 Secondary armament included eighteen 15 cm (5.9 inch) SK L / 40 guns; six were emplaced in single turrets amidships and twelve were mounted in MPL casemates. These guns fired armor-piercing shells at a rate of 4 – 5 per minute. The ships carried 120 shells per gun, for a total of 2,160 rounds total. The guns could depress to − 7 degrees and elevate to 20 degrees, for a maximum range of 13,700 m (14,990 yd). They were manually elevated and trained.
