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Naval gunfire support (NGFS) comprises the use of Naval Artillery to provide Fire Support support for Amphibious assault troops. 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.]] Modern naval gunfire support is one of the three main components of Amphibious Warfare assault operations support, along with Aircraft and ship-launched Missile s. Ship cannon have been used against shore defences since the early days like a sea battle but with the fortresses as stationary ships. FIRST WORLD WAR In the First World War , Monitors based in the English Channel were used by the Royal Navy as artillery. They could fire several miles inland against German positions. WORLD WAR II The practice reached its zenith during World War II, when the availabilty of man-portable Radio systems and sophisticated relay networks allowed forward observers to transmit targeting information and provide almost instant accuracy reports — once troops had landed. Battleships , Cruisers and Destroyers would pound shore installations, sometimes for days, in the hope of reducing fortifications and attriting defending forces. Obsolete battleships unfit for combat against other ships were often used as floating gun platforms expressly for this purpose. However, given the relatively primitive nature of the Fire Control Computers and radar of the era combined with the high velocity of naval gunfire, accuracy was poor until troops actually hit the beach and were able to radio back reports to the ship — usually after great numbers of them had died. The solution was to engage in longer and longer bombardment periods — up to two weeks, in some cases— saturating target areas with fire until a lucky few shells had destroyed the intended targets. This had the unfortunate effect of "telegraphing the punch", alerting an enemy that he was about to be attacked. In the Pacific War , this mattered little, as the antagonists were usually expecting their island strongholds to be invaded at some point and had already committed whatever combat resources were available. Bombardment periods were usually shorter in the European theater, where surprise was more often valued and ships' guns were responding to the movements of mobile defenders, not whittling away at static fortifications. Naval gunfire can reach as far as 10 miles inland, and was often used to supplement land-based artillery. The heavy-caliber guns of some eighteen battleships and cruisers were used to stop German Panzer counterattack at Salerno . Naval gunfire was also used to help curb German operations in Normandy , although the surprise nature of the attack precluded the drawn-out bombardment necessary to reduce the Atlantic Wall sufficient to reduce the horrendous casualties suffered, especially at the American beaches ( Omaha & Utah ). VIETNAM ERA Task Unit 70.8.9, the Naval Gunfire Support Unit, was made up of Destroyer s, armed with 5"/38 or 5"/54 guns, and continuously patrolled the coast of South Vietnam to provide NGFS at short notice. If greater firepower was required then larger gunned Cruiser s were called in for reinforcements. NGFS was controlled by the United States Marines First Air/Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) who provided spotters, usually airborne in light aircraft but sometimes on foot, in all military regions. MODERN ERA Naval Gunfire is still used for many of its traditional purposes. In the United State Marine Corps, artillery units have a Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer in each battalion to maintain close contact between the branches for amphibious operations. Additionally, the United States Marine Corps maintains three active (1st, 2nd, & 5th) and two reserve (3rd & 4th) ANGLICO units. ANGLICO members are temporarily assigned to combat units of the United States and foreign nations that lack inherent fire support capability, such as naval gunfire. The navies of the world have almost universally moved away from the large caliber guns seen during the 20th century. Naval guns used on modern ships tend to be smaller caliber weapons with more advanced targeting systems. It is unlikely that the large caliber guns will make a return and much of the traditional role of Naval Gunfire has been taken over by naval air power. |
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