15 cm/50 41st Year Type

15 cm/50 41 Year Type
Twin turrets on Agano, October 1942
Type	Naval gun, coastal defence
Place of origin	Japan
Service history
In service	1913-1945
Used by	Imperial Japanese Navy
Wars	World War I World War II
Production history
Designed	1908
Specifications
Mass	8,360 kilograms (8.23 long tons; 9.22 short tons)
Length	7.8 metres (26 ft)
Barrel length	7.6 metres (25 ft)
Shell	100 pounds (45 kg)
Caliber	6-inch (152.4 mm)
Elevation	Kongō & Fusō: -5 to +30 Agano: -5 to +55
Traverse	Kongō & Fusō: -70 to +70 Agano: -150 to +150
Rate of fire	6 (effective)
Muzzle velocity	850 metres per second (2,800 ft/s)
Effective firing range	Kongō & Fusō: 18,000 metres (20,000 yd) at 30° Agano: 21,000 metres (23,000 yd) at 45°[1]

The 15 cm/50 41st Year Type gun (50口径四十一式15cm砲, 50-kōkei yonjū-ichi shiki 15-senchi hō) was a naval gun used by the Imperial Japanese Navy before and during World War II. It had a 152 millimetres (6.0 in) bore with a length of 7.6 metres (25 ft) (50 calibre) and fired 45.4 kilograms (100 lb) shell for a distance of 18,000 metres (20,000 yd) (in single mount version) or 21,000 metres (23,000 yd) (in the later twin mounts). The gun was first used in single casemates on the Kongō-class battlecruisers and Fusō-class battleships and later in the Agano-class light cruisers in twin mountings.