Updated 22 November 2008
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This gun or a very similar one was also used on Austria-Hungary coast defense ships. Actual bore diameter was 23.8 cm (9.37"). |
Aft turret on Austria-Hungary Coast Defense
Ship Budapest
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Dud German 24 cm (9.4") shell that hit
USS Texas BB-35 on 25 June 1944 during her bombardment of Battery Hamburg,
located east of Cherbourg, France. Projectile appears to be a 24
cm Spr.gr. L/4,1 Bdz (HE with base fuze). In the background are the
14"/45 (35.6 cm) guns of USS Texas.
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Repairing the hole in USS Texas BB-35 caused by the above projectile |
| Designation | Germany
24 cm/40 (9.4") SK L/40 Austria-Hungary
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| Ship Class Used On | German
Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm, Kaiser Friedrich III, Wittelsbach, Fürst Bismarck and Prinz Heinrich Classes Austria-Hungary
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| Date Of Design | 1894 |
| Date In Service | 1898 |
| Gun Weight | 53,000 to 56,526 lbs. (24,040 to 25,640 mt) |
| Gun Length oa | 376 in (9.550 m) |
| Bore Length | 349 in (8.866 m) |
| Rifling Length | N/A |
| Grooves | N/A |
| Lands | N/A |
| Twist | N/A |
| Chamber Volume | 4,406 in3 (72.2 dm3) |
| Rate Of Fire
(see Mounting Notes) |
C/92 Turrets: about 1.5 rounds per
minute
C/98 Turrets: about 3 - 4 rounds per minute |
| Type | Separate |
| Projectile Types and Weights
(see Note 3) |
1895 AP - 308.6 lbs. (140 kg)
1914 AP L/2,6 - 321.9 lbs. (146 kg) HE L/4,1 nose fuze - 332.9 lbs. (151 kg) HE L/4,2 base and nose fuze - 327.4 lbs. (148.5 kg) |
| Bursting Charge | N/A |
| Projectile Length | 1895 AP - N/A
1914 AP L/2,6 - about 24.4 in (62 cm) HE L/4,1 base fuze - about 38.6 in (98 cm) HE L/4,2 base and nose fuze - about 39.8 in (101 cm) |
| Propellant Charge | 1895 - 91.2 lbs. (41.35 kg)
World War II - 103 lbs. (47 kg) RPC/38 (12/6.6) |
| Muzzle Velocity | 1895 - 2,263 fps (690 mps)
World War II - 2,657 fps (810 mps) |
| Working Pressure | N/A |
| Approximate Barrel Life | N/A |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | Kaiser Friedrich III and Prinz Heinrich:
75 rounds
Wittelsbach: 85 rounds Fürst Bismarck: 78 rounds Monarch: 80 rounds |
| Notes:
1) Actual Projectile designations were
as follows:
2) Propellant was in a brass cartridge case weighing 48.8 lbs. (25.15 kg) empty. 3) "Austria-Hungary's Monarch Class Coast Defense Ships" says the Austrian-Hungarian Monarch class carried armor piercing and explosive shells weighing 474 lbs. (215 kg) each. This weight is much heavier than the German projectiles for these weapons, but it is similar to the weight of shells for French 24 cm guns and Krupp-built 24 cm guns for the Netherlands Navy. Muzzle velocity for the Monarch class is not available. |
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| Elevation | With 308.6 lbs. (140 kg) Shell
(1890 design) |
| Range @ 30 degrees
(max. elevation of turrets) |
18,500 yards (16,900 m) |
| Range @ 45.8 degrees
(as coastal artillery) |
20,870 yards (19,080 m) |
| Elevation | With 327.4 lbs. (148.5 kg) HE 4,2 Shell |
| Range @ 45.8 degrees
(as coastal artillery) |
29,090 yards (26,600 m) |
| Range | Vertical Iron Plate |
| 11,000 yards (10,000 m) | 11.8 in (30 cm) |
| Range | Vertical Harvey Plate |
| 11,000 yards (10,000 m) | 7 in (18 cm) |
| Range | Vertical Krupp Cemented Plate |
| 11,000 yards (10,000 m) | 4.7 in (12 cm) |
| Note: Data from "Austria-Hungary's Monarch Class Coast Defense Ships." | |
| Designation | Two-gun Turrets
Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm (2): Drh.L. C/92 Kaiser Friedrich III (2), Wittelsbach (2), Fürst Bismarck (2) and Prinz Heinrich (1): Drh.L. C/98 Monarch (2): N/A (similar in design to German Drh.L. C/98) |
| Weight | N/A |
| Elevation | -5 / +30 degrees |
| Elevation Rate | N/A |
| Train | about +150 / -150 degrees |
| Train Rate | N/A |
| Gun recoil | N/A |
| Loading Angle | +4 degrees |
| Notes:
1) Rammers were pneumatically powered. Each gun had its own ammunition hoist. Each turret required a crew of 20 men. 2) C/92 turret may have been required to train to 0 degrees in order to load. A cutaway sketch of the Monarch's turrets shows that the ammunition hoists for this mounting rotated with the gunhouse. From that, I would conclude that the German C/98 turret would have been similar. These assumptions are reflected in the Rate of Fire figures given above. |
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