15 cm SK C/25

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15 cm SK C/25
Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MN-1405-07, Kreuzer "Nürnberg".jpg
15 cm SK C/25 in Drh LC/35 turret on Nürnberg
Type Naval gun
Place of origin Weimar Republic
Service history
In service 1929–45
Used by Weimar Republic
Nazi Germany
Wars Second World War
Specifications
Weight 11,970 kilograms (26,390 lb)
Length 9.08 metres (29.8 ft)
Barrel length 8.57 metres (28.1 ft)
Shell separate-loading, cased charge
Caliber 149.1 millimetres (5.87 in)
Breech semi-automatic, vertical sliding block
Elevation -10° to +40°
Traverse 360°
Rate of fire 8 rpm (maximum)
Muzzle velocity 960 metres per second (3,100 ft/s)
Maximum firing range 25,700 metres (28,100 yd)

The 15 cm SK C/25[Note 1] was a German medium-caliber naval gun used during the Second World War. It served as the primary armament for the K- and Leipzig-class cruiser. No surplus weapons of this type appear to have been used as coast-defense guns.

Description

This gun was the most powerful of the Kriegsmarine's 15 centimetres (5.9 in) guns and was designed with a loose barrel, jacket and breech-piece with a vertical sliding breech block.[1]

Mount

The Drh. LC/25 triple-gun mount was the only mount used for this gun in the Kriegsmarine. The mount weighed between 136.91–147.15 tonnes (134.75–144.83 long tons; 150.92–162.21 short tons), depending on its armor thickness; the Nürnberg's mounts had between 20–80 mm (0.79–3.15 in) of armor while the other ships had 20–30 mm (0.79–1.18 in). Maximum elevation was 40°, giving a range of 25,700 metres (28,100 yd), and maximum depression was -10°, while the electric motors had a maximum elevating speed of 8° per second. Each mount was designed for full 360° of traverse, but was limited to much less than that by the ship's superstructure. Speed in train was a maximum of 6-8° per second using electrically powered hydraulic pumps. The maximum firing cycle was 7.5 seconds, or 8 rounds per minute, despite being hand-loaded and rammed. Ammunition was supplied by three hoists, one between the left and center guns and the other two between center and right guns at the rear of the mount.[1][2]

Ammunition

The SK C/25 had a number of different shells available.[2]

Shell name Weight Filling Weight Muzzle velocity
base-fused HE shell with ballistic cap (Sprenggranate L/4.5 m Bdz m. Hb) 45.5 kg (100 lb) 3.058 kg (6.74 lb) 960 m/s (3,100 ft/s)
nose-fused HE shell with ballistic cap (15 cm Spgr. L/4.4 Kz m. Hb) 45.5 kg (100 lb) 3.892 kg (8.58 lb) 960 m/s (3,100 ft/s)
base-fused armor-piercing shell with ballistic cap (Panzer-Sprenggranate) L/3.7 m Bdz. m Hb) 45.5 kg (100 lb) .885 kg (1.95 lb) 960 m/s (3,100 ft/s)
illumination shell 41 kg (90 lb) Unknown 650 m/s (2,100 ft/s)

Footnotes

Notes
  1. ↑ SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon); C - Construktionsjahr (year of design)
Citations
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Campbell, p. 239
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

References

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External links

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