An Austrian ship is boxed in while numerous American twelve-inch guns bracket it at what should be an effective range. Most weapons in this period are still aimed manually, and only a few ships carry centralized director systems. Concentrating many guns does not guarantee rapid hits when fire control and coordination remain immature. This limitation explains why massed gunfire takes so long to destroy the target.
Notable Point · 3:23:29-3:24:47
Manual aiming limits early concentrated gunfire
A close-range Austrian target survives heavy fire long enough to prompt a distinction between individually aimed guns and centralized directors.