The former USNS Saturn (T-AFS-10) was used as a target for a test of the Phalanx CIWS short-range defense system after its retirement from active service in the U.S. Navy. During the exercise, the Phalanx CIWS system's 20mm autocannon fired at the ship hull to test its effectiveness, accuracy, and lethality against a real surface target. Using the former ship as a target allowed the military to obtain firsthand data on the impact of gunfire on the ship structure, the penetration patterns of proj