Big gun for aircraft?

[GUMALANGI]

Hi all,.

Have one question, watched 'Otoko Tachi no Yamato', a movie is about last episode of BB Yamato, at the earlier stage of the air attack,. in the movie,. the 460mm of guns were directed to the sky, the incoming USN planes,. and seems fired short of AA shells,.

is it really possible to perform AA functions on the main guns of BB with such a calibre?

many thanks
Gumalangi

[4th wilts]

i remember reading some years ago now,that the yamato did have shells for main guns,with a fuse and shotgun effect,against aircraft attack as well gummy.yours,4th wilts.

[kfz]

yep, Im not well up on naval gunnery but my understanding is that its simpley the HE bombardment shells fitted with a timed fuse.

Ive read recently somewhere of some success, but its really not really econimcal use ofthe main arnment and very much desperation of the dinosaur big gun flagships last ditch effort against the aeroplane.



Kev

[machine shop tom]

IIRC, they used some sort of flammable bursting shell against aircraft. I'll see if I can dig up any info.

tom

[redcoat]

The German battleship, the Bismarck, also used her main guns against RN Swordfish torpedo bombers.
The tactic in this case was to hit the water with HE shells just in front of the aircraft in an effort to 'splash them down'.
While the aircrew found the experience unnerving, it was unsuccessful in bringing any aircraft down.

[von Poop]

I find this quite surprising, boats not being my thing, 18 inch AA rounds...

'Sanshiki' or 'sanshikidan' shells apparently.

Imperial Battleships

1145: After lunch, MUTSU’s deck crew prepares to move to mooring buoy No. 2 because NAGATO is expected to return at about 1300 from Kure after being drydocked. There is heavy fog and visibility is down to 500 yards. MUTSU's magazines contain a full load of ammunition including 16.1-inch Type 3 "Sanshikidan" incendiary shells designed as anti-aircraft rounds. Each shell weighs 2,064-lbs. and contains 1,200 submunitions. Each turret magazine contains 240 shells (120 per gun), including 50 "sanshiki-dans."

Image here:
Yamato Museum: Large-scale material exhibition room (8)

[GUMALANGI]

Originally Posted by redcoat

The German battleship, the Bismarck, also used her main guns against RN Swordfish torpedo bombers.
The tactic in this case was to hit the water with HE shells just in front of the aircraft in an effort to 'splash them down'.
While the aircrew found the experience unnerving, it was unsuccessful in bringing any aircraft down.

sir,

i think the method is totally differs to the one on the Yamato,.. the main guns itself were directed to the sky, fired and short of big bursts in the sky appears among the incoming planes,..

i understant,. in the Imperial Airforce,. they do have a phosphor bomb that realease on the top of bombers,. and it will explode,. hopefully drestroying or at least damaging any of the the bomber,.. could it be the one,..

btw,. from the movie, now i understood,. what actually my dad was doing as a AA battery shells feeder when he served as IJN auxillary,. they practically had to push and hold the magazine with their body to ensure it wont bounce back during action,. is it also the same as to western AA guns,..

thanks

[GUMALANGI]

Originally Posted by Von Poop

I find this quite surprising, boats not being my thing, 18 inch AA rounds...

'Sanshiki' or 'sanshikidan' shells apparently.

Imperial Battleships


Image here:
Yamato Museum: Large-scale material exhibition room (8)

Yes sir,.. i believe the mistery solved,.

1235: The YAMATO stops zigzagging and increases speed to 24 knots. Her nine 18.1-inch guns firing "Sanshikidan" beehive shells, twenty-four 127-mm. AA guns and one hundred fifty-two 25-mm AA guns all open fire. The American planes release their bombs and torpedoes and strafe the bridge with machine-gun fire.

there were succesful records on using the same shells using main guns again plane by IJN Ship Goryo

Thank you

[T. A. Gardner]

Here's a thread on the sister board where I answered this question some time ago:

Sanshiki shells? - World War II Forums

[Raggedy]

Capital ships id not fire their main armament at aircraft. What they did was to fire at maximum elevation at reduced charge so that projectiles did not traval so far and instead fall somewhat closer to the local action, and in respect of aircraft flying low or close by, the splashes were the cause of those aircraft taking violent avoiding action to avoid being brought down, Pilots also reported that the shock wave concusion from massive guns could also be felt strongly and it was feared that aircraft could in fact be brought down or damaged by it.

Or so some after action reports stated, and I se no reason to doubt them.