The 8.8 cm SK C/31[Note 1] was a German naval gun that was used in World War II.
| 8.8 cm SK C/31 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Naval gun Anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1933—45 |
| Used by | Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1931–33 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | about 4,255 kilograms (9,381 lb) |
| Length | about 6.87 meters (22 ft 6 in) |
| Barrel length | 6.341 meters (20 ft 9.6 in) (bore length) |
| Shell | Fixed |
| Shell weight | 9–9.4 kilograms (20–21 lb) |
| Caliber | 88 millimeters (3.5 in) |
| Breech | vertical sliding-block |
| Elevation | -10° to +80°[1] |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,060 m/s (3,500 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | Horizontal: 17,800 metres (19,500 yd) at 45° Vertical: 13,300 metres (43,600 ft) at +80°[1] |
Description
editThe 8.8 cm SK C/31 gun weighed 4,255 kilograms (9,381 lb), had an overall length of 6.87 meters (22 ft 6 in) and its bore length was 6.341 meters (20 ft 9.6 in). It used a vertical sliding-block breech design. The gun was normally on the twin gun carriage (German: Doppel Lafette or abbreviated Dopp. L) C/31, the mount plus guns weighed 27,300 kilograms (27.3 t). The C/31 mount was later modified to carry the 10.5 cm SK C/33 naval gun. Useful life expectancy was fairly short 1,500 effective full charges (EFC) per barrel.[1]
Only the heavy cruiser (Panzerschiff) Deutschland received the gun, six 8.8 cm SK C/31 were briefly installed, replacing its three obsolete 8.8 cm SK L/45 naval guns, though in 1940 these were again replaced with six 10.5 cm C/33 L/65 guns.[2][3] Other German capital ships were equipped with a new version of the 8.8 cm gun, the 8.8 cm SK C/32 naval gun which used a shorter shell and were also mounted in a slightly modified carriage, the C/32 which had a slightly larger pivot mount.[4]
Ammunition
editFixed type ammunition with and without tracer, which weighed 18.5 kg (41 lb), with a projectile length of 1,227.5 mm (48.33 in) was fired. Ammunition Types Available:
- High Explosive (HE) - 9 kg (20 lb)
- Illumination (ILLUM) - 9.4 kg (21 lb)
See also
editFootnotes
edit- Notes
- ^ SK - SchiffsKanone (Ship Canone); C - Construktionsjahr (year of design)
- Citations
- ^ a b c Campbell, p. 250.
- ^ Gröner, p. 60.
- ^ Stehr & Breyer 1999, pp. 18–19.
- ^ Stehr & Breyer 1999, pp. 19.
References
edit- Campbell, John (2002). Naval Weapons of World War Two. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
- Gröner, Erich (1990). German Warships: 1815–1945. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-790-6.
- Stehr, Werner F.G.; Breyer, Siegfried (1999). Leichte und mitlere Artillerie auf deutschen Kriegsschiffen. Marine-Arsenal (in German). Vol. Sonderheft band 18. Wölfersheim-Berstadt: Podzun Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0664-6.
Further reading
edit- Gander, Terry; Chamberlain, Peter (1979). Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939–1945. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-15090-3.
- Hogg, Ian V. (1997). German Artillery of World War Two (2nd corrected ed.). Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 1-85367-480-X.
- Rolf, Rudi (1998). Der Atlantikwall: Bauten der deutschen Küstenbefestigungen 1940-1945. Osnabrück: Biblio. ISBN 3-7648-2469-7.
- Rolf, Rudi (2004). A Dictionary on Modern Fortification: An Illustrated Lexicon on European Fortification in the Period 1800-1945. Middleburg, Netherlands: PRAK.
External links
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