| 15 cm SK C/25 | |
| Origin: | Weimar Republic |
| Type: | Naval gun |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Is Artillery: | yes |
| Service: | 1929–45 |
| Used By: | Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
| Wars: | Second World War |
| Weight: | 11970kg (26,390lb) |
| Length: | 9.08m (29.79feet) |
| Part Length: | 8.57m (28.12feet) |
| Cartridge: | separate-loading, cased charge |
| Caliber: | 149.1mm |
| Rate: | 8 rpm (maximum) |
| Velocity: | 960m/s |
| Max Range: | 25700m (84,300feet) at 40° |
| Breech: | semi-automatic, vertical sliding-block |
| Elevation: | -10° to +40° |
| Traverse: | 360° |
The 15 cm SK C/25[1] was a German medium-caliber naval gun used during the Second World War. It served as the primary armament for the Konigsberg and s. No surplus weapons of this type appear to have been used as coast-defense guns.
This gun was the most powerful of the Kriegsmarine's 15cm (06inches) guns and was designed with a loose barrel, jacket and breech-piece with a vertical sliding breech block.[2]
The Drh. LC/25 triple-gun mount was the only mount used for this gun in the Kriegsmarine. The mount weighed between 136.91t147.15t, depending on its armor thickness; the 's mounts had between 20- of armor while the other ships had 20-. Each mount was designed for full 360° of traverse, but was limited to much less than that by the ship's superstructure. The electrically powered hydraulic pumps had a maximum elevating speed of 8° per second, while train was a maximum of 6-8° per second. The maximum firing cycle was 7.5 seconds, or 8 rounds per minute, despite being hand-loaded and rammed. Ammunition was supplied by three hoists, one between the left and center guns and the other two between center and right guns at the rear of the mount.[2] [3]
The SK C/25 had a number of different shells available.[3]
| Shell name | Weight | Filling Weight | Muzzle velocity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| base-fused HE shell with ballistic cap (Sprenggranate L/4.5 m Bdz m. Hb) | 45.5kg (100.3lb) | 3.058kg (06.742lb) | 960m/s | |
| nose-fused HE shell with ballistic cap (15 cm Spgr. L/4.4 Kz m. Hb) | 45.5kg (100.3lb) | 3.892kg (08.58lb) | 960m/s | |
| base-fused armor-piercing shell with ballistic cap (Panzer-Sprenggranate) L/3.7 m Bdz. m Hb) | 45.5kg (100.3lb) | 0.885kg (01.951lb) | 960m/s | |
| illumination shell | 41kg (90lb) | Unknown | 650m/s |