Australian County-class cruisers could elevate their eight-inch main batteries to seventy degrees for anti-aircraft fire. In Alex Clarke's account, American officers had seen that capability in intelligence reports without fully believing it until they operated alongside the cruisers. An admiral whose identity he cannot recall watched a County train its guns and initially wondered whether his own carrier was the target. The cruiser then fired all eight guns at an approaching air attack beyond the reach of the five-inch batteries. The accompanying concern is how to warn the combat air patrol before unfamiliar heavy guns open fire.
Notable Point · 3:01:04-3:02:20
Australian County cruisers using eight-inch guns against aircraft
Seventy-degree elevation allowed Australian County-class cruisers to fire their eight-inch guns at aircraft, a capability that surprised an American observer in the recalled episode.