8.8 cm SK L/30 naval gun
| 8.8 cm SK L/30 | |
|---|---|
 8.8 cm SK L/30 mounted on the bow of S-19 | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin | German Empire |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1892–1945 |
| Used by |  German Empire Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War I World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1890—1892 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 644 kilograms (1,420 lb) |
| Length | about 2.64 meters (8 ft 8 in) |
| Shell | fixed |
| Shell weight | 7 kilograms (15 lb)[1] |
| Caliber | 88 millimeters (3.5 in) |
| Breech | horizontal sliding-wedge |
| Elevation | Depends on mount: MPL C/89: -10° to +20° Ubts.L: -10° to +30°[2] |
| Rate of fire | 15 RPM |
| Muzzle velocity | 590 m/s (1,900 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | Depends on mount: MPL C/89: 7,300 metres (8,000 yd) at +20° Ubts.L: 10,500 metres (11,500 yd) at +30°[1] |
The 8.8 cm SK L/30 (SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon) L - Länge (with a 30-caliber barrel) was a German naval gun that was used in World War I on a variety of mounts.
Description
The 8.8 cm SK L/30 gun weighed 644 kilograms (1,420 lb) and had an overall length of about 2.64 meters (8 ft 8 in). It used the Krupp horizontal sliding block, or "wedge", as it is sometimes referred to, breech design. In addition to mounts for surface ships there was also a submarine version which was on either a retractable or fixed pivot mount. The Krupp mount retracted vertically through a hatch, while the Erhardt version folded down onto the ship's deck.[3]
Naval service
The 8.8 cm SK L/30 was a widely used naval gun on World War I pre-dreadnoughts, cruisers, coastal defence ships, avisos, submarines and torpedo boats in both casemates and turrets. Its primary use on pre-dreadnoughts, cruisers and coastal defence ships was as an anti-torpedo boat gun, while on avisos, submarines and torpedo boats it was their secondary armament.
Ship classes that carried the 8.8 cm SK L/30 include:
- A-class torpedo boat
- Blitz-class aviso
- Brandenburg-class battleship
- Iltis-class gunboat
- Kaiser Friedrich III-class battleship
- Meteor-class aviso
- Odin-class coastal defense ship
- Preussen-class ironclad
- Siegfried-class coastal defense ship
- Type U 139 submarine
- Type U 151 submarine
- Type U 66 submarine
- Type U 93 submarine
- Type UB II submarine
- Type UB III submarine
- Type UC II submarine
- Type UC III submarine
- Type UE I submarine
- Victoria Louise-class cruiser
- Wacht-class aviso
- Wittelsbach-class battleship
See also
- List of naval guns
- 8.8 cm SK C/30 naval gun: later development of similar calibre weapon, made in 1930
Notes
References
- Friedman, N. (2011). Naval weapons of World War One. Yorkshire: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
- Reichs-Marine-Amt, ed. (1909). Bedienungsvorschrift für die 8,8 cm Schnellade-Kanone L/30 in 8,8 cm Mittel-Pivot-Lafette c/89 - Marine-Küsten-Artillerie. Berlin: E. S. Mittler. OCLC 66574420.
- Campbell, John (2002). Naval Weapons of World War Two. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
- 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.