CHAPTER 6 AMMUNITION  AND  GUNNERY Despite  the  present-day  emphasis  on  missiles,  guns continue  to  be  important  offensive  weapons. As a Seaman, you may be required to man gun stations or serve as a member of a magazine crew, so it is necessary that you have a general knowledge of the ammunition  and  guns  in  service. It is not our intent, nor is it necessary, to discuss all the different types of ammunition and guns used in the Navy  today.  This  chapter  does,  however,  contain  much information on guns, ammunition, and gunnery in general;  information  that  should  be  very  helpful  to  you in  meeting  your  early  shipboard  assignments. Excluding small arms, Naval guns are classified according to size. Within this classification, they are grouped as major, intermediate, or minor calibers. Major caliber guns range from 8 inches up to 16 inches. Intermediate calibers are greater than 3 inches and less than 8 inches. Minor caliber guns are 3 inches and below. AMMUNITION LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Define ammunition. Differentiate between the types of ammunition  used  aboard  naval  ships.  Define and explain the different types of projectiles and propelling charges used in the Navy. Explain the use of the magazine and magazine sprinkler  system. In a general sense, ammunition includes anything that is intended to be thrown at the enemy or put in his path to deter, injure, or kill personnel, or to destroy or damage materials. The term ammunition is used in a much narrower and more technical sense in this book. Ammunition includes any projectile or explosive weapon, as well as components or parts thereof, but not guns  or  weapon  launchers  and  their  parts. Service ammunition is ammunition lit for service use   and   including   all   explosive   and   propellant components.   Inert   ammunition   (that   is,   lacking explosive  and  propellant  components)  and  partially inert  ammunition  of  several  types  are  used  for  test, training,  and  practice  purposes.  Dummy  or  drill 6-1 ammunition (completely inert) resembling service ammunition in appearance, size, and weight, may include  functioning  components  that  contain  no explosive or propellant. It is used for training and test purposes. Cutaway ammunition (completely inert) has a section cut away to show inner construction and components; it is used for training and display purposes. Plaster-loaded or sand-loaded ammunition lacks the explosive  burster  charge  but  is  otherwise  not  inert;  it  is used for target practice and for testing of launchers, mounts,  or  projectors. IDENTIFICATION As a member of a gun-loading crew, you will be tasked with finding, identifying, and loading different types  of  ammunition.  Each  round  fired  must  be identified and recorded in the ship's logs. Ammunition is identified by stenciled information printed on the round and by its color. Stenciled information consists mainly  of  the  Navy  Ammunition  Logistics  Code (NALC)/Department of Defense Identification Code (DODIC)  and  lot  number. A standard nomenclature and numbering system has been  established  by  the  Department  of  Defense  (DOD). This system is a four-digit, alphabetic/numeric code which  will  be  either  a  Department  of  Defense identification code (DODIC) assigned by Defense Logistics  Services  Center  (DLSC)  or  a  Navy ammunition logistics code (NALC) assigned by Ship's Parts   Control   Center   (SPCC).   Examples   of DODIC/NALC nomenclature are as follows: AMMUNITION  TYPE DODIC/NALC 5"/54   Illumination   Projectile D328 6"/50  BL&P  Projectile D873 12 GAUGE 00 BUCKSHOT A011 COLOR CODES, MARKINGS, AND LETTERINGS The system of identifying ammunition by the use of color codes, marking, and lettering is intended to be a