View source for Naval gunfire support

{{short description|Use of naval artillery to provide fire support}}
[[File:Uss iowa bb-61 pr.jpg|300px|right|thumb|{{USS|Iowa|BB-61|6}} fires a full broadside of nine 16&nbsp;in/50 and six 5&nbsp;in/38 guns during a target exercise near [[Vieques, Puerto Rico|Vieques Island, Puerto Rico]], 1 July 1984.]]

'''Naval gunfire support''' ('''NGFS'''), also known as '''naval surface fire support''' ('''NSFS'''),<ref>Martin, B., Clayton, B., Welch, J., Bae, S. J., Kim, Y., Khan, I., &amp; Edenfield, N. (2020, April 16). Naval surface fire support. RAND Corporation. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR4351.html</ref> or '''shore bombardment''', is the use of [[naval artillery]] to provide [[fire support]] for [[amphibious warfare|amphibious assault]] and other troops operating within their range. NGFS is one of several disciplines encompassed by the term ''naval fires''. Modern naval gunfire support is one of the three main components of amphibious warfare assault operations support, along with [[naval aviation|aircraft]] and ship-launched [[land-attack missile]]s. Shipborne guns have been used against shore defences since medieval [[naval warfare]].

== Tactics ==
Naval gunfire support is classified into two types: direct fire, where the ship has [[Line-of-sight propagation|line of sight]] with the target (either visually or through the use of [[radar]]), and indirect fire, which, to be accurate, requires an [[artillery observer]] to adjust fire.

When on the [[wikt:gun line|gun line]], ships are particularly vulnerable to attack from aircraft coming from a landward direction and flying low to avoid radar detection, or from submarines because of a predictable and steady (non-evasive) course.

== History ==

===Early history===
An early use of shore [[bombardment]] was during the [[Siege of Calais (1346–1347)|Siege of Calais]] in 1347 when [[Edward III of England]] deployed ships carrying [[Bombard (weapon)|bombard]]s and other artillery.<ref>{{cite journal|editor=Royal Artillery Institution |year=1894 |journal=Journal of the Royal Artillery |volume=21  |location=[[Woolwich]]|publisher=Royal Artillery Institution |page=[https://books.google.com/books?ei=P8cqU_aaHJOthQfckYFQ&id=JPRBAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22The+first+Employment+of%22 31] }}</ref> An early type of vessel designed for the purpose of shore bombardment was the [[bomb vessel]], which came into use during the 17th century. The [[burning of Falmouth]] by the [[Royal Navy]] was among the [[grievances of the United States Declaration of Independence]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shotglassofhistory.com/british-terror-bombing/ |title=British Terror Bombing and the Road to American Independence |last=Hoock |first=Holger |website=Shot Glass of History |date=2 July 2018 |access-date=18 June 2020 }}</ref> These were small ships whose main armament was one or two large [[Mortar (weapon)|mortars]] that fired explosive shells at a high angle. They were typically poor sailing craft that were of limited use outside their specialized role. However, small vessels armed with large mortars saw use as late as the [[American Civil War]], when the [[Union Navy]] used them in several attacks on coastal fortifications.

During the 18th century, another special class of vessel known as [[floating battery]] was devised for shore bombardment. An early use was by the French and Spanish during the [[Great Siege of Gibraltar]] (1779–1782). During the [[Napoleonic Wars]], the [[Royal Navy]] commissioned several vessels of the {{sclass|Musquito|floating battery|4}} and {{sclass|Firm|floating battery|4}}. These carried either [[naval long gun]]s or [[carronade]]s. Floating batteries were used by the French and British during the [[Crimean War]] and by both sides during the American Civil War.

=== World War I ===
[[File:HMSMarshalNey.jpg|thumb|right|The monitor {{HMS|Marshal Ney|1915|6}}, with her single turret trained to starboard (1915)]]
[[File:The Surrender of the German High Seas Fleet, November 1918 Q19294.jpg|thumb|Stern view of {{HMS|Lord Clive|1915|6}}, her 18-inch gun is fitted on a fixed mounting on her quarterdeck, pointing to starboard (November 1918)]]
During [[World War I]], the principal practitioner of naval bombardment (the term used prior to [[World War II]] for what was later designated naval gunfire support (NGFS)) was Britain's Royal Navy (RN); and the main theatres in which RN ships fired against targets ashore were the Aegean—[[Dardanelles]]/[[Gallipoli]], and later the Salonika front—and along the Belgian coast.

In the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]] the enemy coastal defences (forts, shore-batteries etc.) were fairly unsophisticated; however, on the Gallipoli peninsula these still proved to be difficult targets for the navy's low angle firing guns. Here, the fortress outlines tended to blend into the hillside making identification difficult, and the guns presented small targets. Mobile howitzers on the plateau presented even greater problems, since these were higher still, and being completely shielded from view proved almost impervious to naval bombardment.<ref>Peter Hart 2011, Gallipoli, Profile Books Ltd</ref>

For RN ships bombarding German targets along the Belgian coast the situation was altogether different from the autumn of 1915 until the enemy withdrawal in October 1918. For this role, the Royal Navy frequently made use of specially designed vessels known as [[monitor (warship)#Twentieth century|monitors]]. They carried extremely heavy armament for their size, often a single turret from a decommissioned battleship. With a broad-beamed [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]] designed for stability and a shallow [[Draft (hull)|draft]] to allow close approach to the shore, the vessels were slow and thus unsuitable for naval combat. Two {{sclass|Lord Clive|monitor|1}}s were fitted with [[BL 18-inch Mk I naval gun]]s, the largest guns ever used by the Royal Navy.

The [[German Empire|Germans]] constructed an extensive, well-equipped and well-coordinated system of gun batteries to defend the coast—and especially the ports of [[Ostend]] and [[Zeebrugge]]. Those ports, and the canals linking them to [[Bruges]], were of major importance to the [[U-boat]] campaign in the [[North Sea]] and [[English Channel]]—and for that reason were frequently bombarded by RN monitors operating from Dover and Dunkirk.

The RN continually advanced their technology and techniques necessary to conduct effective bombardments in the face of the German defenders—firstly refining spotting/correction by aircraft (following initial efforts during the Dardanelles/Gallipoli campaign), then experimenting with night bombardment and moving on to adopt indirect fire (in which a ship can accurately engage an unseen target, which may be several miles inland) as the norm for day and night firings.

In the summer of 1918, monitors were equipped with gyro director training (GDT) gear—which effectively provided the director with a gyro-stabilised artificial line of sight, and thereby enabled a ship to carry out indirect bombardment while underway. This was a very significant advance which basically established a firm foundation for naval bombardment as practiced by the RN and [[United States Navy|USN]] during the Second World War.

Between 1919–39 all RN battleships/battlecruisers and all new-construction cruisers were equipped with Admiralty Fire Control Tables and GDT gear, and from the early 1930s (probably earlier) were required to carry out "live" bombardment practice once in each commission. In 1939, therefore, the RN was quite well prepared for this particular aspect of joint warfare.

=== World War II ===
[[File:New Mexico class battleship bombarding Okinawa.jpg|left|thumb|The WWI-era (launched 30 June 1917) [[United States Navy]] [[battleship]] {{USS|Idaho|BB-42|6}} shells [[Japan]]ese defenses on [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]] on 1 April 1945.]]Indirect bombardment reached its zenith during [[World War II]], when the availability of man-portable [[radio]] systems and sophisticated relay networks allowed forward observers to transmit targeting information and provide almost instant accuracy reports once troops had landed. [[Battleship]]s, [[cruiser]]s (including [[Bobtail cruiser]]s, designed to support amphibious operations),<ref>[https://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675066584_Normandy-Landings_Landing-Craft-Tank_Bobtail-Cruiser_World-War-II ''U.S. Navy ships and Royal Navy Bobtail Cruiser on the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France during World War II'' Critical Past]</ref> and [[destroyer]]s would pound shore installations, sometimes for days, in the hope of reducing fortifications and weakening defending forces. Obsolete battleships unfit for combat against other ships were often used as floating gun platforms expressly for this purpose. However, given the relatively primitive nature of the [[Fire-control system|fire control computers]] and radar of the era combined with the high velocity of naval gunfire, accuracy depended upon designated observer aircraft until troops landed and were able to radio back reports to the ship.<ref>{{cite AV media
 | date =June 1945
 | title =Naval Bombardment: Ship Control with Air Observation
 | url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2qIU5SH_s8
 | publisher =Royal Navy
}}</ref> [[Observation seaplane]]s proved vulnerable to land-based [[fighter aircraft]] during the [[Battle of Gela (1943)|invasion of Sicily]] so gunfire observers flew [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfires]] in support of the [[Normandy landings]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/spitfires-of-the-us-navy.html |title=Spitfires of the US Navy |last=Hill |first=Steven D. |website=The Spitfire Site |access-date=18 June 2020 }}</ref>

The solution was to engage in longer bombardment periods—up to two weeks, in some cases—saturating target areas with fire until a lucky few shells had destroyed the intended targets. This alerted an enemy that a landing attack was imminent. In the [[Pacific War]] this mattered less, where the isolated defenders of island strongholds expected to be invaded at some point and had already committed whatever combat resources were available. The Japanese used battleships only once for shore bombardment, when two battleships bombarded [[United States Marine Corps|United States Marines]] at [[Guadalcanal]]'s [[Henderson Field (Guadalcanal)|Henderson Airfield]] in October 1942, inflicting minor damage.<ref>{{cite book | last = Potter | first = E.B. |author2=Chester W. Nimitz  | year = 1960 | title = Sea Power | publisher = Prentice-Hall | location = Englewood Cliffs, NJ | page = 700 | author-link2 = Chester W. Nimitz }}</ref><ref>Stille, Cdr Mark (2008). ''Imperial Japanese Navy Battleships 1941–1945''. p 19, Oxford: Osprey Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1-84603-280-6}}</ref> Bombardment periods were usually shorter in the European theatre, where surprise was more often valued, overland reinforcement far more likely, and ships' guns were responding to the movements of mobile defenders, not whittling away at static fortifications.

Naval gunfire could reach as far as {{convert|20|mi|km|0}} inland and was often used to supplement land-based artillery. Naval gunfire was used extensively throughout [[Operation Overlord|Normandy]], although initially the surprise nature of the landings precluded a drawn-out bombardment which could have reduced the [[Atlantic Wall]] defences sufficiently.

=== Late 20th century ===
[[File:mount-51.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Mount 51.|{{USS|Hanson|DD-832|6}}'s forward gun mount firing at enemy target during Vietnam war (1972). ''Hanson'' fired 14,486 rounds of 5"/38 ammunition at enemy positions and assorted targets in 1972 against heavy enemy opposition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.usshanson832.org/ship-history.htm|title = USS Hanson DD832/DDR832}}</ref>]]

Naval gunfire support played a critical role in the [[Korean War]]; the conflict was ideal for this type of service, with much of the fighting taking place along the coast of the Korean Peninsula. The battleship {{USS|New Jersey|BB-62|6}} and light cruiser {{HMS|Belfast|C35|6}} provided heavy support, along with numerous light cruisers and destroyers. In particular were so-called "Trainbuster" patrols, working with spotter aircraft to destroy North Korean supply trains, as well as railway bridges and tunnels.

In 1961, the [[annexation of Goa]] by Indian naval gunfire support was provided by the [[Indian Navy]]'s cruisers, destroyers, and frigates in support of [[Indian Army]] operations.

During the [[Vietnam War]], Task Unit 70.8.9, the U.S. Naval Gunfire Support Unit, was made up of destroyers armed with 5-inch/38 caliber or 5-inch/54 caliber guns, and continuously patrolled the coast of [[South Vietnam]] to provide NGFS at short notice. If greater firepower was required then larger gunned [[cruiser]]s were called in for reinforcements, along with the battleship USS ''New Jersey'' for a single tour of duty. NGFS was controlled by the United States Marines Corps First [[Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company]] which provided spotters, usually airborne in light aircraft but sometimes on foot, in all military regions.

During the [[Falklands War]], naval gunfire support for the [[British Armed Forces]] of the British Task Force was utilized by British ships of the same British Task Force during numerous battles. These battles included, but were not limited to; [[Battle of Two Sisters]] ([[HMS Glamorgan (D19)]]'s twin 4.5-inch (114 mm) guns provided support) and the [[Battle of Mount Kent]] (naval gunfire support provided by [[HMS Yarmouth]]), both battles took place on the night of 11-12 June, 1982. 

During the [[Multinational Force in Lebanon]], naval gunfire support was provided on several occasions by destroyers, cruisers, and ''New Jersey'' assigned to coastal patrol. They supported the US Marines as well as the Lebanese Army. In 1991, during [[Operation Desert Storm]] the battleships {{USS|Missouri|BB-63|6}} and {{USS|Wisconsin|BB-64|6}} fired [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk cruise missiles]] along with their main battery guns against Iraqi targets in the Euphrates Delta. This was the last firing of battleship guns during war, as well as the first use of [[UAV|drone aircraft]] to observe targets and give targeting corrections. In the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], NGFS was used in support of operations on the [[Al-Faw peninsula]] in the early stages of the war by Royal Navy and [[Royal Australian Navy]] [[frigate]]s.

=== 21st century ===

As part of [[Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa|Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa]], on 1 June 2007, the American destroyer {{USS|Chafee}} [[Battle of Bargal (2007)|shelled jihadist positions at Bargal, Somalia]].

Naval gunfire occurred multiple times during the First and Second Libyan Civil War.  During [[Operation Unified Protector]] in 2011 in Libya, allied forces provided gun naval support to rebel forces. The French Navy fired approximately 3,000 {{cvt|76|and|100|mm|in}} shells against military targets (the warships {{ship|French frigate|Jean Bart||2}}, {{ship|French frigate|La Fayette||2}}, {{ship|French frigate|Forbin||2}}, {{ship|French frigate|Chevalier Paul||2}}). Also, during the [[Battle of Sirte (2016)|Battle of Sirte]] in 2016, the destroyer [[USS Carney]] conducted shore bombardments of [[Islamic State|ISIS]] positions as part of [[Operation Odyssey Lightning]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/flashpoints/2019/08/23/22-meu-rocked-isis-fighters-in-libya-with-naval-gunfire/|title = 22nd MEU Marines rocked ISIS fighters in Libya in 2016 with naval gunfire|date = 28 August 2019}}</ref>

==United States==
Naval gunfire is still used for many of its traditional purposes. In the Marine Corps, artillery units have several [[naval gunfire liaison officer]]s (NGLO, pronounced "no-glow") in each [[Battalion#United States Marine Corps|battalion]] to maintain close contact with the Navy for amphibious operations. The NGLO is responsible for the Shore Fire Control Party and works in the Fire Control Center with other liaison officers to coordinate naval gunfire with [[close air support]], [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, and [[howitzer]]s.  The NGLO joins the others in the planning of fire missions in support of the Marine Infantry Regiment.

The Marine Corps maintains three active (1st, 2nd, & 5th) and three reserve (3rd, 4th & 6th) [[Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company]] (ANGLICO) units. ANGLICO members are temporarily assigned to combat units of the United States and foreign nations that lack inherent fire support capability, such as naval gunfire. The ships equipped with the large caliber guns of the early and middle of the 20th century have all been decommissioned. The last American battleship, {{USS|Missouri|BB-63|6}}, was decommissioned in 31 March 1992, which left no naval guns larger than {{convert|5|in|mm|0}} in service on any active warship in the United States Navy until the introduction of the [[Zumwalt class]] with the 155&nbsp;mm (6.1 inch) [[Advanced Gun System]] (however these larger guns are functionally inoperable because no ammunition was purchased for them). The aircraft carrier and sea to land missile have been used instead. The remaining naval artillery typically has more advanced targeting systems than the older large-caliber artillery.

Within the U.S. there was a long [[United States Battleship retirement debate|debate]] over the role naval gunfire support should play in warfare. This took on a greater sense of urgency with the removal of the last two battleships from the [[Naval Vessel Register]].

==Continued naval gunfire support training==
Despite the reduction in calibre size to {{convert|5|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns, even ground-based [[NATO]] forces' [[artillery observer]]s{{Citation needed|reason=date Jan 2010|date=January 2010}} and [[Forward Air Control]]lers{{Citation needed|reason=date Jan 2010|date=January 2010}}  are taught the rudiments of calling in and adjusting naval gunfire. With the exception of a few procedures, the controlling principles are quite similar in both land and naval bombardment. Shore fire control parties participate in field operations, often with a Marine artillery battery to provide simulated naval gunfire support.  When available, Marine spotters will call the fire missions for naval ships undergoing their gunnery qualification tests, to provide both parties the opportunity to practice their skills. One use of naval gunfire in modern operations is to provide [[Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses]] for close air support. Well-timed [[salvo]]s provide covering fire for sorties and prevent enemy troops and batteries from effectively using [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft weapons]].

==See also==
* [[US Field artillery team]]
* [[148 (Meiktila) Battery Royal Artillery]]

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Online sources ===
* [http://www.usmc.mil/directiv.nsf/0/fa9c7dc9e23513d8852571250047ee0f/$FILE/An%20Annotated%20Bibliography%20of%20Naval%20Gunfire%20Support%20%20PCN%2019000250300.pdf U.S Marine Corps: An Annotated Bibliography of Naval Gunfire Support]

== Further reading ==
*{{Cite journal|last=Benbow|first=Tim|date=2021-06-22|title=Battleships, D-Day, and naval strategy|journal=War in History|volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=684–703 |language=en|doi=10.1177/09683445211022765|issn=0968-3445|doi-access=free}}

{{Military and war}}

[[Category:Naval artillery]]
[[Category:Naval warfare]]
[[Category:Naval bombing operations and battles|*]]