Lasers need guns in a weather-resistant defensive layer

Can lasers replace conventional close-in weapons at sea?

Not by themselves; weather and lens contamination make a combined laser-and-gun system more credible.

Maritime weather is a serious limitation for laser weapons. Spray, haze, and contamination can reduce beam performance or interfere with the lens. A credible future close-in system would therefore combine a laser with a conventional gun. Layering the weapons allows each to cover conditions in which the other is less effective.