Coast Artillery

a form of maritime artillery set up on a coast. Its purpose is to do combat with hostile surface vessels in the coastal zone; it may also be used to destroy land targets. Coast artillery developed considerably in the middle of the 19th century with the appearance of armored ships; its armament began to include naval guns. In the navy of the USSR, coast artillery is equipped with radar and fire-control devices. The main fire subunit is the artillery battery, which is armed with heavy-, medium-, and small-caliber artillery mounts. Coast artillery includes fixed (turret-housed and shield-protected) and mobile batteries. Turreted batteries (heavy-caliber guns) are set up in armored turrets; shield batteries (medium- and small-caliber artillery mounts) are set up on open sites and have armored shields that protect personnel and gun mechanisms from strikes by shell fragments. Mobile batteries may have guns mounted on special railroad flatcars (very-heavy-caliber guns) or may be on mechanical traction.