15.5 cm/60 3rd Year Type naval gun

15.5 cm/60 3rd Year Type
Aft 155-mm triple turret on Yamato under construction, September 1941
Type Naval gun
Place of origin Japan
Service history
In service 1941-1945
Used by Imperial Japanese Navy
Wars World War II
Production history
Designed 1933
Manufacturer Kure Naval Arsenal
No. built 80
Specifications
Weight 12,700 kilograms (28,000 lb)
Barrel length 9.61 metres (31.5 ft)
Shell 55.87 kilograms (123.2 lb)[1]
Caliber 155 millimetres (6.1 in) 60 caliber
Elevation -7° to +45°[2]
Rate of fire 5 rpm
Muzzle velocity 925 metres per second (3,030 ft/s)
Maximum firing range 27,400 metres (30,000 yd)
at 45°

The 15.5 cm/60 3rd Year Type (60口径三年式15.5cm3連装砲, 60 kōkei sannenshiki 15.5 centi sanrensōhō) was a dual-purpose naval gun used by the Imperial Japanese Navy on the Yamato-class battleships as secondary armament in four triple turrets, the Mogami-class cruisers in five triple turrets (later converted to five twin 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun turrets) and on the light cruiser Ōyodo in two triple turrets. The Tone-class cruisers were also initially planned to carry the 15.5 cm/60 3rd Year Type in five triple turrets, but were redesigned with the 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type in four twin turrets. They were also deployed on 60° single mounts as coastal defense guns in the Tokyo Bay area.[3] Construction was of the monobloc type with autofretting and used a Welin breech block mechanism which could be operated either hydraulically or by hand. Their slow rate of fire, limited elevation and slow traverse made them unsuitable for the AA role, but they were an excellent anti-ship weapon.[4]

Notes

  1. ↑ DiGiulian
  2. ↑ Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, p.187-188.
  3. ↑ Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, p.187-188.
  4. ↑ DiGiulian

References

  • Tony DiGiulian, Japanese 15.5 cm/60 (6.1") 3rd Year Type
  • Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.