Atlanta carried eight twin 5-inch mountings, with three forward, three aft, and one on each side. At least six guns could bear from any direction, but only two Mark 37 directors controlled the battery. Gun numbers therefore exceeded the ship's ability to engage separate targets simultaneously and could encourage false confidence in one cruiser's protection. Heavy anti-aircraft fire still worked before proximity fuzes by placing barrages across an attacker's path. VT fuzes enabled more targeted engagements, reducing rounds expended per attack and extending the time before ships had to replenish ammunition.
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Gun numbers, directors, and VT fuzes
Atlanta's many 5-inch guns could outrun its two-director targeting capacity, while VT fuzes later made heavy anti-aircraft fire more selective and ammunition-efficient.