Deckgun versus aircraft

[ridgewayranger]

Hi everyone,
Purely for my own amusement and curiosity I've been using my D/G against aircraft in Sub School artillery. I've succeeded in hitting the large flying boats several times but was surprised that in most cases they stayed in the air at least for a few more circuits. I would expect an aircraft hit by a 3" shell to disintegrate. I would not recommend this practice in combat, even though we can be provided with AA shells. Does anyone know if they actually work? A delay had to be set on the fuze before loading, until the development of proximity fuzes, so it was a very hit or miss process(no pun intended!)
RR

[piersyf]

Just talking off the top of my head here, but I would say that HE rounds would be either fused for delay or contact. AA rounds with timers are a specific fuse and I doubt subs carried them (could be wrong). Not to worry as a study during WW2 showed that just shooting to hit was more effective rather than worrying about actual range/altitude. Upshot is that AP rounds would pass right through and likely do not a lot unless it hit an engine or something, whereas if you set the fuse to superquick (goes off just inside the shell of the a/c) or contact you should blow a significant portion of the a/c away. It was considered an 88mm (3.5" roughly) could down a B17 with a direct hit.
In game I think the defence of the flying boats is too high. Mainly because I managed to sit next to one tied up (about 100y away) and put 2 full magazines of 20mm HE and one of AP into a boat before it sank. In reality, a few dozen rounds through the floor and one or two into each engine would wreck it and mage it unsalvageable.

[ridgewayranger]

Hi Piersyf,
As a British submariner of the 50s, when we all had a deck gun, I am pretty sure we never had time fuzed ammo. We had H.E. only. Why would you want A.P. when the gun was only used against thin skinned targets. Even then, watch out for defensive armament. One hit on the Pressure hull and it was time to sing Abide with Me! Our only A.A. defence was a couple of Lewis guns, but since the best defence against aircraft is to get the hell out of it, why bother? The A.A.defence mounted by American boats gave them a better chance, because of the huge distances involved they had to stay surfaced as much as possible in transit, whereas we would dive all day and surface only at night.
R.R.

[Rockin Robbins]

Still, no matter what AA gun you employ, you may as well spit at the airplane. Your deck is pitching, your gun not radar guided, your crew not trained in shooting down aircraft. May as well point your finger at the plane and yell "budda budda budda budda!"

Better yet, dive when you see the plane on radar and don't ever permit yourself to be seen. This prevents them from hosting a party for your benefit and keeps you on the surface where you belong.

[piersyf]

OK, then to answer your question, if HE is fused to contact and IF you actually score a hit, the plane should be unflyable in 90% of cases, but probably not go BOOM in more than 20 to 25% of cases. That's boom in the air. Ripping a wing off would make it go boom later. When it hits water.
FYI, war office document WO 185/88 states that for a 3" gun shooting high angle VS aircraft (note, a stable ground mounting) the average number of rounds expended per aircraft downed was 240 for a direct fire, target observed, in daylight. So I second Rockin Robbins reply...

[UnderseaLcpl]

Interestingly the 5in. 25 cal deck gun has AA ammo to no apparent effect. The traverse of the gun (vertically) sucks. I will have to do some research and see if the Fleet boats actually had this weapon as it is in the game or if the game got it wrong.