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Alex,

As a former artillery man, you will understand the difference between
direct and indirect fire. Ship versus ship engagements are (very nearly
always) direct fire, which avoids all of the navigational difficulties
of indirect bombardments. In exchange, they have their own set of
difficulties with both the gun platform and the target changing heading
and speed -- slower changes in the target than with anti-aircraft fire
but also much lower rates of firing. It is essential to know bearing,
range to target and rates of changes in those but the actual position of
any of the ships relative to the geoid isn't that important.
Rangefinders (radar from about 1940) were vital, as were various
mechanical or electro-mechanical analog computers, developed from around
1900 onwards. (I'm not sure when digital electronic computers began to
be used for gunnery control but I would guess after 1945.) Navigation
was a secondary concern once the shooting started.

Aircraft, missiles and the much greater ranges that they introduced did,
of course, change things for ship-to-ship conflicts.

But it was still shore bombardment of inland targets by indirect fire
that posed the greatest navigational challenge for the ship doing the
firing.


Trevor Kenchington



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Trevor J. Kenchington PhD                         Gadus@iStar.ca
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