Deck gun

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"Deck gun" can also mean a type of big water nozzle used for firefighting.

A deck gun is a type of artillery cannon mounted on the deck of a ship or submarine.

The deck gun was used as a defensive weapon against smaller boats or ships and in certain cases where torpedo use was limited. Three men were in charge of firing the deck gun and they were called the gunner, loader, and layer. A group of men were usually pinned with the task of bringing the ammunition to the three men. Even though a group of men were in charge of bringing rounds to the gunner, loader, and layer, there was a small locker box that held a few extra rounds to provide for the extreme first moments of the attack. With a very fluid and well-working crew, the rate of fire of a deck gun could be 15 to 18 seconds. Two notable deck guns from German U-boats that were used in World War II were the 8.8 cm Schiffskanone and the 10.5 cm Schiffskanone. The 88 mm was the first of these two notable German deck guns to be used. It had ammunition that weighed about 30 pounds and was of the projectile and cartridge type. The 88 mm deck gun had the same controls on both sides of the gun so that the two crewman that were in charge of firing it could control it from either side. The 105 mm evolved from the 88 mm in a sense that it was more accurate and had more power due to the 51 pound ammunition it fired.

The deck gun was first used during World War I by the Germans and proved its worth in cases where the vessel needed to retrieve torpedos or even to attack enemy vessels that were straggling behind. In World War II, the deck gun became less effective as convoys became larger and better equipped and men aboard the enemy ships were carrying weapons as well. Deck guns were later done away with by the head of the German Uboat commander,BdU, during World War II. Some deck guns stayed around on ships but even today they are no longer in use.