USS Laffey at Guadalcanal Nov. 13th 1942

[Tiornu]

Cannot read Japanese, it looked like five degrees on the drawings. My fault.

No, no, you're quite right. The original limit was at -5 degrees. When it came time to modernize their ships, the Japanese took a unique approach to increasing their gun elevation; they lowered the trunnions and working platform. This allowed them to get 43deg elevation, but it cost a couple degrees of depression, which I doubt they missed.
If you don't mind, I'd be interested in any material you have on the original design. Could you send me an e-mail, my screen name @alltel.net ? Thanks much.

[Filipe Ramires]

Wasn't on this one battle, due to such close quarters action, that in one of the USN DD's one member of the crew shot off a Japanese searchlight with a rifle?????? Just curious... I think I've read that somewhere.

[Guest]

I suspect the sailor give his own marksmenship too much credit. It seems hard to believe that in the blinding face of a lit searchlight he could have aimed effectively at the actual bulb to put it out.

[Guest]

Cannot read Japanese, it looked like five degrees on the drawings. My fault.

No, no, you're quite right. The original limit was at -5 degrees. When it came time to modernize their ships, the Japanese took a unique approach to increasing their gun elevation; they lowered the trunnions and working platform. This allowed them to get 43deg elevation, but it cost a couple degrees of depression, which I doubt they missed.
If you don't mind, I'd be interested in any material you have on the original design. Could you send me an e-mail, my screen name @alltel.net ? Thanks much.

They probably also put in entirely new elevation gear, got rid of the original all angle loading and substituted with fixed angle loading.

[Tiornu]

From memory, it was fixed loading at +5deg.