Well, the best range for a 155mm (6inch) is 80km with the right ammunition from S. Africa.Originally posted by chino65:Actually, we do not really have shore-based weapons for engaging ships come to think of it.
Do we have land-based anti-ship guided missiles?
Otherwise, the best things I can think of are our tanks, anti-aircraft guns, ATGM's etc.
The Brits in Falklands engaged an Argentine corvette with 84mm RR. Didn't do much damage but that ship got quickly out of range.
We practice infantry company line costal defence live firing and our biggest weapons are 84mm direct fire and 81mm indirect. Against smaller targets, I think, not a corvette. And the 81mm is really only effective as a source of illumination.
How effective are 155 howitzers at engaging shipping?
Naval guns are more or less direct fire weapons, right? I know the old naval guns still "lobbed" their shells (instead of it flying straight like a tank gun), they have flatter trajectories than a 155mm howitzer, right?Originally posted by Fingolfin_Noldor:Well, the best range for a 155mm (6inch) is 80km with the right ammunition from S. Africa.
But... Naval guns tend to opt for heavier rounds and I believe the range is pretty short. This website claims 15 miles: http://www.geocities.com/fort_tilden/6ingun.html
However, I believe countries like Russia employ shorebased anti-ship missiles.
Actually, Naval Gunnery is not much different from land based Artillery. The Gun barrels are after all identical. So they are indirect weapons, except for the lower caliber guns.Originally posted by chino65:Naval guns are more or less direct fire weapons, right? I know the old naval guns still "lobbed" their shells (instead of it flying straight like a tank gun), they have flatter trajectories than a 155mm howitzer, right?
Though I know you can point a howitzer at a target and fire but this is a last ditch emergency measure and probably very short range.
Furthermore, a howitzer normally fire HE and cause damage with shrapnels. How effective would that be against shipping if your round did not score a direct hit? And it is no point lobbing AP rounds - if they exist for howitzers - at a moving target?
Dunno much about arty fire. Please enlighten me.
Although mainly a sales pitch, still a great eye-opener. Thanks for the link!Originally posted by tankee1981:An example where 155mm guns which is usually used for land based artillery can be used as naval guns on ships as well.
www.rheinmetall-detec.de/index.php?lang=3&fid=913
There is a possibility that the enemy air attacks with sophisticated Russian ASM can sink or disable a few of our naval ships thus weakening our naval defence.Originally posted by CM06:Forgive me but...dont the presence of visible enemy naval craft off-shore means all our PVs kenna sunk?!
The old 203 mm guns used on land incidentally are of the same caliber as the old 8 inch guns commonly used on WWII cruisers. It might be shorter however.Originally posted by chino65:Although mainly a sales pitch, still a great eye-opener. Thanks for the link!
I always thouht the more or less standard little 76mm naval guns to be pretty pathetic. A bigger gun when possible is always welcome.
Of course you're right, if all goes well we won't need to resort to land-based arty.That is what decent militaries do best. Scenario planning. You can be rest assured that these probabilities are taken into account. If naval guns are needed, they will be there.
But a potential enemy coming from the North need not mount a full-scale naval assault. They just need a lot of little assault boats to cross the straits (ala WW2) and depend on their land-based arty and their AF for fire support.
That's why coastal defence of the North, East and West are so important because there will be no big naval convoy for you to spot and sink before the enemy is upon us.