Pre-Dreadnought Era Battleship secondary armament

austro-hungarian battleship sms radetzky

pre-dreadnoughts, period 1890 1905, typically fitted 3 or 4 different calibres of weapon. main guns approximately 12-inch caliber, secondary weapons 6-inch typically in range 5-inch 7.5-inch. guns smaller 4.7-inch considered tertiary . (many pre-dreadnoughts carried 9.2 10-inch secondary guns, these treated instead mixed-caliber main armament.)

secondary guns quick firers , , fire 5 10 rounds per minute. attribute, rather destructive power or accuracy, provided military value. secondary guns universally carried in casemates , or long armoured wall through battery of guns projected.

such weapons designed fire @ both capital ship targets , smaller targets such torpedo craft , destroyers.

small targets of course vulnerable 6-inch projectiles, , high rate of fire necessary able hit small , evasive target.

in era, secondary weapons expected engage capital ships. heavily-armoured areas of battleships not vulnerable 6-inch fire, there large areas not heavily protected. these lightly armoured , unarmoured areas riddled @ expected ranges of perhaps 3000 yards. knock out enemy s secondary armament, punch holes in lightly armoured bow , stern, perhaps knock down funnels , spotting tops, , destroy bridge , command positions. secondary guns important factor in battleship combat.