15 cm/50 41st Year Type


The 15 cm/50 41st Year Type gun was a naval gun used by the Imperial Japanese Navy before and during World War II. It had a bore with a length of and fired shell for a distance of or . 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.

History

The Type 41 was a Japanese version of the Vickers "Mark M", originally introduced by Vickers-Armstrong as the secondary battery for the Kongō-class. These original guns were designated by the Japanese Navy as the "Mark II", whereas the Japanese-designed copy were designated as the "Mark III".
In the 1930s, the Kongō-class were modernized, at which time these guns were replaced by new 12.7 cm/40 DP guns. The old guns were placed in storage and were reused on the Agano-class. Some were taken to Guam and were used for coastal defense batteries.
In the Agano-class, the gun could elevate to 55° for anti-aircraft fire; however, its manual loading method allowed a rate of fire of only about 6 rounds per minute, which significantly limited its utility as an anti-aircraft weapon.

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