Description

A Japanese version of the Elswick 6" (15.2 cm) gun. Still in use during World War II as coastal artillery. Interesting in that the Protected Cruisers of the Chikuma class had a uniform armament of six of these guns at a time when mixed batteries was the normal fashion.

Redesignated as 41st Year Type on 25 December 1908. Redesignated in centimeters on 5 October 1917.

Gun Characteristics

Designation 6"/45 (15.2 cm) Elswick
6"/45 (15.2 cm) 41st Year Type (Model 1908)
15 cm/45 (6") 41st Year Type (Model 1908)
Ship Class Used On Protected Cruisers Tone and Chikuma classes
Date Of Design 1908
Date In Service 1910
Gun Weight N/A
Gun Length oa N/A
Bore Length 270 in (6.858 m)
Rifling Length N/A
Grooves N/A
Lands N/A
Twist N/A
Chamber Volume N/A
Rate Of Fire about 5 rounds per minute

Ammunition

Type Bag
Projectile Types and Weights AP: 100 lbs. (45.4 kg)
HE: 100 lbs. (45.4 kg)
Bursting Charge N/A
Projectile Length N/A
Propellant Charge N/A
Muzzle Velocity 2,707 fps (825 mps)
Working Pressure N/A
Approximate Barrel Life N/A
Ammunition stowage per gun N/A

Range

Range with 100 lbs. (45.4 kg) AP
Elevation Range
18 degrees 16,190 yards (14,800 m)

Mount/Turret Data

Designation Single Pedestal Mounts: Tone (2) and Chikuma (8)
Weight N/A
Elevation about -5 / +18 degrees
Elevation Rate N/A
Train About +150 / -150 degrees
Train Rate N/A
Gun recoil N/A

Sources

"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War" by Eric Lacroix and Linton Wells II

Page History

16 July 2004 - Benchmark
27 May 2012 - Updated to latest template
04 March 2014 - Replaced photograph of Tone
13 January 2021 - Updated to HTML 5 format