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From: gahooten@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Greg A. Hooten)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: USS Iowa explosion
Message-ID: <5838@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 22 Apr 89 04:31:19 GMT
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From: gahooten@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Greg A. Hooten)

I was under the impression that most of the shelling in Beirut
was done with the 5" secondaries.  They have less of a damage
radius, and may or may not be more accurate.  I cannot
remember that the 16" were ever used there, but of course I
may very well be mistaken.  

The 16" cannons are generally radar controlled.  The first
round is a spotting round.  The radar fire control "watches"
the flight path of the 16" round, and predicts (from what I
have heard) very accurately the fall of shot for the round
well before it arrives.  Subsequent corretions are made, and
the barrage is fired often before the first shot lands.  I
read about this in International Combat Arms about 2 years
ago, but do not have the Magazine for reference.  This is all
form memory.  ANY and all corrections can be made now.  

Greg Hooten.
GAHOOTEN@ames.arc.nasa.gov