Both 40 mm systems depended on ammunition remaining serviceable, and pom-pom belts were especially vulnerable when stored improperly in damp tropical conditions. Peacetime ships could keep ammunition in purpose-built spaces, but wartime crews added stocks wherever room could be found. Official outfit figures therefore became an imperfect guide to what ships actually carried in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The same improvisational pressure applied to Bofors clips, lighter AA ammunition, and even spare torpedoes, making storage discipline part of combat readiness.
Notable Point · 6:32-8:07
Wartime ammunition overloads created tropical storage problems
Extra 40 mm and 20 mm ammunition improved endurance but forced navies to protect belts and clips outside their designed storage spaces in humid theaters.