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| [[File:Gun Cluster.jpg|thumb|right|A cluster of guns move into firing position.]]
| | =Colonial Fleet= |
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| On Colonial warships, a '''battery''' is a group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place. A battery may vary in number and arrangement depending on class <ref>These are not [[w:Railgun|railguns]]. No [[BW:CJ|official sources]] use this term to describe these weapons, and there is substantial evidence to the contrary.</ref>. In modern day naval nomenclature, a vessel's "main battery" is its primary ''offensive'' weapon. | | On board Colonial warships, a '''battery''' is a group of large gun turrets working together or in concert. A battery may consist of any number of gun turrets, usually four ''([[The Captain's Hand]])''. <ref name="battery">Pegasus' bow battery can be seen to consist of four gun turrets when she engages a Cylon basestar.</ref> |
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| == Gun Clusters ==
| | ==Ammunition== |
| === Ammunition ===
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| [[File:PegasusForeBatteries.jpg|thumb|right|''Pegasus'' firing its main battery {{TRS|The Captain's Hand}}]]
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| [[File:Flakfield.jpg|thumb|right|The flak field from ''Galactica''{{'|s}} large turrets {{TRS|Scattered}}]]
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| The large turrets found on Colonial [[battlestar|battlestars]] fire several types of ammunition, depending on the objective:
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| *Flak ammunition: this ammunition employs [[w:shrapnel|exploding metal fragments]] at high velocity, creating a defensive barrier around the battlestar which can shear enemy fighters or incoming missiles. This, along with the point-defenses, keep the enemy at a distance, allowing the battlestar's [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] forces to safely deploy and engage {{TRS|Scattered}}.
| | The large turrets found on Colonial [[battlestar|battlestars]] fire large-caliber flak ammunition ''([[Scattered]])''. These shells are too large to be loaded quickly and efficiently by crew members, and as such are loaded by mechanical hoists ''([[33]])''. <ref name="flak">These have been referred to as railguns by some fan sources, but there is substantial evidence to the contrary. See [[Railgun]] for more.</ref> |
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| *Offensive ammunition: in this configuration, salvos from the main cannons are extremely lethal to the unarmored Cylons [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]], which possess no such weapons themselves {{TRS|Resurrection Ship, Part II|Exodus, Part II}}.
| | The massive recoil caused by firing these flack rounds make it impossible for the cannon to have a fast rate of fire like the point-defence turrets also found on battlestars. |
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| It should be noted that the massive recoil caused by firing these flak rounds makes it impossible for the cannon to have a fast rate of fire like the battlestar's point-defense turrets. These shells are also too large to be loaded quickly and efficiently by crew members, and as such are loaded by mechanical hoists {{TRS|33}}.
| | ==Firing Solution== |
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| === Firing Solution ===
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| When engaging enemy targets over any kind of distance, a '''firing solution''' must be obtained. This requires several pieces of information to be input to a battery's fire-control computer, including the target's speed, course, and range; and the firing platform's speed and course. The velocity of the shells would be known, and is constant, given that there is no air friction in the vacuum of space. The resulting computation would allow the gun captains to accurately aim their weaponry to such a degree that firing will result in a probable hit.
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| === Operation ===
| | ==Operation== |
| [[File:TheEnemysGateIsDown.jpg|thumb|right|The devastating effect Colonial batteries can have on a Cylon basestar {{TRS|Resurrection Ship, Part II}}]]
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| Colonial gun batteries have several modes of operation. | | As with modern naval cannon, Colonial gun batteries have several modes of operation. |
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| *Salvo Fire: this calls for a battery, or elements of a battery, to fire simultaneously at a single target. {{TRS|The Captain's Hand}} | | *Salvo Fire: this calls for a battery, or elements of a battery, to fire simultaneously at a single target. ''([[The Captain's Hand]])'' |
| *Full Attack Mode: a battery's commander, called gun captain ([[TRS]]: "[[33]]," "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]"), will target and engage targets of opportunity <ref name="attack">During the [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship]], batteries are called to "fire at will".</ref>. | | *Full Attack Mode: a battery's commander (Gun captain, ''[[33]]'') will target and engage targets of oppertunity. <ref name="attack">Batteries during the [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship]] were called to "fire at will".</ref> |
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| On [[Mercury class battlestar|''Mercury''-class battlestars]], gun batteries can be set to one of several automatic firing modes {{TRS|Exodus, Part II}}.
| | There are likely other modes of operation for these batteries, but none have been explicitly stated on screen. |
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| At least on ''Galactica''-type battlestars, the turrets appear to be manned and manually fired. Each battery has a transparent canopy through which it is occasional possible to make out two figures in colonial flight suits. Due to the location and the (almost certain) weaker nature of the transparent material of the canopy this is likely one of the most dangerous jobs on the ship, since the batteries tend to be prime targets for raiders. This destruction is usually explosive (owing to munitions detonating) and likely allows few options for escape {{TRS|Daybreak, Part II}}.
| | ==Limitations== |
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| {{clear}}
| | Since their turrets are relatively slow to traverse, a battlestar's main guns would be a poor choice for engaging [[Raider (RDM)|enemy fighters]] which are small, fast and extremely maneuverable. They would also be impractical for defending against enemy missile attacks, which would be more suceptible to attack from [[KEW|point defence weapons]] or [[Viper|Vipers]]. |
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| == Close-in Weapon Systems ==
| | The turret's slow rate of fire also means that a single turret, if left to operate alone- either due to damage, power failure or any other events- may not be a very effective method of attack. It is for this very reason that the turrets are grouped in batteries. |
| [[File:CWIS.jpg|thumb|right|''Galactica''{{'|s}} Close-in Weapon System engages to defend against an incoming threat.]]
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| A close-in weapon system (CIWS) is a point-defense system used for engaging and eliminating enemy targets or weapons that have penetrated a Colonial warship's or station's defensive perimeter. Colonial CIWS are typically small caliber guns capable of high rates of fire, however some smaller Colonial warships use missile defense systems in place of defensive guns ("''[[Blood & Chrome]]''," [[TRS]]: "[[Miniseries]]").
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| [[File:Osiris 4.png|thumb|left|The defensive missile batteries of the ''Orion'' class battlestar, ''[[Osiris]]'' (0913).]]
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| These systems are placed along the hull of a warship or station to ensure a complete firing arc, leaving no angle open to attack. Colonial CIWS are further supplemented by Viper fighter support. Together, these defensive systems generally prove highly destructive to incoming enemy targets {{TRS|Miniseries}}.
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| {{clear}}
| | =Cylon Fleet= |
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| == See Also ==
| | Whereas their creators prefer artillery-stile guns, the [[Cylon]] appear to favour chemically-propelled missiles. Their [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] have thus far used only missiles (along with squadrons of Raiders) to attack Colonial battlestars, and appear to have no point defence weaponry. |
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| *[[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series]]
| | [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] cannibalized parts of their [[Heavy Raider]] on [[Kobol]] in order to create an anti-aircraft missile battery. This was later used to attack a search and rescue mission launched from ''[[Galactica (RDM)| Galactica]]''. ([[Fragged]]) |
| *[[Missile tubes]]
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| == References ==
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| {{reflist}}
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| [[Category:A to Z]] | |
| [[Category:Technology]]
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| [[Category:Technology (TRS)]] | |
| [[Category:Weapons]] | |
| [[Category:Weapons (TRS)]]
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| {{indicator|TRS}}[[Category:TRS]]
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| [[de:Batterie]]
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