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March 21, 2008

H&I Fires 20 March 2008

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.

You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...

Time to add a new caveat, because from email it's not clear to some folks (mind you, if you don't read this it won't matter...) Being an open post, people (collectively, the Denizens) other than I post in the H&I. They sign their work (most of the time) - keep that in mind when you want to flame someone in email please - if it doesn't say "The Armorer" or "John" then I didn't write it! And honestly - if you don't like something said or posted... leave a comment, and hash it out (within the context of The Rulez which are clearly posted on the comment form, I would add).

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Heh. At least it's a lot cheaper to feed...

A little more zen for the Gunner's soul...

PACIFIC OCEAN (March 18, 2008) The guided-missile destroyer USS <em>John S. McCain</em> (DDG 56) fires her five-inch gun system during a live-fire exercise. <em>McCain</em> is one of seven Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Byron C. Linder

PACIFIC OCEAN (March 18, 2008) The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) fires her five-inch gun system during a live-fire exercise. McCain is one of seven Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Byron C. Linder

Okay, move along there! -the Armorer

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*A term of art from the artillery. Harassment and Interdiction Fires.

Back in the day, when you could just kill people and break things without a note from a lawyer, they were pre-planned, but to the enemy, random, fires at known gathering points, road junctions, Main Supply Routes, assembly areas, etc - to keep the bad guy nervous that the world around him might start exploding at any minute.

*Not really relevant to today's operating environment, right? But, it *is*

The UAVs (oops, can't call 'em UAVs anymore - they're now Unmanned Aerial Systems... some Colonel got his Legion of Merit for that change...), er, um UAS's we fly over Afghanistan and Pakistan looking for targets of opportunity are a form of H&I fires, if you really want to parse it finely. We just have better sensors and fire control now.

I call the post that because it's random things posted by me and people I've given posting privileges to. It's also an open trackback, so if someone has a post they're proud of, but it really isn't either Castle kind of stuff, or topical to a particular post, I've basically given blanket permission to use that post for that purpose. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone."

Denizens | Permalink | Comments (6) | General Commentary
Comments on H&I Fires 20 March 2008
AFSister briefed on March 21, 2008 11:05 AM

I had no idea we had a USS John S. McCain....
NO idea.
Have we ever had a sitting president with a vessel named after him? (yes, I'm looking into my crystal ball and imagining President McCain sitting at his desk in the Oval Office. It's a prettier picture to me than either President Osama Obama or President H. Clinton. *shudder*)

John of Argghhh! briefed on March 21, 2008 11:28 AM

It's named after his father, Admiral John McCain, AFSis.

J.M. Heinrichs briefed on March 21, 2008 2:22 PM

More info

Cheers

Murray briefed on March 21, 2008 5:44 PM

Does it do buttonholes?

AFSister briefed on March 21, 2008 10:00 PM

ah... thanks!

Ledger briefed on March 21, 2008 11:51 PM

I learn something everyday thanks to the Castle:

The ship is named after John Sr. McCain, Jr. and John S. McCain, Sr., both Admirals in the United States Navy. John Sr. McCain Jr. commanded the submarines USS Gunnel and Demtuda. Subsequently he held a number of posts, rising to Commander-in-Chief of the United States Pacific Command before retiring in 1972. John S. McCain Sr. commanded the aircraft carrier Ranger (CV-4), and acted as commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force through 1944. They are respectively the father and grandfather of John S. McCain III, a US Senator representing Arizona and former Naval aviator Captain.

[and]

Armament: 1 × 29 cell, 1 × 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems with 90 × RIM-66 SM-2, BGM or RUM-139 VL- Asroc-Asroc missiles
1 × Mark 45 2/54 in (127/54 mm)
2 × 25 mm chain gun
4 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) guns
2 × 20mm Phalanx CIWS
2 ×Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes

Aircraft carried: 1 SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter can be embarked. Motto: Fortune Favors the Brave

See: USS John S. McCain

See: Navy, USS John S. McCain (DDG-56)