German
24 cm/40 (9.4") SK L/40
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Austria-Hungary
24 cm/40 (9.4") Krupp C/94

Updated 22 November 2008


Used on Pre-dreadnoughts and "First Rate Cruisers" of the 1890s.  During World War II some of these guns were used in coastal batteries, the best known being Battery Hamburg, originally at Nordeney and later at Cherbourg.

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").

WNGER_945-40_skc94_Budapest.jpg

Aft turret on Austria-Hungary Coast Defense Ship Budapest
The "crack" in the gun barrel is actually a flaw in the picture

WNGER_945-40_skc94_Texas_pic.jpg

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.
The USN officers are Rear Admiral Carleton F. Bryant (left) and Captain Charles A. Baker, CO, USS Texas
U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph 80-G-46961

WNGER_945-40_skc94_Texas_hole_pic.jpg

Repairing the hole in USS Texas BB-35 caused by the above projectile

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Gun Characteristics
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Designation Germany
   24 cm/40 (9.4") SK L/40

Austria-Hungary
  24 cm/40 (9.4") C/94

Ship Class Used On German
   Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm, Kaiser Friedrich III, Wittelsbach, Fürst Bismarck and Prinz Heinrich Classes

Austria-Hungary
   Monarch Class

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
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Ammunition
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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:
   1895 AP - N/A
   1914 AP L/2,6 - Psgr. L/2,6
   HE L/4,1 base fuze - Spr.gr. L/4,1 Bdz
   HE L/4,2 base and nose fuze - Spr.gr. L/4,2 Bdz u. Kz (mhb)

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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Range
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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)
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Armor Penetration with 474 lbs. (215 kg) Austria-Hungary Armor Piercing Shell
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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."
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Mount / Turret Data
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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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Data from
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"German Warships 1815-1945" by Erich Gröner
"Austria-Hungary's Monarch Class Coast Defense Ships" article by Erwin F. Sieche in Warship International No. 3, 1999
"Die Geschichte der deutschen Schiffsartillerie" by Paul Schmalenbach
"Battleships" by Paul Stillwell
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Special help from Peter Lienau