8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun

8.8 cm SK L/45
Anti-aircraft guns on light cruiser Königsberg, 1932
Type	Naval gun Anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	German Empire
Service history
In service	1905?–45
Used by	German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
Wars	World War I World War II
Production history
Manufacturer	Krupp
Variants	8.8 cm SK L/45 8.8 cm Flak L/45 8.8 cm TbtsK L/45
Specifications
Mass	about 2.5 metric tons (2.5 long tons; 2.8 short tons)
Length	about 4 meters (13 ft 1 in)
Shell	Fixed
Shell weight	9–10 kilograms (20–22 lb)
Caliber	88 millimeters (3.5 in)
Breech	Vertical sliding-wedge
Elevation	MPL C/06 and TbtsL C/13: −10° to +25° MPL C/13: −10° to +70°
Rate of fire	15 RPM
Muzzle velocity	650 to 890 m/s (2,100 to 2,900 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	Horizontal: 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

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. ^[2]

With the growing threat of aircraft, Krupp developed a high angle mount for the gun with a protective shield, known as the SK L/45 MPL C/13. The anti-aircraft gun was first installed on the battlecruiser Derfflinger and eventually all German capital ships had their 8.8 cm anti-torpedo guns completely or partially replaced with a smaller number of the 8.8 cm anti-aircraft gun. ^{[3] [4]} This gun became not only the standard anti-aircraft gun on ships, but was also extensively used on every possible place where fixed anti-aircraft defence was needed. ^[3]

After World War I, the Treaty of Versailles imposed many restrictions on the German Reichsmarine and no new anti-aircraft gun could be developed before 1931. ^[5] As a result, the new light cruiser Emden, the three Königsberg-class cruisers and the heavy cruiser Deutschland were equipped by the now completely obsolete 8.8 cm SK L/45 C/13. Eventually these guns were replaced by the new 8.8 cm SK C/31 naval gun, 8.8 cm SK C/32 naval gun or the 10.5 cm Flak 38, with most ships being refitted by 1939. ^[6]

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:

• Armor Piercing (AP) - 10 kg (22 lb)
• High Explosive (HE) - 9 kg (20 lb)
• High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) - 9.5 kg (21 lb)
• Illumination (ILLUM) - 9.4 kg (21 lb)

Versions

• 8.8 cm SK L/45 naval gun in MPL C/06 and MPL C/13 mountings ^{[7] [2] [8]}
• 8.8 cm Flak L/45 anti-aircraft gun in MPL C/13 mounting ^{[7] [2] [8]}
• 8.8 cm TbtsK L/45 torpedo boat gun in TbtsL C/13 mounting ^{[7] [2]}

See also

• List of naval guns

Notes

1. Friedman 2011, p. 147.
2. Campbell 2002, p. 252.
3. Schmalenbach 1993, pp. 88–89.
4. Stehr & Breyer 1999, p. 17.
5. Schmalenbach 1993, pp. 98–100.
6. Stehr & Breyer 1999, pp. 17–27.
7. DiGiulian 2021.
8. 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.
• 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.
• 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: 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. 1941.
• Schmalenbach, Paul (1993). Die Geschichte der deutschen Schiffsartillerie (in German) (3rd ed.). Herford: Koehler. ISBN   3-7822-0577-4.
• Stehr, Werner F.G.; Breyer, Siegfried (1999). Leichte und mitlere Artillerie auf deutschen Kriegsschiffen. Marine-Arsenal (in German). Vol. Sonderheft band 18. Wölfersheim-Berstadt: Podzun Pallas. ISBN   3-7909-0664-6.

Further reading

• 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.