The was a
dual-purpose naval gun
Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare and then subsequently used for shore bombardment and anti-aircraft roles. The term generally refers to tube-launched projectile-firing weapons and excludes ...
used by the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...
on the s as secondary armament in four triple turrets, the s in five triple turrets (later converted to five twin
20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun turrets) and on the light cruiser
''Ōyodo'' in two triple turrets. The s were also initially planned to carry the 15.5 cm/60 3rd Year Type in five triple turrets, but were redesigned with the 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type in four twin turrets. They were also deployed on 60° single mounts as
coastal defense guns in the Tokyo Bay area. Construction was of the monobloc type with
autofretting and used a
Welin breech block
The Welin breech block was a revolutionary stepped, interrupted thread design for locking artillery breeches, invented by Axel Welin in 1889 or 1890. Shortly after, Vickers acquired the British patents. Welin breech blocks provide obturation for ...
mechanism which could be operated either hydraulically or by hand. Their slow rate of fire, limited elevation and slow traverse made them unsuitable for the
AA role, but they were an excellent anti-ship weapon.
[DiGiulian]
See also
*
Canon de 155 mm Modèle 1920 French counterpart by caliber
Notes
References
*
*Tony DiGiulian
Japanese 15.5 cm/60 (6.1") 3rd Year Type
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:15.5 cm 60 3rd Year Type
World War II naval weapons
Naval guns of Japan
155 mm artillery
Military equipment introduced in the 1930s