View source for 15 cm SK L/45

{{Infobox weapon
|name=15 cm SK L/45
| image=German gun from SMS Bremse - geograph.org.uk - 118942.jpg
| image_size = 300
|caption=Gun salvaged from {{SMS|Bremse}}, at the [[Scapa Flow#Scapa Flow Visitor Centre|Scapa Flow Visitor Centre]], [[Hoy, Orkney|Hoy]], [[Orkney]]
|origin= [[German Empire]]
|type=[[Naval gun]]<br /> [[Railroad gun]]<br />[[Coastal artillery]]
<!-- Type selection -->
|is_ranged=
|is_bladed=
|is_explosive=yes
|is_artillery=yes
|is_vehicle=
|is_UK=
<!-- Service history -->
|service=1908—45
|used_by= Germany
|wars=[[World War I]]<br>[[World War II]]
<!-- Production history -->
|designer=[[Krupp]]
|design_date=1906
|manufacturer=[[Krupp]]
|production_date=1908
|number=
|variants=
<!-- General specifications -->
|weight={{convert|5730|kg|lb}}
|length={{convert|6.71|m|ftin|sigfig=1}}
|part_length={{convert|6.32|m|ftin|sigfig=1}}L/45
|width=
|height=
|crew=
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
|cartridge=[[Glossary of British ordnance terms#Separate QF|separate loading quick fire]]
|caliber={{convert|149.1|mm|in}}
|action=
|rate=5-7 rpm
|velocity={{convert|840|m/s|ft/s}}
|range=
|max_range=See table
|feed=
|sights=
<!-- Artillery specifications -->
|breech=horizontal [[Rifled breech loader#The sliding block|sliding-wedge]]
|recoil=[[Glossary of British ordnance terms#Hydro-spring|Hydro-spring]]
|carriage=
|elevation=See table
|traverse=−150° to +150°
<!-- Bladed weapon specifications -->
|blade_type=
|hilt_type=
|sheath_type=
|head_type=
|haft_type=
<!-- Explosive specifications -->
|diameter=
|filling=
|filling_weight=
|detonation=
|yield=
<!-- Vehicle specifications -->
|armour=
|primary_armament=
|secondary_armament=
|engine=
|engine_power=
|pw_ratio=
|suspension=
|vehicle_range=
|speed=
}}

The '''15&nbsp;cm SK L/45'''<ref group=Note>SK - ''Schnelladekanone'' (quick loading cannon); ''L - Länge in Kaliber'' ([[Caliber#Caliber as measurement of length|length in caliber]])</ref> was a [[Military of Germany|German]] naval gun used in [[World War I]] and [[World War II]].

==Naval service==
The 15&nbsp;cm SK L/45 was a widely used naval gun on many classes of World War I [[dreadnought]]s and [[cruisers]] in both [[Casemate#Single casemates .281889 onwards.29|casemates]] and [[Gun turret|turrets]].  It was constructed of an A tube and two layers of hoops with a Krupp horizontal [[Rifled breech loader#The sliding block|sliding-wedge]] breech block.  During World War I a few pre-war cruisers that were armed with 10.5&nbsp;cm guns were rearmed with these weapons. In World War II the 15&nbsp;cm SK L/45 was widely used as [[coastal artillery]] and as primary armament on [[List of auxiliary and merchant cruisers#German auxiliary cruiser raiders|German auxiliary cruisers]].

Ship classes that carried the 15&nbsp;cm SK L/45 include:
{{columns-list|colwidth=18em|
* {{sclass|Bremen|cruiser|4}}
* {{sclass|Brummer|cruiser|4}}
* {{sclass|Graudenz|cruiser|4}}
* {{sclass|Kolberg|cruiser|4}}
* {{sclass|Magdeburg|cruiser|4}}
* {{sclass|Pillau|cruiser|4}}
}}
{| class=wikitable
|+ '''15&nbsp;cm SK L/45 mounts'''<ref>from NavWeaps</ref>
! Type of mount
! Designation
! Weight
! Elevation
! Range (during World War I)
! Ship classes
|-
| rowspan="4"| Single pedestal mounts in casemates||MPL C/06||{{convert|15770|kg|lb|abbr=on}}||−7° to +20°||{{convert|14.9|km|mi|abbr=on}} at 20°||{{sclass|Nassau|battleship|5}}, {{sclass|Helgoland|battleship|5}}, and {{sclass|Kaiser|battleship|4}}es, {{SMS|Von der Tann||6}}, {{sclass|Moltke|battlecruiser|4}}, {{SMS|Blücher}}
|-
| |MPL C/06.11||{{convert|16533|kg|lb|abbr=on}}||−10° to +19°||{{convert|13.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} at +19||{{sclass|König|battleship|4}}, {{SMS|Seydlitz||2}}, {{sclass|Derfflinger|battlecruiser|4}}, {{SMS|Lützow||2}}
|-
| |MPL C/13||{{convert|17950|kg|lb|abbr=on}}||−8.5° to +19||{{convert|13.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} at +19||{{sclass|Bayern|battleship|4}}, {{SMS|Hindenburg||2}}, {{sclass|Mackensen|battlecruiser|4}}
|-
| |MPL C/13 mod||{{convert|18350|kg|lb|abbr=on}}||−8.5° to +22||{{convert|15.8|km|mi|abbr=on}} at +22||Wartime modification to MPL C/13
|-
| rowspan="3"| Single pedestal mounts in open half-shields||MPL C/14||{{convert|16185|kg|lb|abbr=on}}||−10° to +22°||{{convert|15.8|km|mi|abbr=on}} at +22||{{sclass|Wiesbaden|cruiser|4}}, {{sclass|Königsberg|cruiser|4||1915}}
|-
| |MPL C/16||{{convert|17116|kg|lb|abbr=on}}||−10° to +27°||{{convert|16.8|km|mi|abbr=on}} at +27||{{sclass|Cöln|cruiser|4}}, {{SMS|Emden|1916|6}}
|-
| |MPL C/16 mod||||−10° to +30||{{convert|17.6|km|mi|abbr=on}} at +30||wartime modification to MPL C/16
|}

==Ammunition==
Ammunition was of [[Glossary of British ordnance terms#Separate QF|separate loading quick fire]] type.  The projectiles were {{convert|61|cm|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} long with a single bagged charge which weighed {{convert|13-14|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.

The gun was able to fire:
* [[Shell (projectile)#Armor-piercing shells|Armor piercing]] {{convert|45.3|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
* [[High Explosive|High explosive]] [[Artillery fuze#Base fuzes|base fuzed]] {{convert|45.3|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
* [[High Explosive|High explosive]] [[Artillery fuze#Direct action fuzes|nose fuzed]] {{convert|45.3|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
* [[Glossary of British ordnance terms#Common shell|Common shell]] {{convert|45.3|kg|lb|abbr=on}}

== Coast defense gun ==
[[File:15 cm SK L45 coastal artillery gun at Nordarnøy, Norway - 1.jpg|thumb|15 cm SK L/45 coastal artillery gun at [[Nord-Arnøya]], [[Gildeskål Municipality]], Norway]]
[[File:15 cm SK L45 coastal artillery gun at Nordarnøy, Norway - 2.jpg|thumb|Rear view of the above pictured 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]].<ref>Gander and Chamberlain, p. 266</ref> They show it using {{convert|44|kg|lb}} shells with a range of {{convert|18000|m|yd}}

== Railroad gun ==
{{main|15 cm SK "Nathan"}}
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===
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist|colwidth=25em}}

== References ==
* {{cite book|last=Gander|first=Terry|author2=Chamberlain, Peter|title=Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939–1945|publisher=Doubleday|location=New York|year=1979|isbn=0-385-15090-3}}
* {{cite book|title=Naval Weapons of World War Two |author=Campbell, John |publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1985|isbn=0-87021-459-4}}
* {{cite book|title=Naval Weapons of World War One|last=Friedman|first=Norman|publisher=Seaforth|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK}}
* {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1985|isbn=0-85177-245-5|location=Annapolis, Maryland|editor1-last=Gardiner|editor1-first=Robert|editor2-last=Gray|editor2-first=Randal}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_59-45_skc16.htm the 15cm SK L/45 on NavWeaps]

{{WWIGermanNavalWeapons}}
{{WWIIGermanGuns}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:15 cm 4th cat SK L/45}}
[[Category:Naval guns of Germany]]
[[Category:Krupp naval guns]]
[[Category:World War I naval weapons]]
[[Category:World War II naval weapons]]
[[Category:150 mm artillery]]
[[Category:Coastal artillery]]