Germany
15 cm/48 (5.9") Tbts KC/36
15 cm/48 (5.9") Tbts KC/36T
Updated 23 March 2013
This was a "Torpedo Boat Cannon" used on the German "Narvik" class destroyers (Type 36A and Type 36A Mod).

Although this was a powerful gun for a destroyer, it had a slow rate of fire for a destroyer weapon and was really not suitable for such a small ship.  The heavy weight of the shells was also a problem as the gun mountings lacked power assist, meaning that the shells had to be manually fed into the breech.  As these guns were used primarily in open mountings, bad weather greatly hampered their operation.

When these destroyers were modified to carry a twin mount forward, the additional bow weight caused them to become very "wet" ships.  However, these problems were somewhat offset by the fact that the twin mount was fully enclosed and had a high maximum elevation, thus allowing for limited use against aircraft.

Construction differed from other German 15 cm guns in that the loose barrel could be changed from the muzzle end and that the breech opened horizontally.  Other than that, the design was similar to other guns in this caliber and consisted of jacket, loose barrel, breech piece and semi-automatic breech that was opened manually to load the first round.  The KC/36 was used in single mountings while the KC/36T was used in twin mountings.  The KC/36T had a breech weight in order to move the center of gravity towards the rear, which gave a more compact gunhouse and lower trunnion height while still being able to achieve higher elevations.

The 15 cm (5.9") was the standard caliber used on most German capital ships and cruisers since the turn of the century.  The capital ships used this gun size as their secondary weapons whereas the light cruisers and the "Narvik" class destroyers had these as their main weapons.

All German 15 cm guns had an actual bore diameter of 14.91 cm (5.87 in).
WNGER_59-48_skc36_Z39_pic.jpg

Z39 after surrendering in 1945
Note US Flag on the mainmast
USN Photograph
WNGER_59-48_skc36_Z38_pic.jpg

Z38 in Norway about 1942
WNGER_59-48_skc36_Turret_Sketch.jpg

General arrangement and dimensions of twin 15 cm LC/38 Turret
Sketch from "German Destroyers of World War Two"
All dimensions are in millimeters (mm)
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Gun Characteristics
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Designation Single Mountings:  15 cm/55 (5.9") TBts KC/36
Twin Mountings:  15 cm/55 (5.9") TBts KC/36T
Ship Class Used On Prototypes tested on Type 34 Bruno Heinemann (Z8) for a brief time

Type 36A and 36A (mod) "Narvik" (Z23 and Z37) classes

Light Cruiser Emden was rearmed with these guns in 1942

Used in some merchant cruisers and supply ships

Planned for Z40/SP1 Scout Cruiser Class and Schlachtschiff "O" Class
Date Of Design 1936
Date In Service KC/36:  1939
KC/36T:  1942
Gun Weight KC/36:  15,873 lbs. (7,200 kg)
KC/36T:  18,880 lbs. (8,564 kg)
Gun Length 282.1 in (7.165 m)
Bore length 268.3 in (6.815 m)
Rifling Length 220.0 in (5.587 m)
Grooves (44) 0.069 in deep x 0.242 in (1.75 mm x 6.14 mm)
Lands 0.177 in (4.5 mm)
Twist Increasing RH 1 in 45 to 1 in 30
Chamber Volume 1,294 in3 (21.2 dm3)
Rate Of Fire 7 - 8 rounds per minute
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Ammunition
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Type Separate
Projectile Types and Weights HE, base fuze - 99.8 lbs. (45.3 kg)
HE, nose fuze - 99.8 lbs. (45.3 kg)
Illum - N/A
Bursting Charge HE, base fuze - 8.6 lbs. (3.89 kg)
HE, nose fuze - 12.2 lbs. (6.0 kg)
Projectile Length HE, base fuze - 26.7 in (67.9 cm)
HE, nose fuze - 27.6 in (70.0 cm)
Propellant Charge 29.76 lbs. (13.5 kg) RPC/38 (7.5/3)
Cartridge - 51.8 lbs. (23.5 kg)
Muzzle Velocity 2,740 fps (835 mps)
Working Pressure 19.0 tons/in2 (3,000 kg/cm2)
Approximate Barrel Life 1,600 rounds
Ammunition stowage per gun 120 rounds
Notes:

1) "Naval Weapons of World War Two" states that a reduced weight projectile of 88.2 lbs. (40 kg) was developed for destroyer use.  However, no other source agrees with this and a search of Krupp records has failed to support this claim.  It is possible that this was a planned change that never made it off the drawing board.

2) Destroyer outfits included nose and base fuzed HE with and without tracer and 80 illuminating shells per ship.

3) APC and HE ballistic caps had a radius of 8.5 calibers.  The tangent of the ballistic cap to the shell body was inclined at 5 degrees, which resulted in a projectile with a short overall length.

4) Actual German designations:
   HE, base fuze:  15 cm Spgr. L/4,5 Bdz (m.Hb)
   HE, nose fuze:  15 cm Spgr. L/4,6 Kz (m.Hb)
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Range
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Elevation With 99.8 lbs. (45.3 kg) HE Shell
Range @ 30 degrees 24,360 yards (21,950 m)
Range @ 47 degrees
(Twin Turret)		 25,700 yards (23,500 m)
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Mount / Turret Data
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Designation
(see Notes 1 and 3)		 Single Mount
   Type 36A (4), Type 36A (mob) (3) and Emden (8):  Tbts LC/36

Twin Mount
   Type 36A (mob) (1), Z40/SP1 (3) and "O" (3):  LDrh LC/38
Weight
(see Note 1)		 Tbts LC/36
   Hand worked:  35,494 lbs. (16,100 kg)
   Electric/hydraulic:  43,080 lbs. (19,540 kg)

Twin Mount:  133,159 lbs. (60,400 kg)
Elevation Tbts LC/36:  -10 / +30 degrees
LDrh LC/38:  -10 / +65 degrees
Elevation Rate Tbts LC/36:  Manual control, 1.9 degrees per handwheel revolution
LDrh LC/38:  8 degrees per second
Train
(see Note 5)		 Tbts LC/36:  360 degrees

LDrh LC/38:  +145 / -145 degrees
Train Rate Tbts LC/36:  Manual control, 3 degrees per handwheel revolution
LDrh LC/38:  8 degrees per second
Gun recoil Tbts LC/36:  16.7 in (42.5 cm)
LDrh LC/38:  17.3 in (44 cm)
Notes:

1) There were two types of single mounting, both with the same designation.  The earlier one had only manual elevation and training while the later one had Pittler-Thoma electric-hydraulic gear.  The former had a 6-10 mm shield and the latter had a 20-40 mm shield. This difference in the shield thickness makes up the bulk of the weight difference.  The twin mounting also used Pittler-Thoma gear.

2) "German Warships 1815-1945" says that the single mounting had an elevation range of -19 / +48 degrees, but a careful examination of photographs and sketches of the mounting throws doubt on this figure and no other source that I have found supports this value.  I believe the lower maximum elevation range given above of -10 to +30 degrees for the single mount to be correct.

3) The LDrh LC/38 twin mounting was originally designed for the "O" class battlecruisers and the Z40/SP1 scout cruisers.  After these ships were cancelled, the mountings were then used in destroyers.  The guns in this mount shared a common cradle and the gun axes were about 42 in (106 cm) apart.  Each gun had an Ardelt electric hoist and there were ten ready rounds stored in the rear of the mounting in water-tight containers.

4) As built, Type 36A destroyers (Z23 to Z30) and Type 36A (mob) destroyer Z31 had four single mountings.  During 1942-43, the destroyers Z23, Z24, Z25 and Z31 were modified to have one twin and three single mountings.  The later Type 36A (mob) destroyers (Z32 to Z34 and Z37 to Z42) were completed with one twin and three single mountings.  Some of these guns were removed later in the war under "Operation Barbara" which was a program to increase AA weapons.

5) Z28 was rebuilt during the war to have two single mountings forward, the only Type 36A to have this arrangement.  This modification was needed as the normal amidships mounting had been suppressed in order to provide additional accommodations for staff.

6) The LC/36 single mountings could make one complete revolution in either direction from the mid (fore and aft) position for a total of 720 degrees of train.  Firing arc was about -150 / +150 degrees.
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Data from
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"German Warships 1815-1945" by Erich Gröner
"German Naval Guns:  1939 - 1945" by Miroslaw Skwiot
"German Destroyers of World War Two (2nd Edition)" by M.J. Whitley
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Special help from Peter Lienau
Page History

17 February 2007 - Benchmark
09 September 2010 - Minor additions
04 June 2011 - Added better description of gun construction
23 March 2013 - Corrected typographical error