Long range guns

[deltamike90]

I notice from the data sheets that gun ranges work like this:

Extreme range (maximum possible distance gun could shoot)
Long range (3/4 Extreme range)
Medium range (1/2 Extreme range)
Short range (1/4 Extreme range)

This is convenient, but if 1 unit of range = 500 yards, it produces some curious results. Several guns are given an extreme range of over 70 (35000yds), giving a long range of over 52 (26000yds). Now 26000yds is (I think?) the world record for gunnery against a moving target, held jointly by HMS Warspite and Scharnhorst. But at long range, a gun with long range 52 has a 1/10 chance to hit a fast battleship at this range with each shot it takes! In fact Scharnhorst's 11.1" guns, with a long range of 60 and RDR/GER fire control, have a 1/5 chance of hitting a fast battleship at a mammoth 30000yds!!!

Now I don't mean to be critical of Harry's great game, or of his research. My dad looked up the records for these guns and found the extreme ranges to be correct. But the results given above speak for themselves. Perhaps a long range limit of 50-52 would be appropriate?

Also, the data sheet has Scharnhorst more heavily armoured than Bismarck...

[TheDreadnought]

A couple things to note:

1. Just because the record is 26,000 yards, doesn't mean the guns weren't theoretically capable of hitting at longer ranges. Especially during late war as improvements were made to RDFC. It just means that the opportunity never occurred.

2. Each turn represents about 4 min. For example, in the case of an Iowa class BB, a single turn of shooting at up to 1.5 salvoes per minute could represent shooting up to 54 shells down range, just to score a few hits.

3. Armor scheme on the Scharnhorst *was* better than that of the Bismarck. The Bismarck benefitted from an extremely pervasive and effective PR campaign on both sides touting the invulnerability of what was in reality a WWI era armor scheme. If the Scharn/Gneis had ever had their 15" refit, they would have been far more fearsome battleships than Bismarck was.

[shigure]

From the Nihon Kaigun website:
40 miles NW of Truk. IOWA engages KATORI and fires forty-six 16-inch high capacity (non-armor piercing) rounds and 124 five-inch shells. She straddles KATORI with all eight salvos. KATORI launches a salvo of torpedoes at the Americans. Just after the IOWA's fourth salvo, KATORI starts to list to port. After being under fire for 11 minutes, the cruiser sinks stern first at 07-45N, 151-20E. Reportedly, a large group of survivors is seen where she sinks, but none are picked up. Later, Captain Oda is promoted Rear Admiral, posthumously.

Cdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Moriya Setsuji's (former CO of SUZUKAZE) destroyer NOWAKI flees the onslaught. Both American battleships - the fastest in the world - give chase at 32.5 knots. At 35,000 yards, NEW JERSEY and IOWA open fire and straddle NOWAKI with their first salvos. NOWAKI flees into the sun's glare, so at 38,000 yards both battleships fire under radar control. At 22 miles, these are the longest range shots ever fired by American battleships against an enemy vessel. At 39,000 yards, Admiral Spruance orders Cease Fire. NOWAKI escapes and eventually makes her way back to Yokosuka.

The shells flight time I heard one website state at 66 seconds for 35 K yards. Sounds a little long to me.