In 1916 Texas received anti-aircraft guns mounted high on her boat cranes, an improvised-looking but functional arrangement. This made her the first United States Navy battleship fitted with anti-aircraft armament. The ship also became the first American battleship to use a director and rangefinder for gunfire control. Together, those changes show a navy adapting a dreadnought to new threats and to longer-range, more coordinated gunnery.
Notable Point · 26:42-27:43
Early anti-aircraft guns and fire control
Texas became an early American testbed for anti-aircraft armament and centralized gunfire control before the First World War.