46 cm/45 Type 94 naval gun
Japanese WWII-era naval artillery / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Japanese 46 cm/45 Type 94 naval gun (四十五口径九四式四〇糎砲, Yonjūgo-kōkei kyūyon-shiki yonjussenchi-hō) was a 46 cm (18.1 in) naval gun, the largest calibre gun to ever be mounted on a warship. Only two ships carried them, the Imperial Japanese Navy's World War II battleships Yamato and Musashi. They were designated as a much smaller 40 cm (16 in) gun in an effort to hide their true size.
46 cm/45 Type 94 | |
---|---|
Type | Naval gun |
Place of origin | Japan |
Service history | |
In service | 1940–1945 |
Used by | Imperial Japanese Navy |
Wars | World War II |
Production history | |
Designer | C. Hada[1] |
Designed | 1934 |
Manufacturer | Kure Naval Arsenal[1] |
No. built | ~27 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 147.3 tonnes |
Barrel length | 21.13 m (69 ft 4 in), 46 calibers |
Diameter | 46 cm (18.1 in) |
Shell | AP Type 91: 1,460 kg (3,218.7 lb) HE Type 0: 1,360 kg (2,998.3 lb) AA Type 3: 1,360 kg (2,998.3 lb) |
Calibre | 46 cm (18.1 in) |
Breech | Welin breech block |
Recoil | Hydraulic recoil mechanism |
Carriage | Yamato-class battleship |
Elevation | +45/-5 degrees. 10°/s |
Traverse | 300°, 2°/s |
Rate of fire | 1.5 - 2 rounds/min |
Muzzle velocity | 780 m/s (2,600 ft/s) |
Effective firing range | 25 km (16 mi) |
Maximum firing range | 42 km (26 mi) at 45° elevation |
The gun was designed in accordance with the prevailing Japanese naval strategy of Kantai Kessen, the Decisive Battle Doctrine, which presupposed Japan would win a war by fighting and winning a single, decisive naval action. Essential to that victory was being able to out-gun and out-fight its adversary. No other ship built could match the firepower and broadside weight of a Yamato-class battleship.
In spite of this, there were no battleship-to-battleship engagements involving either completed vessel of the Yamato-class and an enemy warship. Both were sunk by aerial attack.