What is the biggest gun on a destroyer?
The BL 18-inch Mk I naval gun was a breech-loading naval rifle used by the Royal Navy during World War I. It was the largest and heaviest gun ever used by the British….BL 18-inch Mk I naval gun.
| BL 18-Inch Mk1 | |
|---|---|
| Effective firing range | 31,400 yd (28,700 m) |
| Maximum firing range | 40,500 yd (37,000 m) |
| Filling weight | 243 lb (110 kg) |
Who shoots the guns on a navy ship?
Navy fire controlmen
Navy fire controlmen (FC) operate certain weapons systems aboard Navy surface combatant ships. It is a highly technical, highly challenging rating (as the Navy refers to its jobs) in the advanced electronics and computer field.
How many guns are on a destroyer?
Finally, destroyer escorts carried many guns. As noted above, destroyer escorts carried either 3″/50 main guns or 5″/38 guns. The USS SLATER, being a CANNON class, mounted three 3″/50 guns. The 3″/50 caliber dual purpose guns were mounted inside circular gun shields.
How far could battleships fire?
In 1943, a battleship could only strike targets at a maximum range of 20 nautical miles, while the carrier could strike at up to 872 miles. Now, in 2020, a battleship could reach up to 1,000 nautical miles while the F-35C, the seagoing version of the Joint Strike Fighter, has a combat radius between 630 and 740 miles.
How far can warships shoot?
The greatest range at which one ship’s guns have successfully hit another vessel is 24 km (15 miles), a feat that occurred twice during the second world war.
Can battleships shoot over the horizon?
Firing over the horizon via optical control is possible, but not likely to produce many hits. The USN felt that gunnery by top spot was limited to about 20,000 yards even for battleships. This is admittedly a conservative figure, but plans for gunnery at long range usually included spotting by aircraft or other ships.
How accurate are naval guns?
Even with a talented gunner the accuracy of the ship’s main guns was only about 32 percent at nine miles against a battleship-size target, according to a Naval War College study during World War II. For ground targets that could shells striking hundreds of yards away from the intended point of impact.