8.8 cm SK L/45
Anti-aircraft guns on light cruiser Königsberg, 1932
TypeNaval gun
Anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin German Empire
Service history
In service1905?–45
Used by German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 Nazi Germany
WarsWorld War I
World War II
Production history
ManufacturerKrupp
Variants8.8 cm SK L/45
8.8 cm Flak L/45
8.8 cm TbtsK L/45
Specifications
Massabout 2.5 metric tons (2.5 long tons; 2.8 short tons)
Lengthabout 4 meters (13 ft 1 in)
ShellFixed
Shell weight9–10 kilograms (20–22 lb)
Caliber88 millimeters (3.5 in)
BreechVertical sliding-wedge
ElevationMPL C/06 and TbtsL C/13: −10° to +25°
MPL C/13: −10° to +70°
Rate of fire15 RPM
Muzzle velocity650 to 890 m/s (2,100 to 2,900 ft/s)
Maximum firing rangeHorizontal: 10,694 metres (11,695 yd) at +25°[1]
14,100 metres (15,400 yd) at +43°
Vertical: 9,150 metres (30,020 ft) at +70°

The 8.8 cm SK L/45 (SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon) L - Länge (with a 45-caliber barrel)) was a German naval gun that was used in World War I and World War II on a variety of mounts.

Description

The 8.8 cm SK L/45 gun weighed 2.5 metric tons (2.5 long tons; 2.8 short tons) and had an overall length of about 4 meters (13 ft 1 in). It used a vertical sliding-block, or "wedge", as it is sometimes referred to, breech design.

History

An 8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun in MPL C/13 mounting aboard the minelayer Hansestadt Danzig

During World War I, the SK L/45 was used as anti-torpedo boat guns on all Imperial German Navy dreadnoughts and as main guns on torpedo boats and destroyers. The SK L/45 was also used to replace some of the 8.8 cm SK L/35 anti-torpedo boat guns on pre-dreadnought battleships. During the 1920s SK L/45 guns were temporarily fitted to the Deutschland-class cruisers and on Königsberg-class cruisers until the new 8.8 cm SK C/32 naval gun was available, with most ships being refitted by 1939. During the 1930s surviving SK L/45 guns were modified to use the same ammunition as the 8.8 cm SK C/30 naval gun and had similar performance.[2]

Ammunition

Fixed type ammunition with and without tracer, which weighed 15 kg (33 lb), with a projectile length of 355 mm (14.0 in) was fired. Ammunition Types Available:

Versions

  • 8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun in MPL C/06 and MPL C/13 mountings[3][2][4]
  • 8.8 cm Flak L/45 anti-aircraft gun in MPL C/13 mounting[3][2][4]
  • 8.8 cm TbtsK L/45 torpedo boat gun in TbtsL C/13 mounting[3][2]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Friedman 2011, p. 147.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Campbell 2002, p. 252.
  3. 1 2 3 DiGiulian 2021.
  4. 1 2 M. Dv. Nr. 170,16 1941, p. 5.

References

  • Die 8,8 cm Flugzeugabwehrkanone L/45 (8,8 cm Flak. L/45) in 8,8 cm Mittel-Pivot-Lafette C/1913 (8,8 cm M.P.L.C./1913). Berlin: E. S. Mittler. 1918. OCLC 635259544.
  • 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.
  • Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations (An Illustrated Directory). Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
  • M. Dv. Nr. 170,16 (1941). Merkbuch über die Munition für die 8,8 cm SK L/45 (nachgebohrte Rohre), 8,8 cm Flak L/45 (nachgebohrte Rohre), 8,8 cm SK C/30, 8,8 cm SK C/30 U, 8,8 cm Flak 18 M, 8,8 cm Flak 36 M und 8,8 cm KM 41 der Schiffs- und Marine-Küstenartillerie (in German). Berlin: Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 8.8 cm SK L/45.
  • DiGiulian, Tony (February 6, 2021). "8.8 cm/45 (3.46") SK L/45". NavWeaps. Naval Weapons, Naval Technology and Naval Reunions. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
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