USS Iowa (BB-61) fires a full broadside of nine 16"/50 and six 5"/38 guns during a target exercise near Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, 1 July 1984.

Naval artillery or naval rifles refers to warship-mounted cannon used in naval warfare for attacking other vessels, bombarding targets on shore (naval gunfire support), or for anti-aircraft. Conversely, the term may be used as a descriptor about the naval rifles used in land batteries for anti-shipping area denial purposes. Smaller-bore cannons are sometimes referred to as "deck guns", such as on Coast Guard cutters and destroyers. Image File history File links Uss_iowa_bb-61_pr. ... Image File history File links Uss_iowa_bb-61_pr. ... USS Iowa (BB-61), the lead ship of her class of battleship, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy, but second to be commissioned, to be named in honor of the 29th state. ... Playa del Corcho (Corcho Beach) Nickname: Isla Nena (Baby Girl Island) Official website: http://www. ... Navy is also:- shorthand for Navy Blue the nickname of the United States Naval Academy A navy is the branch of the armed forces of a nation that operates primarily on water. ... A 155 mm artillery shell fired by a United States 11th Marine regiment M-198 howitzer Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... Diagrams of first and third rate warships, England, 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... A small American Civil War-era cannon on a carriage A caun is any large tubular firearm designed to fire a heavy projectile over a considerable distance. ... Naval warfare is combat in and on seas and oceans. ... A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire directed against fortifications, troops or towns and buildings. ... Naval gunfire support (NGFS) comprises the use of naval artillery to provide fire support support for amphibious assault troops. ... 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. ... A Land battery is a special type gun emplacement or anti-shipping naval interdiction fortification used in coastal defence to protect areas like anchorages, harbours, and rivers or in restricted waters such as straits or channels, or coastal inland waterways which have the tactical and strategic purpose of area denial... The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. ... Canadian Coast Guard ship and helicopter A coast guard enforces maritime law, maintains aids to navigation such as beacons and buoys, and provides other services for the benefit of mariners. ... An American-looking gaff cutter with a genoa jib set This French yawl has a gaff topsail set. ... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer (French: contre-torpilleur, German: Zerstörer, Spanish: destructor, Italian: cacciatorpediniere) is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers...

The crowning achievement of naval artillery was the Dreadnought-era battleship. The dominance of the modern battleship was from about 1906 to the end of the Second World War during which typical main armament rose from 12 inch calibre guns to 15 or 16 inches with consequent increase on range and shell firepower. The limitations to the range of the battleships heavy guns meant that they were effectively replaced by the naval aircraft. The secondary and anti-aircraft weapons have fallen to the range and flexiblity of guided missiles and naval guns have been reduced in importance though never completely replaced. Modern warships such as destroyers and frigates are typically only armed with one or two naval guns. The USN uses a single modern gun, the 5-54 Mark 45 for its new ships. The new Zumwalt (DDG-1000) class destroyers will be equipped with a new 6.1"/62 caliber Advanced Gun System designed to reduce the detectability of the warship while increasing the firepower that can be brought to bear on-target. The sixth HMS Dreadnought of the British Royal Navy was the first battleship to have a uniform main battery, rather than having a secondary battery of smaller guns. ... HMS Victory in 1884. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The 5 Inch/54-caliber (Mk 45) lightweight gun is a modern naval artillery gun mount consisting of a 5-inch L54 Mark 19 gun on the Mark 45 mount. ... The DD(X) is a future class of United States Navy destroyer. ... The Advanced Gun System is a naval gun system under development by BAE Systems Armaments Systems Division (formerly United Defense) for the United States Navy as part of the DD(X) destroyer program. ...

See also

• Coastal artillery
• Naval artillery in the Age of Sail

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Category:Naval artillery