28 cm SK L/50 gun

28 cm SK L/50
Preserved barrel from SMS Seydlitz damaged during the Battle of Jutland in 1916
Type	Naval gun Coast-defence gun
Place of origin	German Empire
Service history
In service	1911—1945
Used by	German Empire Nazi Germany Ottoman Empire Turkey
Wars	World War I World War II
Production history
Designer	Krupp
Designed	1909—11
Manufacturer	Krupp
Produced	1911—1915?
Specifications
Mass	41.5 metric tons (40.8 long tons; 45.7 short tons)
Length	14.15 m (46 ft 5 in)
Barrel length	13.421 m (44 ft 0.4 in) (bore length)
Shell	separate-loading, cased charge
Shell weight	284–302 kg (626–666 lb)
Caliber	283 millimeters (11.1 in)
Breech	horizontal sliding-wedge
Muzzle velocity	880–895 m/s (2,890–2,940 ft/s)

The 28 cm SK L/50 was a German naval gun that was used in World War I and World War II.[Note 1] Originally a naval gun, it was adapted for land service after World War I.

Description

The 28 cm SK L/50 gun weighed 41.5 tonnes (40.8 long tons; 45.7 short tons), had an overall length of 14.15 meters (46 ft 5 in) and its bore length was 13.421 meters (44.03 ft). Although called 28 centimeters (11 in), its actual caliber was 28.3 centimeters (11.1 in). It used the Krupp horizontal sliding-block, or "wedge", as it is sometimes referred to, breech design rather than the interrupted screw used commonly used in heavy guns of other nations. This required that the propellant charge be loaded in a metal, usually brass, case which provides obturation i.e. seals the breech to prevent escape of the expanding propellant gas.

Naval turrets

In shipboard use, these guns were mounted in twin turrets as the primary battery of three German battlecruisers: the two ships of the _Moltke_ class (SMS Moltke and SMS Goeben) plus SMS Seydlitz, each mounting five of these turrets for a total of ten guns.

Coast defense guns

A C/37 Coastal Mounting was utilised for coastal guns. Battery Coronel at Borkum, Germany mounted four guns and Battery Grosser Kurfürst at Framzelle, France mounted four.[1]

See also

• List of naval guns

Footnotes

Notes

1. SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon); L - Länge in Kaliber (length in caliber)

Citations

1. "28 cm SK L/50, Reused guns Atlantikwall, Armour and Armament | Bunkersite.com". bunkersite.com.

References

• 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. OCLC 902142295.

External links

• SK L/50 at Navweaps.com