Talk:5inch Single Gun Mount Mk.30/@comment-175.156.13.185-20180422161421/@comment-85.76.96.188-20180501091953

Not sure about if the gun itself was more accurate that other similar caliber guns of the era. Usually higher velocity and flatter trajectory it causes would be better, if it doesn't go to extremes. And there were quite many guns which reached such fire rate in low angles, but fewer in high angles which was important in AA. The german 12.7cm gun was very similar in everything that matters in surface battles.

The effectivenes in Samar was caused by Japanese ignorance. First they decided to keep their screening destroyers behind and then just concentreted their fire on the faraway escort carriers. Though latter was maybe justified because all of their losses were causes by aircraft at the end. American DDs and DEs got to slip so close that most Japanese guns couldn't depress low enough to fire at them. They even fired autmaticcannons at the Japs. Of course those 5inch shells didn't penetrate armors from critical parts, but CA turrets weren't very thick and the large superstructures were not armored at all.