Gun crews had to test barrel alignment because a long barrel could droop under its own weight. Wire-wound construction appears to have produced different results depending on the foundry: some barrels approached the behaviour of built-up guns, while others performed less well. Those manufacturing differences could alter the angle of individual guns and widen the shell pattern at long range. Quality control and standardisation were therefore parts of accurate fire control as well as factory concerns.
Notable Point · 1:06:53-1:08:23
Barrel droop made foundry quality part of fire control
Wire-wound barrels did not droop uniformly across manufacturers, so foundry quality and standardisation directly affected gun alignment and salvo control.