There are many different types of guns in this section of the ship. The single-barreled 20mm, and 4 barreled 40mm, and the larger 2 barreled 5in gun were all part of the ship’s Anti-Aircraft defense as built during World War II. The two smaller types of guns were both removed as harder to shoot down jet aircraft became prevalent.

The largest of these guns, the 5in guns, were also capable of shore bombardment and ship-to-ship combat in addition to being the first line of defense against incoming aircraft. These guns were capable of firing a 54lb projectile up to 10 miles and were considered to be the best medium caliber gun used by any navy in World War II. The ship was built with 10 mounts but 4 were removed in the 1980s to accomodate more modern weapons.

The next largest gun in this group is the 40mm Bofor Guns. This ship had 20 of these mounts at its peak. These guns could fire up to 160 times a minute under ideal conditions and the two lb projectile could fire up to 6 and a half miles. This one was removed from the ship in 1967 and was displayed at the Philadelphia Navy Yard for years until the ship got it back for restoration in 2018.

The smallest of these guns is the 20mm Oerlikon and was designed to combat the planes that made it through the defenses of the larger guns in the group. For a period during World War II, this gun was credited with an estimated 32% of all Japanese aircraft shot down. However, this gun proved ineffective against late-war Kamikaze planes and was phased out of use. At its largest compliment, the ship had 57 of these guns; that number decreased to 32 during the Korean War deployment and those were removed by 1952. These guns could fire up to 320 rounds per minute and had a range of 2 and half miles.

Also in this area is the Captain’s Gig. While it looks like a lifeboat, this craft would have been used to transport the captain from the ship to shore or to other ships. Elsewhere on the ship are 4 other boats, some of which would be used to transport the crew in the same manor. The ship’s size kept it from being able to dock in every port and would often have to ferry crew to shore using the small boats like this one. Inflatable life rafts were used if the crew had to abandon ship.