are still learning the game, then you midas well put the sodak guns on it spray 16" rounds on your target till it sinks.

Actually, you can also get the Mississippi up to 45 knots if you use the EBB1 guns, the 15 degree duals off the New York class. They don't do a lot of damage, and they have range about equal to the 12" mk8L guns, but that 15 degree angle makes them FUN. it's hard to miss. =)

The last couple days I had my AA gunners combined with my SS crew working off the NY. The spread isn't quite what I wanted, but I found that those guns are a blast!