When I hauled myself aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Barry, one of the first things I was shown was the ship's 5-inch, 127mm gun.
"This is how the Barry pays its bills," the ensign showing me around said.
What she meant was that even though the Barry carries an array of missiles including Tomahawks, SM-2s, and SM-3s, among others, the 5-inch is the weapon of choice when engaging any surface, air, or shore targets.
Loaded with an assortment of devastating rounds the gun can pound out its 20-projectile magazine in about a minute while maintaining pinpoint accuracy through computerized targeting.
The crew of the USS Barry allowed me to poke around into all aspects of the 5-inch weapon, allowing me to explore deep in the ship's magazine, as well as the firing room.
What goes into making this gun so devastating may surprise you.
This post was originally reported, written, and produced by Robert Johnson
The 5-Inch Light Weight Gun Mount is the Navy's main anti-surface gun.
The 5-inch is more economical than a guided missile and extremely accurate up to about 15 miles away.
In a time of conflict the order to fire the gun comes from here: the bridge of the USS Barry. But getting the weapon to fire and making sure it hits the target requires coordination among people all over the ship.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider