152 mm/53 Italian naval gun Models 1926 and 1929

152 mm /53 Model 1926–1929 Italy Naval gun yes yes 1926–1964 Italy World War II Ansaldo 1926 AnsaldoOTO Melara 1926–1929 Model 1926: 7.34 metric tonsModel 1929: 7.69 metric tons 8.5 m ftin us 8 m ftin us 53 caliber Early: 50 kg lb usLate: 47.5 kg lb us 152 mm in us Model 1926: 4 rpmModel 1929: 5-8 rpm Early: 1000 m/s ft/s onLate: 850 m/s ft/s on Early: 28.4 km mi at +45°Late: 22.6 km mi at +45°Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, p.328. Horizontal sliding breech block Model 1926: -5° to +45°Model 1929:-10° to +45° -150° to +150°http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNIT_6-53_m1926.php 152 mm/53 (6") Models 1926 and 1929 - NavWeaps Tony DiGiulian navweaps.com The 152 mm /53 Model 1926–1929 were built for the Italian Navy in the years before World War II. These guns were used on all Condottieri cruiser 0 light cruisers except the Duca degli Abruzzi subclass. Construction The Model 1926 was designed and manufactured by Ansaldo, while the Model 1929 was manufactured by OTO Melara. Although both models of gun were similar in construction, components from each manufacturer were not fully interchangeable. 20em Commonalities: A tube Jacket Loose liner Horizontal sliding breech block 20em Differences: Thickness of liner Size of breech ring Length of jacket The gun mounts had electrically powered training, elevation, hoists, rammers and the guns shared a common cradle. Improvements in ammunition handling meant that the rate of fire for the Model 1929 was nearly twice as fast as the Model 1926. Loading was at +20° for the Model 1926, while the model 1929 could be loaded at any angle up to 45°. These guns suffered from dispersion problems so the original muzzle velocity of 1000 m/s ft/s was reduced to 850 m/s ft/s with AP shells. Shell weight was also reduced from 50 kg lb us to 47.5 kg lb us in an attempt to resolve these problems, but were only partially successful. The main reason for the dispersion problem was because the guns were mounted too close together on a common cradle, which also complicated loading of the guns.Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, p.331-332. Naval service The majority of the Condottieri classes had two superfiring twin-mount turrets forward and aft, except for the Duca degli Abruzzi subclass which had different model guns and had two twin turrets replaced with two triple turrets. The Giussano cruiser 4 carried Model 1926 guns, while the Cadorna, Montecuccoli, and Duca d'Aosta subclasses carried Model 1929 guns. The mountings for the Giussano and Cadorna subclasses were found to be too lightly built for the recoil forces created by these guns.Campbell, Naval Weapons of WWII, pp. 331-332. Ammunition Ammunition was of quick-fire separate loading type. The AP projectile was 63 cm ft long with a cartridge case and a bagged charge which weighed 21.43 kg lb. The gun was able to fire: Armor Piercing (early) - 50 kg on Armor Piercing (late) - 47.5 kg on High Explosive - 44.3 kg onhttp://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNIT_6-53_m1926.php 152 mm/53 (6") Models 1926 and 1929 - NavWeaps Tony DiGiulian navweaps.com Photo gallery Surviving examples of Model 1929 guns salvaged from the cruiser Italian cruiser Raimondo Montecuccoli 2 are located at the it Città della Domenica theme and amusement park near Perugia, Italy. See also Weapons of comparable role, performance and era BL 6-inch Mk XXII naval gun approximate British equivalent deployed on battleships 6-inch/53-caliber gun US equivalent Notes References Naval Weapons of World War Two Campbell, John Naval Institute Press 1985 0-87021-459-4 http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNIT_6-53_m1926.php Tony DiGiulian navweaps.com Italy 152 mm/53 (6") Models 1926 and 1929 - NavWeaps 2017-03-02 Category:152 mm artillery Category:World War II naval weapons Category:World War II artillery of Italy Category:Naval guns of Italy