The Bofors 152 mm M/42 and its seventy-year career

The 152 mm M/42 emerged from linked Swedish and Dutch cruiser requirements, particularly those of Tre Kronor and the Dutch De Zeven Provinciën class. Its 8.05 m barrel fired a 45 kg shell at 12-15 rounds per minute, with elevation from minus 10 to plus 60 degrees and a maximum range of about 26 km. Thirty guns served with the Swedish, Dutch, Chilean, Peruvian, and Royal Navies. The Dutch guns are described as the largest naval guns still in active service before USS Zumwalt entered service with its 155 mm weapon. Examples remained operational from 1947 to 2017, giving the design a seventy-year service life.