The 15 cm SK L/40 was a German naval gun that was used as secondary armament on pre-dreadnought battleships, protected cruisers and armored cruisers of the Imperial German Navy in World War I. It was also used as a coast-defence gun during World Wars I and II.
A 15 cm SK L/40 gun aboard the German auxiliary cruiser SMS Wolf circa. 1916–18
Gun plan for a field mounting
Protected cruisers, a type of cruising warship of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armoured deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them. Protected cruisers resembled armored cruisers, which had in addition a belt of armour along the sides.
The Russian protected cruiser Oleg was a Bogatyr-class protected cruiser
The protected cruiser Esmeralda, built by the shipyard of the Armstrong House for the Chilean Navy, was the first warship of its kind in the world.
Hertha on a visit to the United States in 1909
Dutch protected cruiser Noord-Brabant as an accommodation ship