20.3 cm SK C/34 naval gun

20.3 cm SK C/34 naval gun
Aft turrets of Prinz Eugen, Kiel, 1941
Type	Naval gun Coastal defence
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
In service	1939 – 1945
Used by	Kriegsmarine
Wars	Second World War
Specifications
Mass	20.7 tonnes
Length	12.15 m (39.9 ft) (60 calibres)
Shell	122 kilograms (269 lb)
Caliber	20.3-centimetre (8 in)
Elevation	-10° to +37°
Rate of fire	4 – 5 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	925 m/s (3,030 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	33.5 km (20.8 mi)

The 20.3 cm SK C/34 was the main battery gun used on the German Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers.

Description

These built-up guns consisted of a rifled tube encased within an inner and outer jacket with a horizontal sliding breech block. The breech was sealed with an 18 kg (40 lb) brass case containing 30 kg (66 lb) of smokeless powder with a 160 gram (5.6 oz) gunpowder igniter. A cloth bag containing an additional 21 kg (40 lb) of smokeless powder and 380 grams (13 oz) of gunpowder was loaded between the projectile and the brass case. Each gun could fire approximately five rounds per minute. Useful life expectancy was 510 effective full charges (EFC) per barrel.

Naval service

Admiral Hipper, Blücher, and Prinz Eugen each mounted eight of these guns in 248-tonne Drh LC/34 twin turrets with a maximum elevation of 37 degrees.

Coast defence guns

The four turrets intended for the incomplete cruiser Seydlitz were installed as coastal artillery in France. The turrets A (Anton) and D (Dora) at Battery Karola on the Ile de Re (4./Marine Artillerie Abteilung 282). And the turrets B (Bruno) and C (Cäsar) at Battery Seydlitz on the Ile de Croix (5./Marine Artillerie Abteilung 264).

Railway guns

Eight barrels from the incomplete cruiser were given to the army and followed rebuild to 20.3 cm K (E) railway guns.

Shell trajectory

Range	Elevation	Time of flight	Descent	Impact velocity
5 km (3.1 mi)	1° 54′	6 sec	2° 6′	744 m/s (2,440 ft/s)
10 km (6.2 mi)	4° 24′	14 sec	6° 6′	587 m/s (1,930 ft/s)
15 km (9.3 mi)	8° 6′	23 sec	12° 48′	463 m/s (1,520 ft/s)
20 km (12 mi)	13° 18′	36 sec	23° 36′	382 m/s (1,250 ft/s)
25 km (16 mi)	20° 18′	51 sec	36° 48′	353 m/s (1,160 ft/s)
30 km (19 mi)	29° 6′	69 sec	48° 48′	363 m/s (1,190 ft/s)

See also

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

• 203mm/50 Modèle 1924 gun French equivalent
• 203 mm /53 Italian naval gun Italian equivalent
• 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun Japanese equivalent
• BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun UK equivalent
• 8"/55 caliber gun US equivalent

Footnotes

Notes

Citations

References

• Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
• Whitley, M.J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two. Brockhampton Press. ISBN 1-86019-874-0.

External links

• Tony DiGiulian, German 20.3 cm/60 (8") SK C/34