The 15 cm SK L/45SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon); L - Länge in Kaliber (length in caliber) was a German naval gun used in World War I and World War II.
Naval service The 15 cm SK L/45 was a widely used naval gun on many classes of World War I dreadnoughts and cruisers in both casemates and turrets. It was constructed of an A tube and two layers of hoops with a Krupp horizontal sliding-wedge breech block. During World War I a few pre-war cruisers that were armed with 10.5 cm guns were rearmed with these weapons. In World War II the 15 cm SK L/45 was widely used as coastal artillery and as primary armament on German auxiliary cruisers.
Ship classes that carried the 15 cm SK L/45 include:
+ 15 cm SK L/45 mountsfrom NavWeaps Type of mount Designation Weight Elevation Range (during World War I) Ship classes Single pedestal mounts in casematesMPL C/06−7° to +20° at 20°, , and es, , , MPL C/06.11−10° to +19° at +19, , , MPL C/13−8.5° to +19 at +19, , MPL C/13 mod−8.5° to +22 at +22Wartime modification to MPL C/13 Single pedestal mounts in open half-shieldsMPL C/14−10° to +22° at +22, MPL C/16−10° to +27° at +27, MPL C/16 mod−10° to +30 at +30wartime modification to MPL C/16
Ammunition Ammunition was of separate loading quick fire type. The projectiles were long with a single bagged charge which weighed .
The gun was able to fire: Armor piercing High explosive base fuzed High explosive nose fuzed Common shell
Coast defense gun
The same gun was used for coast defense duties in concrete emplacements after World War I. One example was 3./Marine-Artillerie Abteilung 604 ("3rd Battery of Naval Artillery Battalion 604") in Jersey.Gander and Chamberlain, p. 266 They show it using shells with a range of
Railroad gun
It was also used as a railroad gun during World War I.
See also Weapons of comparable role, performance and era BL 6 inch Mk XII naval gun British equivalent
Footnotes Notes
Citations
References
External links
the 15cm SK L/45 on NavWeaps