USS Enterprise CV-6
The Most Decorated Ship of the Second World War

History: Prewar - 1941 - 1942 - 1943 - 1944 - 1945 - Postwar
The Ship - All Hands - Decorations - Remembrance

The Ship: Armament

Richard Mathsen generously contributed extensive research to this article.

Between 1941 and 1945, Enterprise's anti-aircraft armament changed considerably. Her defenses early in the war, while impressive on paper, were largely ineffective against determined attack. The 1.1" guns were deafening, literally. Until effective fire control radar and proximity-fused shells became available, the 5"/38 barrels' long reach could not be exploited. And the .50-caliber machine guns could do little more than spray small shells in the general direction of an attacking plane.

With the introduction of the Oerlikon 20mm machine guns in spring 1942, the situation began to change for the better. Though the Big E was severely damaged by air attacks in the fall - during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and Santa Cruz - her action reports explicitly comment on the heavy toll of enemy planes taken by the 20mm batteries.

As effective as the Oerlikon was, however, its short range meant it couldn't be relied on to knock down an enemy plane before the attacker had released its ordnance. The Bofors 40mm - which replaced the old 1.1" mounts in late 1942 - and the 5"/38 had both the range and hitting power to drop enemy aircraft at greater distances. Enterprise retained her original complement of eight 5"/38 guns throughout her career, and by war's end she bristled with over fifty 40mm barrels.

Following are basic specifications for the anti-aircraft armament carried by Enterprise CV-6 during her career. A few explanatory notes:

• Rate of fire is measured in rounds per minute per barrel (or "tube"). The listed rate of fire was rarely, if ever, achieved in practice. Most gun magazines held fewer than a minute's worth of rounds, so time would be lost while exchanging magazines. In addition, the stress of sustained high rates of fire would quickly weaken gun barrels, necessitating their replacement.
• Unfortunately, effective range is not known in all cases, but in general a gun's effective range was far less than its theoretical maximum. Beyond the effective range, accuracy fell off rapidly, and projectile velocity was reduced as well. Note that the limited effective range of most guns meant that crews had little time in which to engage and destroy an attacking plane.

Browning M2 .50-Caliber Machine Gun Projectile Weight:  0.045 kg / 0.100 lb Rate of Fire:  500 rounds/min Effective Range:  Unknown Maximum Range:  6770 m / 7400 yds Ceiling:  4570 m / 5000 yds at 90° elevation Complement: 5/38-10/38 10/38-10/41 10/41-2/42 2/42-4/42 4/42-7/42 7/42-9/42 10/42-11/42 11/42-10/43 10/43-8/45 9/45-2/47 - 24 single 24+ single Varies Unknown - - - - -

Quad 1.1" 75-Caliber Cannon Projectile Weight:  0.416 kg / 0.917 lb Rate of Fire:  150 rounds/min Rate of Train:  24°/sec elevation, 30°/sec train Effective Range:  Unknown Maximum Range:  6770 m / 7400 yds at 40° elevation Ceiling:  5760 m / 6300 yds at 90° elevation Complement: 5/38-10/38 10/38-10/41 10/41-2/42 2/42-4/42 4/42-7/42 7/42-9/42 10/42-11/42 11/42-10/43 10/43-8/45 9/45-2/47 - 4 quad 4 quad 4 quad 4 quad 5 quad 1 quad 1 quad - -

Oerlikon Single 20mm Machine Gun Projectile Weight:  0.123 kg / 0.271 lb Rate of Fire:  450 rounds/min Effective Range:  914 m / 1000 yds Maximum Range:  4390 m / 4800 yds at 35° elevation Ceiling:  3050 m / 3300 yds at 90° elevation Complement: 5/38-10/38 10/38-10/41 10/41-2/42 2/42-4/42 4/42-7/42 7/42-9/42 10/42-11/42 11/42-10/43 10/43-8/45 9/45-2/47 - - - Varies 32 single 40 single 44 single 46 single 50 single 16 twin

Bofors 40mm Cannon Projectile Weight:  0.901 kg / 1.985 lb Rate of Fire:  160 rounds/min Rate of Train:  24°/sec elevation, 30°/sec train Effective Range:  2700 m / 3000 yds Maximum Range:  10,060 m / 11,000 yds at 42° elevation Ceiling:  6950 m / 7600 yds at 90° elevation Complement: 5/38-10/38 10/38-10/41 10/41-2/42 2/42-4/42 4/42-7/42 7/42-9/42 10/42-11/42 11/42-10/43 10/43-8/45 9/45-2/47 - - - - - - 4 quad 4 quad 8 twin / 6 quad 5 twin / 11 quad

5" 38-Caliber Dual-Purpose Gun Projectile Weight:  24.5 kg / 54 lb Rate of Fire:  15 rounds/min Rate of Train:  18°/sec elevation, 34°/sec train Effective Range:  Unknown Maximum Range:  16,640 m / 18,200 yds at 45° elevation Ceiling:  11,340 m / 12,400 yds at 85° elevation Complement: 5/38-10/38 10/38-10/41 10/41-2/42 2/42-4/42 4/42-7/42 7/42-9/42 10/42-11/42 11/42-10/43 10/43-8/45 9/45-2/47 8 single 8 single 8 single 8 single 8 single 8 single 8 single 8 single 8 single 8 single