152/53 mm O.T.O. Mod.1929 (152 mm)

152/53 mm O.T.O. Mod.1929 turrets number 1 and 2 on the RN Raimondo Montecuccoli

Description

The 152/53 mm O.T.O. Mod.1929 is an Italian naval cannon.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• Kerch
• RN Eugenio di Savoia
• RN Raimondo Montecuccoli

General info

The gun comes in two distinct turret designs, both twin-mount, with the earlier design having enough protection to deflect shells from the 4-inch guns at 5,000 m, while the later design increases that protection up to 5-inch, or 127 mm guns at 5,000 m, which is sufficient to deflect a direct hit into the turret face form nearly every destroyer and most of cruisers in a real combat situations.

Ship	Front		Sides		Top		Elevator
	Thickness (mm)	type	(mm)	type	(mm)	type	(mm)	type
RN Raimondo Montecuccoli	70	RHA	22	RHA	30	RHA	50-30	RHA
RN Eugenio di Savoia, Kerch	90	RHA	30	RHA	30	RHA	70-50	RHA

Available ammunition

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
HE Dirompente	HE	29	29	29	29	29	29
HE-TF Contro-aerea	HE-TF	29	29	29	29	29	29
APHEBC Palla	APHEBC	277	229	168	125	95	70

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
HE Dirompente	HE	935	44.57	0	0.1	2,390	79°	80°	81°
HE-TF Contro-aerea	HE-TF	935	44.57	0	0.1	2,390	79°	80°	81°
APHEBC Palla	APHEBC	900	47.5	0.03	7	800	48°	63°	71°

Comparison with analogues

The primary distinguishing feature of the shells utilized by the OTO's 152/53 mm is their notably small explosive content. This attribute, in combination with an average rate of fire, results in a comparatively lowest potential damage output per minute when compared to similar munitions. HE shells contain an explosive filler that is smaller in size than many SAP shells, yet they lack the penetrating power of the latter. Conversely, the APHEBC shells, despite having the smallest explosive component of any comparable armor-penetrating munition, has only average penetration, making it an overall subpar performer.

The gun possesses two noteworthy advantages. First, its muzzle velocity is among the highest among peers, which, in combination with an above-average rate of fire, makes it relatively straightforward to engage enemy vessels at a distance.

HE

Cannon		Sample Ship	Ammo	Calibre (mm)	Muzzle Velocity (m/s)	Sustained rate of fire (rounds/min)	Targeting speed (°/s)		TNT Equivalent (kg)	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
							Horizontal	Vertical		5,000 m	10,000 m
	152/53 mm O.T.O. Mod.1929	RN Eugenio di Savoia	HE	152	935	8	6	5	2.39	29	29
	6 inch/47 Mk.16 (152 mm)	USS Helena	HE	152	812	10	4.2	8.5	5.88	49	49
	6 inch/53 Mk.12 (152 mm)	USS Trenton	HE	152	914	6	5.1	4.2	5.88	49	49
	150 mm/45 SK L/45	SMS Elbing	HE	150	835	7	4.2	4.2	1.6	21	21
	15 cm/48 KC/36	Z32	HE	150	835	7	8.5	6.8	3.91	37	37
	15 cm/60 SK C/25	Nürnberg	HE	150	960	12	6.8	5.1	3.91	37	37
	152 mm/57 B-38	Chapayev	HE	152	950	7.5	6.1	11	6	50	50
	6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)	HMS Arethusa	HE	152	841	8	6	8.5	3.96	37	37
	15 cm/50 Type 41	IJN Agano	HE	152	850	6.2	10	6	3.17	35	35

SAP / AP

Cannon		Sample Ship	Ammo	Calibre (mm)	Muzzle Velocity (m/s)	Sustained rate of fire (rounds/min)	Targeting speed (°/s)		TNT Equivalent (kg)	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
							Horizontal	Vertical		5,000 m	10,000 m
	152/53 mm O.T.O. Mod.1929	RN Eugenio di Savoia	APHEBC	152	900	8	6	5	0.8	168	95
	6 inch/47 Mk.16 (152 mm)	USS Helena	APCBC	152	762	10	4.2	8.5	0.9	182	120
	6 inch/53 Mk.12 (152 mm)	USS Trenton	SP Common	152	914	6	5.1	4.2	0.977	138	85
	150 mm/45 SK L/45	SMS Elbing	SAPBC	150	835	7	4.2	4.2	1.05	61	37
	150 mm/45 SK L/45	SMS Elbing	APCBC	150	835	7	4.2	4.2	0.99	153	93
	15 cm/48 KC/36	Z32	SAPBC	150	835	7	8.5	6.8	3.32	74	45
	15 cm/48 KC/36	Z32	APCBC	150	835	7	8.5	6.8	1.32	147	90
	15 cm/60 SK C/25	Nürnberg	SAPBC	150	835	12	6.8	5.1	3.32	74	45
	15 cm/60 SK C/25	Nürnberg	APCBC	150	960	12	6.8	5.1	1.32	182	109
	152 mm/57 B-38	Chapayev	SAPBC	152	950	7.5	6.1	11	5.9	117	74
	152 mm/57 B-38	Chapayev	APCBC	152	950	7.5	6.1	11	1.69	226	143
	6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)	HMS Arethusa	SAPBC	152	841	8	6	8.5	1.7	137	90
	15 cm/50 Type 41	IJN Agano	SAP	152	850	6.2	10	6	2.92	52	34

Usage in battles

As the primary armaments on a number of Italian cruisers, these guns are primarily employed in direct naval combat against other vessels. Although high-explosive shells lack the killing potential, they can still be employed to disable critical components, such as main guns or torpedo launchers. However, the key potential of these guns is unlocked with the armor-piercing shells. Despite their relatively modest penetration and explosive charge, these shells can still be effective due to the guns' above-average rate of fire, which makes it easier to destroy ammunition storage on enemy vessels.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High muzzle velocity
• Above-average rate of fire
• Well-armored turrets

Cons:

• Very small explosive filler of the HE shells
• Only an average penetration of the AP shells despite of having an the smallest explosive filler among its peers
• Lack of HE-VT shells

History

152/53 mm O.T.O. Model 1929 was developed for use on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations of the Condottieri-class cruisers. The guns were considered advanced for their time, utilizing electrically powered training, elevation, hoists, and rammers along with the common cradle for the two guns in the turret. This allowed the guns to achieve an low weight and exceptional rate of fire compared to other 152 mm guns of the time.

However, the guns faced several issues during service, most notably a significant circular error probable attributed to factors such as the low mass of the guns, ejecta from both barrels interfering with each other, and variations in the mass of the shells and propellants used. Various modifications were implemented to reduce these issues, but they were only fully resolved with the introduction of the 152/55 mm in 1934.

Guns used following ammunition:

• 55 kg Armor-Piercing shells fired at 975 m/s up to 28,400 meters at 45°
• 47.5 kg Armor-Piercing shells fired at 850 m/s up to 22,600 meters - these were introduced to reduce the dispersion of the guns
• 44.3 kg High-Explosive shells fired at 935 m/s up to 24,600 meters

Currently, the only surviving 152/53 mm O.T.O. Mod. 1929 can be found at the Città della Domenica nature and amusement park near the city of Perugia in central Italy.

Media

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

See also

• 152/53 mm Ansaldo mod.1926 (152 mm)
• 152 mm/45 Schneider model 1911 (152 mm)

External links

• [Wikipedia] 152 mm/53 Italian naval gun Models 1926 and 1929
• [NavWeaps] 152 mm/53 (6") Models 1926 and 1929

USSR naval cannons
20 mm	ShVAK
25 mm	2M-3
30 mm	AK-230 · 30 mm/54 AK-630 · 30 mm/54 AK-630M · BP "Plamya"
37 mm	37 mm/67 70-K · V-11
45 mm	45 mm/46 21-K · 45 mm/68 21-KM · 45 mm/89 SM-20-ZIF · 45 mm/89 SM-21-ZIF
57 mm	AK-725
75 mm	75 mm/50 Canet patt.1892
76 mm	34-K · 39-K · 76 mm/60 AK-176M · AK-726 · D-56TS · F-34 · Lender AA gun, pattern 1914/15
85 mm	85 mm/52 92-K · 85 mm/54.6 ZIS-C-53 · 90-K
100 mm	100 mm/56 B-34 · 100 mm/70 SM-5-1 · Minizini
102 mm	Pattern 1911
120 mm	120 mm/50 pattern 1905
130 mm	130 mm/55 pattern 1913 · 130 mm/58 SM-2-1 · B-13
152 mm	152 mm/57 B-38
180 mm	180 mm/57 B-1-P · 180 mm/60 B-1-K
305 mm	12-inch/52 pattern 1907 · 305 mm/54 B-50
356 mm	14-inch/52 pattern 1913 (356 mm)
	Foreign:
40 mm	2pdr QF Mk.IIc (Britain) · Skoda (Czechoslovakia)
47 mm	3 pdr QF Hotchkiss (Britain)
76 mm	76 mm/40 Ansaldo mod.1917 (Italy)
88 mm	SK C/30 (Germany)
120 mm	120 mm/50 Mk.4 Bofors M1924 (Sweden) · 120 mm/50 O.T.O. Mod.1933 (Italy)
152 mm	152/53 mm O.T.O. Mod.1929 (Italy)
320 mm	320 mm/44 Ansaldo model 1934 (Italy)