Wikipedia

15 cm MRK L/35

The 15 cm Mantel Ring Kanone L/35, known as 15 cm Kanone L/35 was a 15 cm 35 caliber long Krupp Mantel Ring Kanone (MRK). It was very similar to the related 15 cm MRK L/25 and 15 cm MRK L/30. Like these, it was a rifled breech loader built-up gun with a Krupp cylindroprismatic sliding breech.

15 cm MRK L/35
A 15 cm MRK L/35 C/80 in 1890
Place of originGerman Empire
Service history
Used by
Production history
DesignerKrupp
Designed1880
ManufacturerKrupp
Produced1882
No. built?
Specifications
Mass4,470 kg[1]
Length5,220 mm[1]
Caliber149.1 mm[1]
Muzzle velocityc. 589 m/s [1]

Development

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Towards long guns and long projectiles

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Main article: 15 cm MRK L/30

The 15 cm Mantel Ring Kanone L/35 came about when Krupp wanted to profit from a slower burning type of gunpowder invented in the early 1870s, the so-called prismatic gunpowder P.P. C/75. After first lengthening some heavier pieces to a length of 25 calibers (L/25). Krupp started to lengthen the 15 cm RK L/26. In November 1879, it tested a 15 cm MRK L/28, which used a charge of 15 kg of P.P. C/75 and also had earlier innovations like copper driving bands and parallel grooves.[2]

A next innovation were very long projectiles of 3.5 and 4 calibers length, instead of about L/2.8. At longer ranges, these were less vulnerable to drag than shorter higher caliber projectiles of the same weight. However, to remain stable in flight, these longer projectiles required an increase twist rate.[3]

Krupp then designed the so-called Construction C/80. This was an overall specification for the characteristics of guns of 15 cm caliber and higher and with lengths from L/25 to L/35.[4] The next gun that was tested was the prototype gun 15 cm (6 inch) MRK L/30, which had the odd caliber of 6 British inches. In July 1880 this was tested and achieved excellent results.[5]

The 15 cm MRK L/35 is tested

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In March 1882, the first 15 cm Mantel Ring Kanone L/35 was tested in Meppen alongside the new 30.5 cm MRK L/35.[6] In retrospect, this test seems to have been connected to the launch of the first Dingyuan-class ironclad in December 1881, see below.

During the test, the 15 cm L/35 stood on an old coastal carriage that weighed 5,368 kg and provided a firing height of 2.18 m. The carriage allowed elevation to 30 degrees and declination to 6 degrees. The armor-piercing grenades were L/3.35 and L/4 and weighed 51 kg. The charge was 17 kg of single channel prismatic gunpowder of 1.75 density, P.P. C/75.[6]

The caliber of this 15 cm Mantel Ring Kanone L/35 was 149.1 mm. The barrel was 5,220 mm long, length of bore 4,800 mm. It had 36 parallel grooves of 1.5 mm deep and 9 mm wide. The progressive twist rate was 25 calibers. The barrel weighed 4,750 kg including the breech block.[7]

The results of the tests were very good. At the muzzle, velocity was 538 m/s. At 2,000 m, it was 409 and 417 m/s. The main difference to the C/80 plan were the heavier projectiles; 51 kg instead of 38.5 kg. This lowered initial velocity from 605 to 538 m/s, but increased the punch of the gun.[8]

To put these results into perspective, a comparison was made between the old 15 cm Ring Kanonen and the new long Mantel Ring Kanonen. E.g. the projectile of the 15 cm L/35 had a total vis viva of 752 meter ton while that of the RK L/25 had 440. As one of the most important characteristics of a naval gun is weight, this had to be corrected for the weight of the gun. Per 1,000 kg of barrel weight, the difference was 159 vs 110. It meant that the L/35 was about 70% more powerful than the L/26, and that corrected for its higher weight, this was still almost 50% more.[9]

Characteristics

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The barrel

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The 15 cm MRK L/35 had a caliber of 14.91 cm. The barrel was 5,220 mm long with a length of bore of 4,800 mm. It weighed 4,470 kg.[1] The early version of this gun had 36 grooves of 1.5 mm deep and 9.5 mm wide. The final twist rate was 372.8 cm or L/25.[10]

The length of the gunpowder part of the chamber was 862 mm with a diameter of 175 mm. It measured 20.59 dm3.[1]

Projectiles

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The projectile weighed 51 kg. With a charge of 19 kg, it attained a speed of 581 m/s at the muzzle. With a charge of 19.5 kg, this was 581 m/s.[1] This data probably relates to a later (1886) version and more advanced kind of gunpowder.

Use

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Chinese Navy

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The two Dingyuan-class ironclads were launched for the Chinese navy in Stettin in 1881 and 1882. The two 15 cm guns that each of these ships mounted were noted to be L/35 long. Therefore, it can only have been the 15 cm MRK L/35. Therefore, the Chinese Navy adopted the gun before the German navy did.

The Chinese cruisers Jingyuan and Laiyuan both had two 21 cm L/35 and two 15 cm MRK L/35.[11]

Austro-Hungarian Navy

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The Austro-Hungarian Navy's SMS Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie had two 30.5 cm MRK L/35 and also six 15 cm MRK L/35.[12]

Spanish Navy

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Gun from Spanish cruiser Castilla, sunk at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898. Near Highland Park, Rochester, NY.

The Spanish cruiser Castilla was re-armed with four 15 cm MRK L/35 in or before 1885.[10]

Dutch Navy

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The Dutch Navy used the 15 cm MRK L/35 as 15 cm A No. 2. Its 15 cm SK L/35 was known as 15 cm No. 1, so without the 'A'.[13] This seems very strange, but the logic is comparable to the German navy using 'Kanone' for 'Mantel Ring Kanone'.[14]

Judging by the higher number of grooves, The Dutch 15 cm MRK L/35 was a later model of the gun. By 1895, it was apparently no longer in use on board Dutch warships.[15]

German Navy

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The 15 cm MRK L/30 was taken into use by the German Navy before the 15 cm MRK L/35.[16] That is, if the German Navy used the L/35.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Vergleichende 1887, p. 684.
  2. ^ Sc 1880, p. 695.
  3. ^ Sc 1880, p. 697.
  4. ^ Sc 1880, p. 700.
  5. ^ Sc 1880, p. 701.
  6. ^ a b Sc 1882, p. 389.
  7. ^ Schwarz 1882, p. 391.
  8. ^ Schwarz 1882, p. 393.
  9. ^ Schwarz 1882, p. 395.
  10. ^ a b Centro 1885, p. 339.
  11. ^ Vulcan 1886, p. 276.
  12. ^ Baedeker 1889, p. 296.
  13. ^ Mouton 1895, p. Bijlage.
  14. ^ Mouton 1895, p. Bijlage B.
  15. ^ Mouton 1895, p. Bijlage A.
  16. ^ Galster 1885, p. 204.

References

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  • Baedeker, Diedrich (1889), Alfred Krupp und die Entwickelung der Gussstahlfabrik zu Essen, G.D. Baedeker, Essen
  • "Cronica General, Artillado del crucero espanol Castilla". Boletín del Centro Naval. Vol. III. Centro Naval. 1885. pp. 332–343.
  • Galster, Karl (1885). "Nach: Die Schiffs- und Küstengeschütze der deutschen Marine". Mitteilungen über Gegenstände des Artillerie- und Geniewesens. R. von Waldheim, Wien: Notizen: 202–204.
  • Galster, Karl (1886). "Nach: Die Schiffs- und Küstengeschütze der deutschen Marine". Mitteilungen über Gegenstände des Artillerie- und Geniewesens. R. von Waldheim, Wien: Notizen: 11–18.
  • Mouton (1895), Bepalingen betreffende de Artillerie der Koninklijke Nederlandsche Marine, Koninklijke Nederlndsche Marine
  • Sc (1880). "Die Neuere Schiffs- und Küstengeschütze der Krupp'schen Gussstahlfabrik". Mittheilungen aus dem Gebiete des Seewesens. K.K. Hydrographischen Amte, Marine-Bibliothek, Pola: 693–706.
  • Schwarz, Jos. (1882). "Schiessversuche der Fr. Krupp'schen Gusstahlfabrik im März 1882". Mittheilungen aus dem Gebiete des Seewesens. K.K. Hydrographischen Amte, Marine-Bibliothek, Pola: 389–397.
  • "Die neuen für die chinesische Marine beim Vulcan bestellten Panzercorvetten". Stahl und Eisen. No. 4. Vereins deutscher Eisen- und Stahlindustrieller und der Vereins deutscher Eisenhüttenleute. 1886. pp. 219–280.
  • "Vergleichende Zahlenangabe der Krupp'schen, Französischen und Englischen neuen Geschütze". Allgemeine Militär-zeitung. 28 October 1887.
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