Seeker, to shell on-shore targets with ship guns...you can pull up the clipboard and click on the spot you want to shell. It will give you range and bearing information, and if you match the second set of numbers to those range and bearing numbers, you will shell that area. The smaller guns have a range of ~17.5k and the large guns have a range ~double that.
The problem I have is I bring up the clipboard and zoom the map to max; see the field; but that field icon is huge and I don't know where to click in order to get the field. When the map is zoomed max, if you click different parts of the field icon you will see a huge potential area to shell. I have a feeling the actual field lays on the mid-lower-right part of the field icon. I have never been successful shelling this way; I have to rely on visual sightings of my shells and therefore I really can't hit any ground targets > 12k or so. And even then, I've only had a few lucky shots that actually hit anything. Unless you can get the range/bearing right on, it's very hard to hit because the ship is constantly moving so the range/bearing is always changing. If I get a hit, I compare that shot to the static range/bearing and notice the difference, and make all my shots offset by that number. There *is* a way to get an accurate range/bearing but I have not figured that out yet.
As for airborne targets, it's a matter of guessing and leading. Over a certain alt, the icons show up around 6k; lower alts they show up around 3.3k. If the guy is on a straight path (level or in a dive) and you have the icon, it's just a matter of zoom and getting used to where the crosshairs go in relation to his path (leading the shot). If he's coming low-level straight at you but well out of icon range (torp runs), you can still guess the range and shoot, then zoom in to see where you splash and adjust (remembering that he is closing the distance). If he's moving around or perpendicular, it's a lot harder. PT boats are simple to hit in icon range because they are not travelling as fast and not in three dimensions -- that's why I was asking for icons off PT boats.
Make sure you are using AA against air or PT boats and HE if you are shelling the ground.
This probably does not help a lot but it's what I do. I'm sure people will think I'm dweeby but I'm doing it to protect the ships, not for the kills or points (points are low anyway).
Fury
