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USS Cassin Young DD-793 - Types of Ammunition

 

5"/38 Projectiles

 

4 Types of Projectiles:

1- A.A. Common with Mark 18 fuses.

This was the basic, multi-purpose round for anti-aircraft or surface firing or in shore bombarding.

The nose fuse could be set to detonate the projectile by clock work in a pre-set interval after firing or the base fuse could detonate the projectile on contact with surface or shore target. All rounds contained a red or white tracer.

2- A.A. Common with Mark 32 fuse.

This type was for anti-aircraft. It required no pre-setting of the nose fuse and had no base fuse or tracer.

3- Common (“surface”)

projectiles could penetrate 2”armor and were used against ship or shore targets. They had a solid nose, base fuse and tracer.

4- Illuminating projectiles

Starshell contained a suspended flare which was ejected in flight when the Mark 18 nose fuse functioned at the pre-set time. To ensure that it did so was the job of the Elevating Indicator Regulator. There was no base fuse or tracer.

 

5"/38 Powder

The cartridge was a brass case filled with 14.75 pounds of smokeless powder and closed at one end with a cork plug and at the other end with an integral rimmed base fitted with a combination ignition primer.

The primer was protected by a cap which was removed when the cartridge was loaded in the gun tray.

The whole was stowed in an airtight tank for protection.

There were two types of cartridges, smokeless for day action and flashless for night action, the latter stowed in tanks marked with a red spot.