Cannone da 152/45

The Cannone da 152/45 modello 1911 was an Italian naval gun built by the Ansaldo company. It formed the secondary armament of the two Andrea Doria-class dreadnought battleships built during World War I. A number of guns were also converted to siege artillery and coastal artillery roles and served during both world wars.

Cannone da 152/45
Cannone da 152/45's on pedestal mounts at the Ansaldo factory.
Type	Naval gun Coastal artillery Siege gun
Place of origin	Kingdom of Italy
Service history
In service	1917–1945
Used by	Kingdom of Italy
Wars	World War I World War II
Production history
Manufacturer	Ansaldo
Specifications
Mass	Naval gun: 7.1 t (7 long tons) Siege gun: 16.67 t (16.41 long tons)
Barrel length	7.138 m (23 ft 5 in) L/46.7
Shell	Separate loading bagged charge and projectile
Shell weight	47 kg (104 lb)
Caliber	152.4 mm (6 in)
Breech	Welin breech block
Recoil	Hydro-spring
Carriage	Box trail
Elevation	-5° to +45°
Traverse	Casemate: 60° Siege gun: 10°
Rate of fire	1 rpm
Muzzle velocity	830 m/s (2,700 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	19.4 km (12 mi)

Variants

• Coastal artillery - An unknown number of guns were mounted on shielded pedestal mounts as coastal artillery during both world wars.^[1]
• Naval artillery - The secondary armament of this class of two ships consisted of sixteen 45-calibre 152-millimetre (6 in) guns, mounted in single casemates along the sides of the hull underneath the main guns.^[2] These guns could traverse 60 degrees, depress to −5 degrees and had a maximum elevation of +20 degrees. The gun mounts had a reputation of being wet in heavy seas and when the ships were modernized these gun positions were removed and the surplus guns were redeployed.^[3]
• Siege artillery - This version consisted of mounting surplus barrels on a large box trail carriage to address the Italian Army's need for siege artillery and long-range counter-battery work. The carriage had a large open section in the middle that allowed the gun to reach high elevation angles. In order to deploy the guns, a large pit had to be dug to allow the breech to recoil and also allowed the gun crew to service the breech. At the front of the pit, there was a platform to anchor the gun, allowing for limited traverse. 53 were in Italian service in 1939 mostly in Northern Italy. The German designation for the gun was the 15.2 cm K 411(i).^[4]

Photo Gallery

• 
  A 152/45 at Monte Sabatino in 1917.
• 
  A 152/45 captured by Austro-Hungarian forces.
• 
  A 152/45 on its firing platform