| 15 cm SK L/40 | |
| Origin: | German Empire |
| Type: | Naval gun Coast-defence gun |
| Is Ranged: | y |
| Is Explosive: | yes |
| Is Artillery: | yes |
| Service: | 1898—1945 |
| Used By: | German Empire Austria-Hungary The Netherlands Nazi Germany |
| Wars: | World War I World War II |
| Designer: | Krupp |
| Design Date: | 1897 |
| Manufacturer: | Krupp |
| Variants: | No.2, No.3, No.4, No.5 Krupp 15 cm L/40 K94 Škoda 15 cm L/40 K96 |
| Weight: | 4460sp=usNaNsp=us |
| Length: | 6sp=usNaNsp=us |
| Part Length: | 5.4sp=usNaNsp=us |
| Cartridge: | Separate-loading, cased charge |
| Caliber: | 149.1mm |
| Rate: | 4-5 rpm |
| Velocity: | 800sp=usNaNsp=us |
| Max Range: | 13.7sp=usNaNsp=us at 20°. |
| Breech: | horizontal sliding breech block |
| Elevation: | -7° to +20° |
| Traverse: | -150° to +150° |
The 15 cm SK L/40[1] was a German naval gun that was used as secondary armament on pre-dreadnought battleships, protected cruisers and armored cruisers of the Imperial German Navy in World War I. It was also used as a coast-defence gun during World Wars I and II.
The 15 cm SK L/40 gun was constructed of A tube, two layers of hoops and used a Krupp horizontal sliding-wedge breech block. It used separate loading metallic cased propellant charges and projectiles. Unlike other large naval guns of the time which used separate loading bagged charges and projectiles, this gun used charges inside of a brass cartridge case to provide obturation. The guns were often mounted in single casemates or single turrets amidships. In addition to guns produced for the Imperial German Navy comparable export models were produced for the Royal Netherlands Navy and produced under license by Škoda for the Austro-Hungarian Navy.
| Export Models | No.2 | No.3 | No.4 | No.5 | Krupp 15 cm L/40 K94 | Škoda 15 cm L/40 K96 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Users | Netherlands | Netherlands | Netherlands | Netherlands | Austria-Hungary | Austria-Hungary | |
| Weight | 4420kg (9,740lb) | 4850kg (10,690lb) | 5200kg (11,500lb) | 4880kg (10,760lb) | 4500kg (9,900lb) | 4500kg (9,900lb) | |
| Rifling Length | 4.4m (14.4feet) | 4.8m (15.7feet) | 5.5m (18feet) | 4.6m (15.1feet) | 4.6m (15.1feet) | 4.6m (15.1feet) | |
| Muzzle Velocity | 680m/s | 680m/s | 850m/s | 745m/s | 690m/s | 690m/s |
Ship classes that carried the 15 cm SK L/40 include:
Ammunition was of separate loading quick fire type. The projectiles were NaNabbr=onNaNabbr=on long with a cartridge case and bagged charge which weighed 10kg (20lb).
The gun was able to fire: