Leyte Gulf - how many banks of pom poms and machine guns would be on a US Carrier by then?I have seen original war footage and a wall of lead was coming at the Kamikaze | |
Leyte Gulf - how many banks of pom poms and machine guns would be on a US Carrier by then?I have seen original war footage and a wall of lead was coming at the Kamikaze | |
by 1943 the .50 cal machine gun and the 1.1" machine cannon had been replaced by Oerlikons and Bofors.
As the war went on and the air attack threat grew, carriers would have extra guns stuck on them wherever there was space....in Freidmans "US Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History" I find
USS Bunker Hill, a short hull Essex class, had 12 5" 38 cal; 17 quad 40's and 35 twin 20mms
Enterprise had 8 5" 38 cal; 10 quad 40's .8 twin 40's, and 58 single 20mms
the CVLs had 5 5" 3*s, 8 twin 40s and 40 or so single 20's........more if Captains could wrangle them from shipyards and bolt them down anywhere there was space and a decent sky arc;
the CVEs had a single 5" right aft, 8 twin 40's and 20+ single 20mms
a wall of lead indeed...and remember in the war movies, the tracers you see going up represent only one in ten shells.....