Naval Gunfire

Bullard4075 · Post by **Bullard4075** » Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:35 pm

Watching a Iwo Jima documentary I'm curious the procedure for naval gun bombardment.How do they see the targets after the initial explosions? Is it all optical. I read some targeting is done with aircraft but isn't most just by sight? Anyone have experience to relate or some good reading to recommend.

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Sun Nov 15, 2015 12:17 am

Spotters called in any corrections from field positions or craft closer to the impact zone. There were surprisingly accurate fire control instruments even before modern electronics and satalite GPS tracking not to mention the super accurate Doppler radar that can track a bullet in flight that we have today.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Sun Nov 15, 2015 12:50 am

I know their analog fire control had an adjustment that took into consideration curve of the earth....IIRC, it was the same factor that control surveys use.

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Sun Nov 15, 2015 11:04 am

.

Fire control fundamentals: http://archive.hnsa.org/doc/firecontrol/partk.htm

Current fire control:

WW II fire control:

.

Jayhawker · Post by **Jayhawker** » Tue Nov 17, 2015 7:53 pm

Love naval gunfire, too bad it's been replaced by missiles.

Booger Bill · Post by **Booger Bill** » Tue Nov 17, 2015 8:47 pm

How do they compensate for the ship rolling on the waves?

Bullard4075 · Post by **Bullard4075** » Tue Nov 17, 2015 11:56 pm

Booger Bill wrote:How do they compensate for the ship rolling on the waves?

I've read more than one account that mentioned that once the firing keys (triggers) was closed the fire control (computer) would wait till the ship rolled to the proper point before firing.

Booger Bill · Post by **Booger Bill** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 12:13 am

Thanks. Amazing!

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 2:44 am

As an FO for an 8" battalion, I got so I could have the ranging gun hit a single tree on the impact area within 3 or fewer shots from a Hasty. From a Fixed I could do it in 1 to 2. (That really PO'd the Brass... they wanted me to "bracket"... I liked to Target... Shot... Splash... Target Destroyed... the ammo wasters hated that...)

That's 200+lbs of HE hitting a 2'x2' square from Far, Far away over a few hills. After that, I could hit anything within the Grid that I wanted them to hit. Got "technical" Pickup? My guys would put a single round into the bed. The new rocket launchers (MLRS etc that I had to introduce) can't do that...

Getting rid of the M110 then was as dumb as getting rid of the A10 is now...

TraderVic · Post by **TraderVic** » Thu Nov 19, 2015 8:38 am

Booger Bill wrote:How do they compensate for the ship rolling on the waves?

I served on destroyers in the Pacific. I was trained in ASW ( anti submarine warfare ), but while operating in the Tonkin Gulf ( South/North Vietnam ), sonar was secured and most of us were reassigned to other stations as we were part of Weapons Division.

I was assigned to the forward 5" gun mount, which had twin 5" guns ( 5" 38's ) where I loaded either powders or projectiles in the port gun.

On board ship's is a gyrocompass that is connected to each of the gun mounts. As the ship rolls ( and they do ), the gyro adjusts the guns up or down, but with the roll so the guns don't change their actual "aim".

The illustrations above are accurate regarding the fire control director that was used to spot targets and they actually "pulled the triggers" on the big guns. I wsas never in the director so I don't know any specifics about their capabilities or operation. In sonar, we controlled and fired the ASW weapons ( homing torpedoes and/or ASROC's ).

Back then, all weapons "computers" were analog and performed remarkably well. I can't even imagine hoe much our weapons capabilities have improved/changed with the advancements of the computer chip.

Vic

J35 · Post by **J35** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 8:49 pm

Booger Bill wrote:How do they compensate for the ship rolling on the waves?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z3JLZmu_Lw

Here is a description of how the North Carolina class battle ships fire control worked.

Also some good history .

---------J

BAGTIC · Post by **BAGTIC** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 11:51 am

Old Ironsights wrote:As an FO for an 8" battalion, I got so I could have the ranging gun hit a single tree on the impact area within 3 or fewer shots from a Hasty. From a Fixed I could do it in 1 to 2. (That really PO'd the Brass... they wanted me to "bracket"... I liked to Target... Shot... Splash... Target Destroyed... the ammo wasters hated that...)

That's 200+lbs of HE hitting a 2'x2' square from Far, Far away over a few hills. After that, I could hit anything within the Grid that I wanted them to hit. Got "technical" Pickup? My guys would put a single round into the bed. The new rocket launchers (MLRS etc that I had to introduce) can't do that...

Getting rid of the M110 then was as dumb as getting rid of the A10 is now...

Where do you get the "200+ lbs of HE"? The HC Mark 25 only contained 21.37 lbs. (9.7 kg) Explosive D

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 2:43 pm

OK, OK, the M106 HE Projectile weighed apriox 200lbs and had 36.3 lbs TNT or 38.8 lbs of Comp B as filler. Picky, picky...

They were 200lb HE shells you could drop in a pickup bed.

.45colt · Post by **.45colt** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 6:35 pm

AWESOME POST GUYS, I have twice stood on the deck of the North Carolina in Wilmington. God Bless All That Served.

Naval Gunfire

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