28 cm SK L/45 gun

The 28 cm SK L/45^{[Note 1]} was a German naval gun that was used in World War I and World War II. Originally a naval gun, it was adapted for land service after World War I.

28 cm SK L/45
Coast defense mounting of the SK L/45 gun at MAB 1./507 Husøya in Norway, during World War II
Type	Naval gun Coast-defence gun
Place of origin	German Empire
Service history
In service	1910—1945
Used by	German Empire Nazi Germany Romania
Wars	World War I World War II
Production history
Designer	Krupp
Designed	1907—1909
Manufacturer	Krupp
Produced	1909—1913?
Specifications
Mass	39.8 t (39 long tons; 44 short tons)
Length	12.735 m (41 ft 9 in)
Barrel length	12.006 m (39 ft 5 in) (bore length)
Shell	Separate-loading, cased charge
Shell weight	284–302 kg (626–666 lb)
Caliber	283 mm (11 in)
Breech	Horizontal sliding-wedge
Muzzle velocity	855 to 875 m/s (2,810 to 2,870 ft/s)

Description

The 28 cm SK L/45 gun weighed 39.8 metric tons (39.2 long tons; 43.9 short tons), had an overall length of 12.735 meters (41 ft 9.4 in) and its bore length was 12.006 meters (39.39 ft). Although designated as 28 cm (11 in), its actual caliber was 28.3 centimeters (11.1 in). It used the Krupp horizontal sliding-block breech design (or “wedge”, as it is sometimes referred to) rather than the interrupted screw commonly used in heavy guns of other nations. This required that the propellant charge be loaded in a metal, usually brass, case which provides obduration i.e. seals the breech to prevent escape of the expanding propellant gas.

History

Naval guns

Mounted on Nassau-class battleships and the battlecruiser SMS Von der Tann.

Coast defense guns

Three guns were mounted at Battery Goeben on Husøya island, near Trondheim, Norway and formed Naval Coast Artillery Battery (Marine Artillerie Batterie) "Goeben", later 1st Battery, Naval Artillery Battalion (1./Marine Artillerie Abteilung) 507 "Husöen".^[1][2]

Another three guns were mounted at Battery Tirpitz on the Romanian coast, south of Constanța, from April 1941^[3] to August 1944, when the battery was destroyed by the retreating Germans.^[4][5] The battery, like all Axis forces in Romania, was nominally under Romanian control, but operated by Kriegsmarine personnel,^[6] and contributed to the defence of Constanța in 1941.^[7]

See also

• List of naval guns

Footnotes

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