Watch crew on deck with gunners?

CWorth · 03-29-06, 10:21 PM

Well historically speaking the watch crews were still on deck when the gun was being used.They still had to scan the horizon so the crew was needed to still keep lookout during the attack for enemy aircraft or destroyers,however they were not allowed to watch the attack happening.

The following is from this website..
http://www.uboataces.com/tactics-deckgun.shtml

"When the deck gun was used, the gun crew had to be secured by life lines to prevent them from being washed overboard. A crew of three manned the deck gun, gunner, layer and loader. For the ammunition, a chain of men had to be setup to bring the rounds from below the deck, to the conning tower and onto the gun crew. A small watertight locker stowed near the gun held a few more rounds ready for use, providing an advantage during the first few vital seconds of engagements. This also meant that crash dives took longer than usual, as the gun had to be secured and crew rushed below deck. There were no range finders, so engagements had to be done at close range. With an experienced crew, the rate of fire was between 15 to 18 rounds per minute. Three types of ammunition could be fired; armor piercing, high explosive and star burst (flare).

When conducting a deck gun attack, the best position for the U-boat is to be pointed towards the target. This not only presents a smaller target to the enemy, but it also reduces the effects of roll and pitch which would undermine accuracy. An attack could be aimed at the targetâ€™s bridge, waterline or weapon systems. Attacking the bridge will hinder the victimâ€™s steering ability, while attacking at the hullâ€™s waterline would quickly sink the ship. Attacking the weaponâ€™s systems will hinder the victimâ€™s ability to fire back, but it takes just one unlucky shell to penetrate the U-boatâ€™s hull which will make diving impossible. Armor piercing shells are better suited to hull attacks, while high explosive could be used against other targets.

While it is better and safer to conduct a submerged torpedo attack, sometimes a U-boat may find itself out of position for a torpedo attack. If a merchant moves at 8 knots and above, and since the maximum underwater speed of a Type VII was also 8 knots, a U-boat had to surface to run its powerful diesel engines in order to catch up with its prey. Without the element of surprise, the deck gun makes a viable alternative.

Throughout the entire engagement, the watch crew are prohibited from witnessing the attack sequence. Four watch crews are on deck, with each covering a 90 degrees arc and they had to strictly scan their respective zones for any activity. They are not allowed to watch the attack to prevent the U-boat from being surprised by a lurking enemy."

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03-29-06, 10:21 PM	#3
CWorth Grey Wolf Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Gettysburg PA Posts: 845 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	Well historically speaking the watch crews were still on deck when the gun was being used.They still had to scan the horizon so the crew was needed to still keep lookout during the attack for enemy aircraft or destroyers,however they were not allowed to watch the attack happening. The following is from this website.. http://www.uboataces.com/tactics-deckgun.shtml "When the deck gun was used, the gun crew had to be secured by life lines to prevent them from being washed overboard. A crew of three manned the deck gun, gunner, layer and loader. For the ammunition, a chain of men had to be setup to bring the rounds from below the deck, to the conning tower and onto the gun crew. A small watertight locker stowed near the gun held a few more rounds ready for use, providing an advantage during the first few vital seconds of engagements. This also meant that crash dives took longer than usual, as the gun had to be secured and crew rushed below deck. There were no range finders, so engagements had to be done at close range. With an experienced crew, the rate of fire was between 15 to 18 rounds per minute. Three types of ammunition could be fired; armor piercing, high explosive and star burst (flare). When conducting a deck gun attack, the best position for the U-boat is to be pointed towards the target. This not only presents a smaller target to the enemy, but it also reduces the effects of roll and pitch which would undermine accuracy. An attack could be aimed at the targetâ€™s bridge, waterline or weapon systems. Attacking the bridge will hinder the victimâ€™s steering ability, while attacking at the hullâ€™s waterline would quickly sink the ship. Attacking the weaponâ€™s systems will hinder the victimâ€™s ability to fire back, but it takes just one unlucky shell to penetrate the U-boatâ€™s hull which will make diving impossible. Armor piercing shells are better suited to hull attacks, while high explosive could be used against other targets. While it is better and safer to conduct a submerged torpedo attack, sometimes a U-boat may find itself out of position for a torpedo attack. If a merchant moves at 8 knots and above, and since the maximum underwater speed of a Type VII was also 8 knots, a U-boat had to surface to run its powerful diesel engines in order to catch up with its prey. Without the element of surprise, the deck gun makes a viable alternative. Throughout the entire engagement, the watch crew are prohibited from witnessing the attack sequence. Four watch crews are on deck, with each covering a 90 degrees arc and they had to strictly scan their respective zones for any activity. They are not allowed to watch the attack to prevent the U-boat from being surprised by a lurking enemy."