The limited anti-aircraft role of Des Moines guns

How practical was using the Des Moines class's eight-inch guns against aircraft?

It was unlikely to score many kills, but it could disrupt incoming formations as part of layered gun-based air defense.

Heavy-gun anti-aircraft fire was an imperfect but useful outer layer rather than a likely direct killer. Its purpose was to break up incoming groups at long range and make the later defensive engagements easier. Carrier fighters first disrupted large formations, and heavy artillery then split the surviving flights before medium guns engaged individual aircraft. Missile defense later changed this gun-era sequence.