Battery
Colonial Fleet
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). [1]
Ammunition
The large turrets found on Colonial 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). [2]
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.
Firing Solution
Operation
As with modern naval cannon, Colonial gun batteries have several modes of operation.
- 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 (Gun captain, 33) will target and engage targets of oppertunity. [3]
There are likely other modes of operation for these batteries, but none have been explicitly stated on screen.
Limitations
Since their turrets are relatively slow to traverse, a battlestar's main guns would be a poor choice for engaging 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 point defence weapons or Vipers.
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.
Cylon Fleet
Whereas their creators prefer artillery-stile guns, the Cylon appear to favour chemically-propelled missiles. Their basestars have thus far used only missiles (along with squadrons of Raiders) to attack Colonial battlestars, and appear to have no point defence weaponry.
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. (Fragged)
- ↑ Pegasus' bow battery can be seen to consist of four gun turrets when she engages a Cylon basestar.
- ↑ These have been referred to as railguns by some fan sources, but there is substantial evidence to the contrary. See Railgun for more.
- ↑ Batteries during the Battle of the Resurrection Ship were called to "fire at will".