 Journalists inspecting a 15-inch Cannone navale da 381/40 along the Adriatic coast | |
| Type | naval gun, coast-defense gun, railroad gun |
| Place of origin | Kingdom of Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1916–1945 |
| Used by | Kingdom of Italy |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1913–1914 |
| No. built | about 24 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 63–83.56 long tons (64.0–84.9 t) |
| Length | 15.74 m (51 ft 8 in) |
| Barrel length | 15.2 m (49 ft 10 in) |
| Shell weight | 875 or 884 kg (1,929 or 1,949 lb) |
| Caliber | 381 mm (15 in) |
| Breech | Interrupted screw |
| Elevation | +20°, later +30° |
| Muzzle velocity | 700 m/s (2,297 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 19,800 m (21,700 yd) at +20° elevation |
| Filling weight | 38.5 or 50 kg (85 or 110 lb) |
The Cannone navale da 381/40 was an Italian naval gun intended to equip the dreadnought battleships of the Francesco Caracciolo class. The ships were cancelled in 1916 and their guns were diverted to other uses. Four of the seven turned over to the Esercito Italiano (Italian Army) became railroad guns, six were used as coast-defense guns and the rest were used on monitors to provide naval gunfire support for the Army. Most of the monitors were disarmed after World War I and their guns were transferred to coast-defense batteries which were used throughout World War II.