"When we heard the 20 mm's open up...that meant that
the [enemy] planes had got through the screen and were very close to us."

Thurman Sowle
Chief Yeoman, 1943-45

During World War II, seven 20 mm guns provided the CASSIN YOUNG with a final and important line of defense against enemy aircraft. However, these small-caliber guns had little chance against a determined kamikaze pilot, or later against high-speed jet aircraft. All the 20 mm guns were removed during the modernization of the ship at the Charlestown Navy Yard in 1952.