The 28 cm SK L/50 was a German naval gun that was used in World War I and World War II.[Note 1] Originally a naval gun, it was adapted for land service after World War I.

28 cm SK L/50
Preserved barrel from SMS Seydlitz damaged during the Battle of Jutland in 1916
TypeNaval gun
Coast-defence gun
Place of originGerman Empire
Service history
In service1911—1945
Used byGerman Empire
Nazi Germany
Ottoman Empire
Turkey
WarsWorld War I
World War II
Production history
DesignerKrupp
Designed1909—11
ManufacturerKrupp
Produced1911—1915?
Specifications
Mass41.5 metric tons (40.8 long tons; 45.7 short tons)
Length14.15 m (46 ft 5 in)
Barrel length13.421 m (44 ft 0.4 in) (bore length)

Shellseparate-loading, cased charge
Shell weight284–302 kg (626–666 lb)
Caliber283 millimeters (11.1 in)
Breechhorizontal sliding-wedge
Muzzle velocity880–895 m/s (2,890–2,940 ft/s)

Description

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The 28 cm SK L/50 gun weighed 41.5 tonnes (40.8 long tons; 45.7 short tons), had an overall length of 14.15 meters (46 ft 5 in) and its bore length was 13.421 meters (44.03 ft). Although called 28 centimeters (11 in), its actual caliber was 28.3 centimeters (11.1 in). It used the Krupp horizontal sliding-block, or "wedge", as it is sometimes referred to, breech design rather than the interrupted screw used commonly used in heavy guns of other nations. This required that the propellant charge be loaded in a metal, usually brass, case which provides obturation i.e. seals the breech to prevent escape of the expanding propellant gas.

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In shipboard use, these guns were mounted in twin turrets as the primary battery of three German battlecruisers: the two ships of the _Moltke_ class (SMS Moltke and SMS Goeben) plus SMS Seydlitz, each mounting five of these turrets for a total of ten guns.


Coast defense guns

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A C/37 Coastal Mounting was utilised for coastal guns. Battery Coronel at Borkum, Germany mounted four guns and Battery Grosser Kurfürst at Framzelle, France mounted four.[1]

See also

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Footnotes

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Notes
  1. ^ SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon); L - Länge in Kaliber (length in caliber)
Citations
  1. ^ "28 cm SK L/50, Reused guns Atlantikwall, Armour and Armament | Bunkersite.com". bunkersite.com.

References

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  • 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. OCLC 902142295.
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