The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-08-26
Anil Aircraft Division Of
Coast Artillery

Coast Artillery
In contrast TO the heavy wcap-
ons of the harbor defense units
the coast artillery are the Ifght-
fast-moving guns of the anti1air-
craft units The problems are
somewhat the same, but anti
aircraft batteries must attack and
smack down a target that flies
several hundred miles an hour.
anywhere from the end of the
guns muZZle to the height of
four miles. Anti-aircraft batter
les must also be able to move to
new firing positions in protecting
the army, and to be where the
enemy aiIplanes are protecting
the cities. Therefore. there are
few fixed anti-aircraft guns at
vital points; all the rest are mo-
torized and can move on high
ways-gunS, searchlights, fire
director and all, and they can
move at high speed-more than
three hundred miles in a single
day, and get there in time to fill
the air with flying explosives. be-
fore dark.
The present standard weapon
Of the coast artillery anti-aircraft
is 3-inch gun that heaves a 49,
pound projectile against enemy
planes up to four miles altitude.
This gun will be replaced shortly
by the 80 nm. 13-inch (gun)
which has a more rapid fire and
shoots nearly six miles straight
up. Above that level the enemy
pilots are so busy trying to keep
warm that they have little oppor-
tunity to do much bombing. The
shells have time fuses which are
fixed to burst when the shells
climb to the midst of the enemy
airplanes. They do not have to
make|a direct hit on an airplane
destroyer. These shells follow
the bad neighbor policy.
Anti-Aircraft Works Like
+ Shotgun
As an airplane does not remain
stationary, it is necessary to
throw up quite a few shells to
make an impression. It is easier
to hit flying duck with a couple
of hundred slugs from shotgun
than it is to hit it with a single
rifle bullet Therefore, a battery
Of four anti-aircraft guns can fire
100 aimed shots in one minute.
Each anti-aircraft battery has a
director or mechanical BRAIN
This complicated instrument is
pointed continuously at any air
target, and automatically com
putes the right direction for aim
ing the gun so that the shell and
the airplane will arrive at the
same point together. This point
ing information is transmitted
electrically to each gun, and the
guns do the rest.
Anti-aircraft guns are supple
mented by searchlightS of over
8OO,OOO,O00 candle-power to find
targets at night, to enable the
searchlight crews to find the
planes quickly as they approach
high in the air. Sound locators
are used. These sound locators
are really over-grown ears some
20 feet high, by which trained
listeners can tell the direction of
the plane by the sound. This
guides the seaTchlights to the
plane
The searchlightS, of course. are
placed in a circle at consider
able distance from the gun bat
terry. Farther out, IN much
larger circle, are ground observ-
ers. equipped with their own ears
and night glasses, who give adj
vance warning to the whole anti
aircraft defense system.
The anti-aircraft guns of the
3-inch type. built for long range
firing, are not effective against
low flying airplanes at short
range. To deal with these hedge
hoppers something lighter and
quicker is needed. For this pur-
pose we have caliber so machine
guns and the 81 nm. anti-air-
craft gun. A machine gun fires a