A lighter-weight gun used near the end of World War I on large destroyers and "U-boat Kreuzers." The difference between the models was in the mountings, the guns themselves were identical. A Flak version of the latter gun was produced but details are lacking.
Following the end of World War I, ships armed with these guns were transferred to the Allies as war reparations, including the destroyer S113 which was recommissioned in the French Navy as Amiral Sénès and the destroyer V116 which became the Italian Premuda. The easy and reliable operation of the semi-automatic gun breeches aboard ex-S113 impressed French ordnance officers who copied the design for their 138.6 mm/40 (5.46") Model 1927. The French later reused the German guns to arm two merchant cruisers during World War II.
During World War II the Germans used these guns to arm merchant ship raiders, supply ships and as coastal artillery.
Spain acquired 12 of these guns in 1936. These were emplaced in three coastal defense batteries located at Rule (Chipiona), Port of Passages and Malaga.
All German 15 cm guns had an actual bore diameter of 14.91 cm (5.87 in).
| Designation | 15 cm/45 (5.9") Tbts KL/45
15 cm/45 (5.9") Ubts + Tbts KL/45 15 cm/45 (5.9") Ubts + Tbts Flak L/45 |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | Germany - 1918
Destroyer classes: S113, V116, G119 and B122 U-boat classes: U117 (Project 45), U127 (Project 42), U139 (Project 46) and U213 (Project 42A) France - 1939
|
| Date Of Design | about 1917 |
| Date In Service | 1918 |
| Gun Weight | 8,800 lbs. (3,990 kg) including breech |
| Gun Length oa | 262.8 in (6.675 m) |
| Bore Length | 247.7 in (6.291 m) |
| Rifling Length | N/A |
| Grooves | (48) 0.055 in D x 0.210 W (1.40 mm D x 5.3 mm W) |
| Lands | 0.176 in (4.47 mm) |
| Twist | Uniform RH 1 in 24.9 |
| Chamber Volume | 858 in3 (14.06 dm3) |
| Rate Of Fire | 4 - 5 rounds per minute |
- The Italian Navy (Regia Marina) designated these weapons as 149/42 cannon.
| Type | Separate | |
|---|---|---|
| Projectile Types and Weights 1a | World War I
HE L/4,1 base fuze: 99.8 lbs. (45.3 kg) HE L/4,1 nose fuze: 99.8 lbs. (45.3 kg) Illumination L/3,6: 81.57 lbs. (37.0 kg) World War II
|
|
| Bursting Charge | World War I Projectiles 2a | |
| HE L/4,1 base fuze | G: N/A
S: 8.20 lbs. (3.720 kg) TNT |
|
| HE L/4,1 nose fuze | G: N/A
S: 8.48 lbs. (3.848 kg) TNT |
World War II Projectiles 3a |
| HE L/4,1 base fuze | G: 7.25 lbs. (3.920 kg)
S: 7.90 lbs. (3.584 kg) TNT 4a | |
| HE L/4,1 nose fuze | G: 9.02 lbs. (4.092 kg)
S: 8.51 lbs. (3.862 kg) TNT 5a |
|
| Projectile Length | HE L/4,1 base fuze: about 24.2 in (61.5 cm)
HE L/4,1 nose fuze: about 24.2 in (61.5 cm) Illum L/4,3: 25.4 in (64.5 cm) |
|
| Propellant Charge | World War I: N/A
World War II: 18.34 lbs. (8.32 kg) RP C/38 (6.5/2.8) |
|
| Muzzle Velocity | Non-Illumination: 2,740 fps (835 mps)
Illumination L/3,6: 1,640 fps (500 mps) Illumination L/4,3: 2,130 fps (650 mps) |
|
| Working Pressure | N/A | |
| Approximate Barrel Life | N/A | |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | S113: 90 rounds
U-Boat cruisers: 500 rounds |
|
- ^
Actual German designations HE L/4,1 base fuze 15 cm Spgr. L/4,1 Bdz 15 cm HE 4,1 nose fuze 15 cm Spgr. L/4,1 Kz Illumination L/3,6 15 cm Lg L/3,6 Illum L/4,3 15 cm Lg L/4,3 - ^Burster weights (G = Gesamtgewicht and S = reiner Sprengstoff) for World War I from "Diagrams of Great War."
- ^Burster weights (G = Gesamtgewicht and S = reiner Sprengstoff) for World War II from M.Dv. Nr. 198.
- ^The burster for the World War II HE L/4,1 base fuze projectile was made from Fp 1.
- ^The burster for the World War II HE L/4,1 nose fuze projectile was made from Fp 02.
| Elevation | World War I | World War II |
|---|---|---|
| 30 degrees | 15,860 yards (14,500 m) | 17,390 yards (15,900 m) |
| Designation | Single Pedestal Mounts
Destroyers (4): N/A (possibly Tbts MP LC/16) U-Boats (1): N/A (possibly Ubts MP LC/16) |
|---|---|
| Weight | 18,186 lbs. (8,525 kg) |
| Elevation | -4 / +40 degrees |
| Elevation Rate | Manual operation, only |
| Train | about +150 / -150 degrees |
| Train Rate | Manual operation, only |
| Gun recoil | N/A |
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"Naval Weapons of World War One" by Norman Friedman
"Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906-1922" by Randal Gray and Robert Gardiner (Editor)
"German Warships 1815-1945" by Erich Gröner
"French Destroyers: Torpilleurs d'Escadre & Contre-Torpilleurs 1922 - 1956" by John Jordan and Jean Moulin
"Die Geschichte der deutschen Schiffsartillerie" by Paul Schmalenbach
"German Warships of World War I" by John C. Taylor
"German Cruisers of World War Two", "Cruisers of World War Two" and "German Capital Ships of World War Two" all by M.J. Whitley
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"Übersicht über die für die Marinegeschütze und deren Abk K zu verwendende Munition und ihre Einzelteile einschließlich Salut-
und Manöverladungen" M.Dv. Nr. 198 by Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine
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Tony DiGiulian's personal data files
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Special Help from Peter Lienau and Javier Villarroya del Real
28 December 2008 - Benchmark
06 February 2011 - Added Flak version
25 November 2012 - Added details on guns, ammunition and mountings
16 December 2013 - Redid photograph of V116
29 January 2014 - Added photograph of U-Boat
05 April 2020 - Updated to HTML 5 format
04 February 2021 - Added photograph of gun at Barcelona
23 August 2024 - Added ammunition information
16 June 2025 - Redid Burster table