A dual purpose gun is a naval weapon mounting designed to engage both surface and air targets.

Description

Dual purpose guns are designed as a compromise between the heavy main armament of a surface combatant and dedicated antiaircraft guns. Usually of a mid-range caliber, the gun is heavy enough to prove useful against surface targets including ships, surfaced submarines, and land targets. However, it is compact enough to fit into a mounting capable of good traverse and high elevation, as well as being capable of a high rate of fire, allowing it to successfully engage air targets at all angles of attack. Surface Combatant - a term referring to naval fighting ships, encompassing five major classes grouped by size and/or weapon systems and mission. ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ...

Dual purpose guns, often referred to as DP guns, were originally designed as a secondary armament for large surface ships such as cruisers and battleships to complement their heavy main armaments. Later, such guns began to be added to smaller vessels as their primary gun armament, and with the progression of ship design away from heavy caliber guns, today nearly all main gun armaments are of dual purpose nature. USS Port Royal, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, launched in 1994. ... HMS Victory in 1884 Battleship was — from the 15th century until the mid-20th century — the name given to the most heavily gun-armed, most heavily armored, most powerful and most effective class of warship, at any particular time. ...

Most DP mounts are between 3 inch and 5 inch calibers.

See also

• List of artillery