Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 5:03:02-5:03:33

The electricians behind effective naval gunnery

Gunnery depended on electrical reliability and command decisions as well as rangefinders, fire-control teams, and gun crews.

Guadalcanal CampaignNaval CommandNaval GunneryShipboard Electrical SystemsSouth Dakota Class Battleships (1939)World War II
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Question

Who besides rangefinder, fire-control, and gun crews could have an outsized effect on naval gunnery?

Short answer

Shipboard electricians, captains, and flag officers, because electrical reliability and command decisions can enable or cripple the whole gunnery system.

Notes

The person responsible for a ship's electrics could have an outsized effect on its gunnery. Electrical mistakes could impair the ship's ability to fight, with South Dakota off Guadalcanal given as the Second World War example. Captains and embarked flag officers are also included among the people whose decisions mattered beyond the rangefinder, fire-control, and gun crews.