Why does IJN AA work in naval battles and allied doesn`t (or so it seems)

[morejeffs]

Just had a night naval battle as the allies.(late 1942)..No surprise fighting started very equal...But the difference was that at 2000 feet, IJN 25mm AA guns just ripped open the insides of many US DDs like can openers...All US dds were generously equipped with bofors 20mm AA, which should easily have the range to shoot back...But not one did? Why? Reading about sea battles at Guadalcanal, historically US AA guns did great work. Is this yet another design to help the IJN? What gives?

[witpqs]

You didn't post enough details for people to really say, but have you compared the range of the battle at at the point when IJN the 25mm fired versus the range of the USN 20mm? Also must look at the specific weapons to make sure the ship(s) you are examining have dual purpose instead of just AA mounts.

[morejeffs]

Sep 42 ..No aa ammo was fired

Night Time Surface Combat, near Kirakira at 116,140, Range 8,000 Yards

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
E8N2 Dave: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro, Shell hits 25, and is sunk
CA Furutaka, Shell hits 11, heavy fires, heavy damage
CA Kako, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Yamagumo, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Minegumo
DD Hibiki, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Shinonome
DD Usugumo, Shell hits 2, and is sunk

Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales, Shell hits 12, on fire
BB Royal Sovereign, Shell hits 8, heavy fires
CA Vincennes
CA Cornwall, Shell hits 3
CA Exeter, Shell hits 13, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Anderson, Shell hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Hammann, Shell hits 1
DD Mustindamag
DD Russell, Shell hits 1
DD Gridley, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD McCall, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Phelps
DD Fox, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Stewart, Shell hits 6, heavy fires,

Improved night sighting under 92% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 92% moonlight: 11,000 yards

It certainly felt that in most (I would have to go back and check) that Dds were hit multiple times with AA causing damage (Ie, it did some kind of bonus damage like damaging engines, controllers) then once damaged the dds were hit by 5 inch shells/torpedoes.

I am less concerned that I received damage at 2000 yards, then by the fact that no allied AA guns fired in response.

(there were 2 smaller night battles that had the same issue).

Given historically during the battles off of Guadalcanal, at short range US AA guns did fire and create damage...This is perturbing.

>Also must look at the specific weapons to make sure the ship(s) you are examining have dual purpose instead of just AA mounts.
If this is the issue, then, is this not indicating the information on the ships is wrong. Historically we see that 20 AA guns on US destroyers could be used as against ships.

My point is simple. In the real world, USD could use their AA against ships...But in this world.. shouldn`t it be the same way?

[wdolson]

If you look in the database, the Japanese 25mm is device 1682 and the US 20mm is 1540. The ceiling is 7000 ft (2333 yds) for the 25mm and it's 6000 ft (2000 yds) for the 20mm. The 20mm were at the extreme limit of their range in the fight if it was at 2000 yds. The Japanese 25mm were near the edge of their range, but still within it.

Bill