Salvo

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For other uses see Salvo (disambiguation).

A salvo is the simultaneous discharge of artillery or firearms including the firing of guns either to hit a target or to perform a salute.

Troops armed with muzzleloaders required time in which to refill their arms with gun powder and shot. Gun drills were designed to enable an almost continuous rain of fire on the enemy by lining troops into ranks, allowing one rank to fire a salvo, or volley, while the other ranks prepared their guns for firing.

The term is commonly used to describe the firing of broadsides by warships, especially battleships. During fleet engagements in the days of sail, from 17th century until the 19th century, ships of the line were maneuvered with the objective of bringing the greatest possible number of cannon to bear on the enemy and to discharge them in a salvo, causing enough damage and confusion as to allow time for the cannon to be swabbed out and reloaded. Crossing the T, employed by Horatio Nelson, entailed cutting across the enemy's line of battle to enable broadsides to be fired into the enemy's relatively ill armed bow or poop cabin. The opportunity was a passing one and the most had to be made of it by firing the full broadside in one salvo.

With the coming of the Dreadnought, with her turreted main armament, the heavy guns were directed by firing a salvo of half-broadside in order to observe the fall of shot, allowing a moment to adjust for range and direction before firing the other half-broadside. All turret mounted guns on battleships and cruisers were directed by the Gunnery officer, positioned high in the ship and equipped with a visual range finder. Instructions to the gunlayers in the turrets were passed by voice pipe, messenger and, later, by telephone, Latterly, guns could be laid by remote control by the Gunnery Director. Late in World War II, guns were directed by radar.