This gun was manufactured in France in the early 1890's by the French designer Canet. Together with a 12 cm/45 (4.7") gun, it was shown to a Russian delegation in 1891. By using fixed ammunition, the French were able to achieve an amazing rate of fire of 12 rpm for the 12 cm/45 and 10 rpm for the 6"/45 (15.2 cm). A license was quickly purchased and production in Russia began in 1892 at the Obukhov factory. Between 1897 and 1901 some 219 of the 6" (15.2 cm) guns were built.
During the Russo-Japanese war several of these guns suffered burst barrels which resulted in a post-war redesign to strengthen the barrels. Between 1909 and 1916 an additional 304 guns were built to this new design. These were actively used in both World War I and the Russian Civil war as ship guns, coastal defense guns, rail road guns and as the armament for river craft and armored trains.
In 1941 there were still 196 guns of this type in the Soviet Navy (82 in the Baltic, 70 in the Pacific, 37 in the Black sea and 7 in the Northern fleet).
Some 100 guns of this type remained in Finnish hands after independence in 1917, most of them in the former Russian coastal fortresses of the Peter the Great Maritime Fortress System built around 1912-17 to protect St. Petersburg. The Finns modified the guns by turning them upside down and thus putting the recoil system on top, a change which substantially increased their maximum elevation and consequently the range.
In the 1950s, these guns were modernized and given new 50 caliber barrels which were manufactured by the Tampella Company, the type code being changed from 152/45 C to 152/50 T. Muzzle brakes were also installed. At the same time, the guns were changed from using bagged charges to using cartridge cases and new shell models were developed. As originally finished, these guns were furnished with a naval-type shield that was open at the back or given no shield at all. During the 1960s, the guns were given a full cupola of relatively thin plate intended to provide protection against napalm and shrapnel. In this form, the guns formed the heavy artillery of Finnish coastal fortifications well into the 1980's, when they were superseded by a new-construction auto-loading 130 mm (5.1") gun in a power-driven armored turret with computer-controlled gunlaying (the 130 53 TK). These are now being phased out in favor of mobile anti-ship missiles.
Actual bore diameter was 152.4 mm (6.0").
| Designation | 6"/45 (15.2 cm) Pattern 1892 152 mm/45 (6") Pattern 1892 |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | Most battleships and cruisers built between 1890 and 1916 |
| Date Of Design | N/A |
| Date In Service | 1892 |
| Gun Weight | 5.7 - 6.1 tons (5.815 - 6.290 mt) |
| Gun Length oa | 300 in (6.858 m) |
| Bore Length | N/A |
| Rifling Length | 210.6 in (5.349 m) |
| Grooves | 36 |
| Lands | N/A |
| Twist | N/A |
| Chamber Volume | N/A |
| Rate Of Fire | Single Casemate on Bayan class: 7 rounds per minute Others: N/A |
| Type | Early models: Fixed Later models: Separate ammunition |
|---|---|
| Projectile Types and Weights | AP "iron": 91.27 lbs. (41.4 kg) AP "old model": 91.27 lbs. (41.4 kg) HE "old model": 91.27 lbs. (41.4 kg) HE mod 1907: 91.4 lbs. (41.6 kg) HE mod 1907 (modernized): 109.7 lbs. (49.76 kg) HE mod 1915: 91.4 lbs. (41.6 kg) Shrapnel mod 1913: 91.4 lbs. (41.46 kg) Chemical: 100.7 lbs. (45.7 kg) Diving: 106 lbs. (48.1 kg) Star Shell: 88.89 lbs (40.32 kg) |
| Bursting Charge | AP "iron": 3 lbs. (1.365 kg) AP "old model": 2.7 lbs. (1.23 kg) HE "old model": 6 lbs. (2.713 kg) HE mod 1907: 8.16 lbs. (3.7 kg) HE mod 1907 (modernized): 7.94 lbs. (3.6 kg) HE mod 1915: 12.79 lbs. (5.8 kg) Shrapnel mod 1913: 1.23 lbs. (0.56 kg) Chemical: none Diving: 22.49 lbs (10.2 kg) Star Shell: 0.74 lbs. (0.335 kg) |
| Projectile Length | AP "iron": 3.25 calibers AP "old model": 2.8 calibers HE "old model": 3 calibers HE mod 1907: 3.2 calibers HE mod 1907 (modernized): 4.1 calibers HE mod 1915: 4.1 calibers Shrapnel mod 1913: 3.6 calibers Diving: 4.67 calibers Star Shell: 4 calibers |
| Propellant Charge | AP "iron": 26.46 lbs. (12 kg) AP "old model": 26.46 lbs. (12 kg) HE "old model": 26.46 lbs. (12 kg) HE mod 1907: 26.46 lbs. (12 kg) HE mod 1907 (modernized): 26.46 lbs. (12 kg) HE mod 1915: 26.46 lbs. (12 kg) Shrapnel mod 1913: 26.46 lbs. (12 kg) Diving: 2.65 lbs. (1.2 kg) Star Shell: 18.74 lbs. (8.5 kg) |
| Muzzle Velocity | HE mod 1907: 2,600 fps (792.5 mps) HE mod 1907 (modernized): 2,470 fps (753 mps) HE mod 1915: 2,600 fps (793 mps) Shrapnel mod 1913: 2,600 fps (793 mps) Chemical: 2,493 fps (760 mps) Diving: 750 fps (229 mps) Star Shell: 2,231 fps (680 mps) |
| Working Pressure | N/A |
| Approximate Barrel Life | N/A |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | Tsesarevich, Rostislav, Borodino and Potemkin: 180 rounds Tri Svyatitelya: 190 rounds Bayan (casemate mounts): 158 rounds Bayan (open mounts): 120 rounds Gromoboy: 240 rounds Rossiya: 210 rounds Bogatyr: 220 rounds Pallada: 180 rounds Varyag: 199 rounds |
| Elevation | HE mod 1907 | HE mod 1907 (modern) | HE mod 1915 | Shrapnel mod 1913 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 degrees | 12,600 yards (11,520 m) | 15,400 yards (14,080 m) | 15,800 yards (14,450 m) | 13,801 yards (12,620 m) |
| 25 degrees | 13,600 yards (12,440 m) | 17,000 yards (15,540 m) | 17,400 yards (15,910 m) | 15,200 yards (13,900 m) |
| 30 degrees | 14,400 yards (13,170 m) | 18,400 yards (16,830 m) | 18,400 yards (16,830 m) | 16,400 yards (15,000 m) |
| 40 degrees | 15,400 yards (14,080 m) | 20,200 yards (18,470 m) | 19,400 yards (17,740 m) | 17,940 yards (16,410 m) |
| 45 degrees | --- | 20,400 yards (18,660 m) | 19,490 yards (17,820 m) | --- |
| Elevation | Range | Side Armor | Striking Velocity | Angle of Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 degrees | 0 yards (0 m) | 6.14 in (156 mm) | 2,600 fps (792.5 mps) | 0 |
| 1.13 degrees | 2,000 yards (1,830 m) | 3.90 in (99 mm) | 1,935 fps (590 mps) | 1.22 |
| 2.62 degrees | 4,000 yards (3,660 m) | 2.60 in (66 mm) | 1,415 fps (431 mps) | 3.85 |
| 4.95 degrees | 6,000 yards (5,490 m) | 1.69 in (43 mm) | 1,095 fps (334 mps) | 7.68 |
| 8.53 degrees | 8,000 yards (7,320 m) | 1.26 in (32 mm) | 945 fps (288 mps) | 16.20 |
| 13.40 degrees | 10,000 yards (9,140 m) | 1.14 in (29 mm) | 905 fps (276 mps) | 24.80 |
| 19.49 degrees | 12,000 yards (10,970 m) | 1.06 in (27 mm) | 890 fps (271 mps) | 34.60 |
Data from "Gangut" Issue 7 article for these guns vs. KC-type Armor.
This projectile was in use during the Russo-Japanese War.
| Designation | Twin Turrets, Single Open and Single Casemate Mounts |
|---|---|
| Weight |
|
| Elevation |
|
| Rate of Elevation | Twin Turrets: 3.25 degrees per second Single Casemate on Bayan Class: 3 degrees per second Others: N/A |
| Train | Twin Turrets: 135 degrees bow and stern turrets, 180 degrees middle Open mounts: 360 degrees Casemate: 100 degrees |
| Rate of Train | Twin Turret: 5 degrees per second Single Casemate on Bayan class: 5 degrees per second Others: N/A |
| Gun Recoil |
|
| Loading Angle | Twin Turret: -3 / +3 degrees Others: N/A |
Data from:
- "Morskaya Artilleriya Rossiyskogo Flota 1867-1922" (Naval Artillery of the Russian Fleet 1867-1922) and "Entsiklopedia Otechestvennoi Artillerii" (Encyclopedia of Fatherland [Russian] Artillery) both by A.V. Shirokorad
- "Imperial Russian Navy Cruiser Varyag" article by Adam Smigielski in "Warship" Volume III
- "Gangut" Issue 7 article by S.I. Titushkin
Special help from Vladimir Yakubov and Jarmo Kankaanpää
- 26 November 2008
- Benchmark
- 12 January 2009
- Added picture of Tsesarevich, added weights of mountings
- 12 August 2012
- Updated to latest template