155 mm/50 model 1920 (155 mm)

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Turrets A and B on Duguay-Trouin

Description

The 155 mm/50 model 1920 is a French naval gun. It served on French warships from 1920 till 1964 being retired from service with the decommissioning of the training cruiser Jeanne d'Arc.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

General info

The gun features a notably slow rate of fire, particularly once the first stage ammunition is expended.

Available ammunition

The cannon comes with three distinct shell variants: standard HE shells that contain an large amount of explosive filler, SAP shells with relatively subpar penetration for its caliber, yet a sizable explosive filler, and base fuse shells (M1924 HE-BF) that possess the smallest filler of the three, yet have a good penetration capabilities against angled targets, rendering them a suitable compliment to the SAP shells.

M1924 HE is a typical high explosive shell, featuring a relatively large explosive filler. It's best used against external components of the warships, such as the torpedo tubes or anti-aircraft batteries, and to start fires.

M1924 HE-BF, high explosive with base fuse, it can be used as a specialized armour-piercing shell, complimentary to the SAP. It's a type of shells very rarely found on cruisers (other notable gun featuring these shells being 6 inch/47 Mk.16 (152 mm) with its Mk.34 HC (base fuse) shells). Unlike regular HE, these shells will have to penetrate at least 7 mm of steel in order to deal damage, and then will explode only after 0.015s, which translates to nearly 13 meters. That is 4.26 meters deeper into the ship's hull than the SAP shells. That effectively means that shells can over-penetrate a number of destroyers (like Shimakaze with 11 m beam) and frigates (e.g. SKR-7 with 9.2 m beam) when hitting them perpendicularly across the hull, if it won't encounter any module inside of the ship. But a longer travel distance can be used to an advantage, when dealing with the unarmoured sections of a cruisers, such as the ammo racks on Kuma.

M1924 SAP is a shell dedicated specifically against an armoured targets. It will explode after penetrating at least 7 mm of steel, traveling up to 8.7 meters into the hull. SAP shell features much a higher penetration at a 0° AoA and over 25% larger explosive filler than the base fuse shells. But against an angled targets the base fuse shells offer a nearly identical penetration (1 to 3 mm difference across the range for 30 and 60° AoA) yet is far less likely to ricochet - while striking the target at 71°, the SAP shell has 100% ricochet chance, while the base fuse shell still has a 0% ricochet chance. These ricochet values are typical for the SAP shells across all nations.

Overall it makes SAP shells far more suitable when hitting the flat armour at a minimal angle, e.g. when shooting at the targets on parallel course, while the base fuse shells are better used against angled ships, e.g. when crossing the T.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
1,000 m 2,500 m 5,000 m 7,500 m 10,000 m 15,000 m
M1924 HE HE 51 51 51 51 51 51
M1924 HE-BF HE 87 78 64 53 45 34
M1924 SAP SAPBC 142 126 104 87 73 55
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(s)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
M1924 HE HE 864 59 0 0.1 6.16 79° 80° 81°
M1924 HE-BF HE 870 56.5 0.015 7 2.9 79° 80° 81°
M1924 SAP SAPBC 870 56.5 0.01 7 3.67 48° 63° 71°

Comparison with analogues

The most apparent feature of this gun is its low sustained rate of fire. While its 17 ready-to-use shells are fired at a low, but acceptable 6 rounds per minute, the sustained fire rate of just 4 shells per minute is more typical for a battleship than a cruiser. The US 6 inch/47 Mk.16 features a 150% higher rate of fire.

This, to a degree, is offset by a large explosive filler of the shells. SAP shell with its 3,67 kg filler can output above-average 14,68 kg TNT equivalent per minute, nearly a double of 150 mm/45 SK L/45, yet significantly behind the 152 mm/57 B-38. HE shells on the other hand are below average, and the base fuse HE shells have some of the lowest TNT equivalent per minute for among the HE shells, but only below-average among the armour and semi-armour piercing shells.

It's also worth noting that the gun lacks any dedicated armour-piercing or anti-air shells. Making it tricky to use against bombers and impossible to penetrate effective armour in excess of 80 mm, which can be found on a number of ships in the BR range, notably even a slightly angled Svetlana-class or Kako.

HE

Cannon Sample Ship Ammo Calibre
(mm)
Muzzle velocity
(m/s)
Sustained rate of fire
(rounds/min)
Targeting speed
(°/s)
TNT equivalent
(kg)
TNT equivalent
per minute (kg)
Penetration
@ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
Horizontal Vertical 5,000 m 10,000 m
France flag.png 155 mm/50 model 1920 Duguay-Trouin HE 155 864 4 6.4 6 6.16 24.64 51 51
Kingdom Italy flag.png 152/53 mm O.T.O. Mod.1929 RN Eugenio di Savoia HE 152 935 8 6 5 2.39 19.12 29 29
USA flag.png 6 inch/47 Mk.16 (152 mm) USS Helena HE 152 812 10 4.2 8.5 5.88 58.8 49 49
USA flag.png 6 inch/53 Mk.12 (152 mm) USS Trenton HE 152 914 6 5.1 4.2 5.88 35.28 49 49
Germany flag.png 150 mm/45 SK L/45 SMS Elbing HE 150 835 7 4.2 4.2 1.6 11.2 21 21
Germany flag.png 15 cm/48 KC/36 Z32 HE 150 835 7 8.5 6.8 3.91 27.37 37 37
Germany flag.png 15 cm/60 SK C/25 Nürnberg HE 150 960 12 6.8 5.1 3.91 46.92 37 37
USSR flag.png 152 mm/57 B-38 Chapayev HE 152 950 7.5 6.1 11 6 45 50 50
Britain flag.png 6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm) HMS Arethusa HE 152 841 8 6 8.5 3.96 31.68 37 37
Japan flag.png 15 cm/50 Type 41 IJN Agano HE 152 850 6.2 10 6 3.17 19.65 35 35

SAP / AP

Note that the HE-BF shell is located in this table due to its penetration and filler characteristics.

Cannon Sample Ship Ammo Calibre
(mm)
Muzzle velocity
(m/s)
Sustained rate of fire
(rounds/min)
Targeting speed
(°/s)
TNT equivalent
(kg)
TNT equivalent
per minute (kg)
Penetration
@ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
Horizontal Vertical 5,000 m 10,000 m
France flag.png 155 mm/50 model 1920 Duguay-Trouin SAPBC 155 870 4 6.4 6 3.67 14.68 80 61
France flag.png 155 mm/50 model 1920 Duguay-Trouin HE-BF 155 870 4 6.4 6 2.9 11.6 69 53
Kingdom Italy flag.png 152/53 mm O.T.O. Mod.1929 RN Eugenio di Savoia APHEBC 152 900 8 6 5 0.8 6.4 168 95
USA flag.png 6 inch/47 Mk.16 (152 mm) USS Helena APCBC 152 762 10 4.2 8.5 0.9 9 182 120
USA flag.png 6 inch/53 Mk.12 (152 mm) USS Trenton SP Common 152 914 6 5.1 4.2 0.977 5.86 138 85
Germany flag.png 150 mm/45 SK L/45 SMS Elbing SAPBC 150 835 7 4.2 4.2 1.05 7.35 61 37
Germany flag.png 150 mm/45 SK L/45 SMS Elbing APCBC 150 835 7 4.2 4.2 0.99 6.93 153 93
Germany flag.png 15 cm/48 KC/36 Z32 SAPBC 150 835 7 8.5 6.8 3.32 23.24 74 45
Germany flag.png 15 cm/48 KC/36 Z32 APCBC 150 835 7 8.5 6.8 1.32 9.24 147 90
Germany flag.png 15 cm/60 SK C/25 Nürnberg SAPBC 150 835 12 6.8 5.1 3.32 39.84 74 45
Germany flag.png 15 cm/60 SK C/25 Nürnberg APCBC 150 960 12 6.8 5.1 1.32 15.84 182 109
USSR flag.png 152 mm/57 B-38 Chapayev SAPBC 152 950 7.5 6.1 11 5.9 44.25 117 74
USSR flag.png 152 mm/57 B-38 Chapayev APCBC 152 950 7.5 6.1 11 1.69 12.68 226 143
Britain flag.png 6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm) HMS Arethusa SAPBC 152 841 8 6 8.5 1.7 13.6 137 90
Japan flag.png 15 cm/50 Type 41 IJN Agano SAP 152 850 6.2 10 6 2.92 18.1 52 34

Usage in battles

The 155 mm/50 model 1920 is perfectly capable of dealing with a majority of the targets it will encounter in its BR range. It has a respectable damage output and is more than capable of ammo-racking any destroyer or early light cruiser. The low muzzle velocity makes it tricky to hit manoeuvring targets at distance, but it also makes it easier to hit the targets behind a hard cover, or dive shells into the ammo racks at longer ranges. Where it struggles are armoured targets, especially heavy cruisers at range if they do not have unarmoured ammo racks. This makes vessels like Prinz Eugen (BR 6.0) extremely difficult to counter without the help of other ships.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Large explosive fillers
  • Good horizontal targeting speed

Cons:

  • Low muzzle velocity
  • No dedicated armour-piercing shells
  • No anti-air shells, be it time or variable fuse

History

The canon de 155 mm Modèle 1920 was a post-WW1 design with the primary aim to counter a lighter warships.

The guns used loading mechanism derived from the French battleships. Two hoists provided shells and propellant to the work room below the turret itself, which were then transferred directly into the turret right next to the gun breeches, where they were transferred to loading trays and rammed into the breech. While loading mechanism was largely electrically powered, it still failed to achieve a higher rate of fire than the 203 mm guns of the era.

The turrets themselves were the world's first to have a fully electrically powered training angle and elevation.

Seeking an increased rate of fire, the French replaced 155 mm with the Canon de 152 mm Modèle 1930 for the later designs.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
  • references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links


France naval cannons
37 mm  37 mm/50 model 1925 · 37 mm/50 model 1933
47 mm  3 pdr QF Hotchkiss
75 mm  75 mm/50 Canet model 1891 · 75 mm/50 model 1922
90 mm  90 mm/50 model 1926
130 mm  130 mm/40 model 1919
138.6 mm  138.6 mm/55 model 1910 · 138.6 mm/40 model 1927 · 138.6 mm/50 model 1929
152 mm  152 mm/55 model 1930
155 mm  155 mm/50 model 1920
203 mm  203 mm/50 model 1924
305 mm  305 mm/45 model 1906-10
340 mm  340 mm/45 model 1912
  Foreign:
20 mm  2 cm/65 C/38 (Germany) · 2 cm/65 Flakvierling 38 (Germany) · 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (USA/Britain)
40 mm  2pdr QF Mk.IIc (Britain) · 2pdr QF Mk.VIII (Britain) · Bofors L/60 Mark 2 (USA) · Bofors L/60 Mark 3 (USA)
102 mm  4 in QF Mark V (Britain) · 4 inch/45 Mark XVI (Britain)
128 mm  12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 (Germany)
150 mm  15 cm/48 KC/36 (Germany)