Škoda 7 cm L/30 K09 BAG
Type	Dual-purpose gun
Place of origin	Austria-Hungary
Service history
Used by	Austria-Hungary
Wars	World War I World War II
Production history
Designer	Škoda
Manufacturer	Škoda
Produced	1910
Specifications
Mass	Gun: 244 kg (538 lb) TAG Complete: 654 kg (1,442 lb) BAG Complete: 954 kg (2,103 lb)
Length	1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) 30 caliber
Shell weight	4 kg (8.8 lb)
Caliber	66 mm (2.6 in)
Breech	Horizontal sliding wedge breech
Elevation	-10° to +90°
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	20 rpm
Muzzle velocity	550 m/s (1,800 ft/s)[1]

The Škoda 7 cm guns were a family of naval guns and dual-purpose guns of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that were developed and produced for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the years before and during World War I. These guns were actually 66 mm, but the classification system for artillery rounded up to the next highest centimeter.^[1] Following the defeat of the Central Powers in World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire the ships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy were divided among the victorious allies and some guns continued to be used until World War II.

Construction

The Škoda 7 cm guns were developed and built at the Pilsen works between 1892 through 1918. The barrel was made of steel with a horizontal sliding-wedge breech, they used fixed quick fire ammunition and most ranged in length between 26 and 45 calibers. There was a single hydraulic recoil cylinder beneath the barrel and most were aimed by shoulder pads. The G. L/18 was a landing gun which could be taken ashore to provide support for a landing party. Initially these guns were deployed as anti-torpedo boat guns and had an elevation of -10° to +20°. Škoda engineers later developed anti-aircraft mounts which could elevate from -10° to +90°, but the ballistic performance for the guns remained the same.^[1]

Acronyms associated with these guns include:

• SFK = Schnell-Feuer Kanone or quick firing cannon.
• TAG = Torpedoboot-Abwehr Geschütz or anti-torpedo boat gun.
• BAG = Ballon-Abwehr Geschütz or anti-balloon gun.
• BAK = Ballon-Abwehr Kanone or anti-balloon cannon.

History

The Škoda 7 cm were mounted aboard coastal defence ships, destroyers, minelayers, monitors, pre-dreadnought battleships, protected cruisers and submarines of the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

Ammunition

Ammunition was of fixed QF type. A complete round measured 66 x 575R^[3] and the projectile weighed between 4–5.3 kg (8.8–11.7 lb).

Ammunition types:

• Steel shells
• Common shells
• Shrapnel^[1]

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

• Canon de 65 mm Modèle 1891: French equivalent
• Škoda 7 cm K10 and K16: Skoda successors to the TAG/BAG/BAK line

Users

Notes

References

• Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations: An Illustrated Directory. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.