Elswick guns of various patterns used on battleships and cruisers built around 1900. Some of these guns were still in use during World War II on auxiliary ships and in coastal artillery units. In general, their construction resembled British 6"/40 (15.2 cm) guns of the same era.
Japan sent 15 of these guns to Britain in 1915 but they were apparently never used.
Japanese guns were redesignated as 41st Year Type on 25 December 1908. Redesignated in centimeters on 5 October 1917.
Unless otherwise noted, the data that follows is for Japanese guns, but Elswick guns used by other nations should have had similar performance.
| Designation | 6"/40 (15.2 cm) QF EOC Patterns
6"/40 (15.2 cm) 41st Year Type (Model 1908) 15 cm/40 (6") 41st Year Type (Model 1908) |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | EOC guns were used by many nations
Most Japanese battleships and cruisers built around 1900 |
| Date Of Design | N/A |
| Date In Service | Various designs between 1895 - 1906 |
| Gun Weight | 5.8 to 6.6 tons (6.0 to 6.8 mt) |
| Gun Length oa | N/A |
| Bore Length | 240 in (6.096 m) |
| Rifling Length | N/A |
| Grooves | N/A |
| Lands | N/A |
| Twist | N/A |
| Chamber Volume | N/A |
| Rate Of Fire | 5 - 7 rounds per minute 1 |
- ^
The Rate of Fire figure given above is found in references for British guns of this caliber, but "Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860-1905" quotes Jellicoe's 1906 figures for rates of fire for these guns in gunlayers' tests and in battle practice and notes that the latter figures corresponded well to those actually attained by the Japanese at Tsushima:
Gunlayers Test 12 rounds per minute Battle Practice 4 rounds per minute
| Type | Separate |
|---|---|
| Projectile Types and Weights | Common Mod 1: 100 lbs. (45.4 kg)
Common Type 0 HE: 100 lbs. (45.4 kg) Common Type 3 IS 1a: 100 lbs. (45.4 kg) ASW 2a: 113.0 lbs. (51.3 kg) |
| Bursting Charge | Common Mod 1: 11.4 lbs. (5.2 kg)
Common Type 0 HE: 6.8 lbs. (3.1 kg) Common Type 3 IS: N/A ASW: 6.4 lbs. (2.9 kg) |
| Projectile Length | Common Mod 1: 22.5 in (57.1 cm)
Common Type 0: 22.3 in (56.6 cm) Common Type 3 IS: 23.3 in (59.2 cm) ASW: 23.6 in (60.0 cm) |
| Propellant Charge | N/A |
| Muzzle Velocity | All except ASW: 2,300 fps (701 mps)
ASW: 820 fps (250 mps) |
| Working Pressure | N/A |
| Approximate Barrel Life | N/A |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | N/A |
- ^IS is my abbreviation for the Type 3 Common incendiary shrapnel round (sankaidan) intended for AA use.
- ^The flat-nosed ASW projectile was issued in 1943 following extensive testing. This is listed in US Naval Technical Mission to Japan report O-19 as being able to penetrate a 0.3 in (0.8 cm) plate of Dusol Steel (roughly equivalent to USN HTS) at a depth of 26 feet (8 meters). However, based upon other errors in this document, I would believe this to be an error in metric to english unit conversion and that the actual performance would more likely be 3.1 in (8.0 cm). Range for this performance is not given.
| Elevation | Range |
|---|---|
| 20 degrees | about 10,000 yards (9,140 m) |
| Elevation | Range |
|---|---|
| 40 degrees | 4,590 yards (4,200 m) |
Minimum range of ASW shell is given as 875 yards (800 m). Ranges less than this tended to ricochet.
| Designation | Single Pedestal Mounts |
|---|---|
| Weight | 5.8 to 6.6 tons (5.9 to 6.7 mt) |
| Elevation | about -5 / +20 degrees |
| Elevation Rate | N/A |
| Train | About +150 / -150 degrees |
| Train Rate | N/A |
| Gun recoil | N/A |
"Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860-1905" by D.K. Brown
"The Battle of Tsu-Shima" articles by John Campbell in "Warship Volume II"
"Navy and Army Illustrated Annuals, Volume VI - 1898"
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US Naval Technical Mission to Japan report O-19: Japanese Projectiles General Types
"Flot vo Slavu Rossii" (Fleet in Honor of Russia) CD
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