QF 6-inch naval gun

QF 6-inch 40 calibre naval gun 15 cm/40 (6") 41st Year Type
Typical naval deck mounting. An early long cartridge case for gunpowder propellant is upended at bottom left, a shell stands next to the cartridge.
Type	Naval gun Coast defence gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom licence-produced in Japan
Service history
In service	1892–1945
Used by	Royal Navy Imperial Japanese Navy Chilean Navy Italian Navy Argentine Navy United States Romanian Navy Royal Canadian Navy
Wars	Russo-Japanese War World War I World War II
Production history
Manufacturer	Elswick Ordnance Company Royal Arsenal, Woolwich
Specifications
Mass	6.6 tons
Barrel length	240 inches (6.096 m) bore
Shell	QF, separate cartridge and shell
Shell weight	100 pounds (45 kg)
Calibre	6-inch (152mm)
Elevation	-5 / +20 degrees
Traverse	+150 / -150 degrees
Rate of fire	5–7 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	2,154 feet per second (657 m/s)[1] 820 feet per second (250 m/s) for anti-submarine shells
Effective firing range	10,000 yards (9,140 m) at 20°elevation; 15,000 yards (13,700 m) at 28°elevation

The QF 6-inch 40 calibre naval gun (Quick-Firing) was used by many United Kingdom-built warships around the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century. In British service it was known as the QF 6-inch Mk I, II, III guns.^{[note 1]} As the 15 cm/40 (6") 41st Year Type naval gun it was used for pre-dreadnought battleships, armoured cruisers and protected cruisers of the early Imperial Japanese Navy built in UK and European shipyards. It was also the heaviest gun ever carried by a pre-Cold War destroyer.

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