Critical to understanding both direct and indirect fire at sea is an examination of naval gunnery theory. In the era before electronics and computers revolutionized warfare, naval gunnery was as much an art as a science. The methods of employing land-weapons chained to the decks of cargo ships would be very similar to those pre-digital days when the battleship reigned supreme on the waves. In "The Evolution of Battleship Gunnery in the U.S. Navy, 1920-1945," these techniques are recalled to offer an insight into just how aiming was performed:

"The guns were laid (and left) at the proper elevation?and fired from a single key in the director when the roll of the ship brought the sights on the target. The rate of fire was highly dependent upon the period of roll and, if the ship was pitching or the guns were being fired on bearings well forward or aft of the beam, upon the pitch rate as well. Wave movements, or ship maneuvers meant that the hull and the turrets were tilted in various directions over time; the unwanted components of roll and pitch along the line of fire could be removed either by elevating and depressing the guns in synchronism with the roll, a process known as continuous aim, or more commonly by leaving them at fixed elevation and firing when the sight wires crossed the horizon. [8]"

The same techniques used then could readily be used on today's armed cargo ships. Several MRLs, with their ability to be fired electrically, could be linked on the same circuit, aimed, and simultaneously fired by one person. Tanks with their stabilized sights could remain continuously aimed at the target while the ship pitched and rolled. Building off of these tested gunnery techniques, innovative and accurate methods of aiming land-based weapons from cargo ships could be developed and trained.

Techniques of firing land-based weapons from floating environments were also developed during the US-Vietnam Conflict. Operating in the Mekong River Delta, the 9th US Infantry Division was forced to adapt to fighting while afloat. As described in RIVERINE OPERATIONS 1966-1969, howitzers were "placed?on an barge, using cleats and segments of telephone poles against which the trails of the howitzer rested. Successful firing demonstrated the feasibility of this method. By use of aiming stakes placed ashore, routine fire support could be provided from the barges anchored securely against the river bank [9]." While a cargo ship at sea behaves differently than a barge secured to a bank, artillery can be fired while secured to a deck, and the idea of using aiming stakes could be transferred to an amphibious scenario. By using identifiable landmarks such as promontories, buildings, or towers, resection techniques of laying guns on these could be developed to provide reference for indirect fire solutions, particularly if a ship were run aground.

Whether direct or indirect fire is used, effective techniques of using land-based weapons at sea could be and have been devised. There is little doubt that if employed, armed cargo ships would be a significant contributor to any amphibious campaign.

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