There were three versions of this weapon; the original prototype for proof and experimental testing; the naval version for the "H" battleships; and the coast artillery version, also known as Adolph.  The coast artillery version had a similar construction to the naval version but with a larger chamber.  At least some and perhaps all of the naval guns were converted over to the coastal artillery version.  An interesting feature of the coast artillery version was that, although employed in single BSG mountings, the guns were still completed in both left and right versions, thus showing their naval heritage.

A total of ten of the 40.6 cm (16") guns were actually produced.  Seven of these guns were employed as coastal artillery in Norway to protect Narvik and Tromsø, with three guns being emplaced as "Battery Dietl" on the island of Engeløya and four guns mounted at Trondenes near Harstad.  At the end of the war, the four Trondenes guns were taken over by the Norwegian Army along with 1,227 shells.  A German gun crew trained the Norwegians in their use, and the guns were actively used for about a decade.  The battery was last fired in 1957 and formally taken out of commission in 1961.  The guns then sat idle and were placed on sale for scrapping in 1968.  The three guns at Battery Dietl were scrapped, but the four at Trondenes remain and one of them is currently open as a museum at Trondenes Fort.

Two of the other three guns were initially used in Poland and later at Hela to protect Danzig.  All three guns were eventually made part of Battery Lindemann, which was located near Sangatte in France and where they often fired across the Channel at Dover.

As this gun had a rather thick barrel for its size, during the redesigns of the "H" class battleships during 1941 and 1942 (H-41 and H-42) it was proposed to bore them out and convert them into 42 cm/48 (16.54") weapons.  One of the reasons behind this conversion was to give these ships a larger caliber weapon than those planned for any known Allied battleship.  None of the guns already built were ever converted and no new guns were started.  The SK C/40 model year for this version is my estimate.

Constructed of a loose barrel, which was universally interchangeable between production guns, a loose liner which only fitted a particular gun, B tube, a jacket over the rear end of B tube, a breech end-piece thrust over the jacket and kept in place by a threaded ring, a breech block supporting piece inserted in the breech end-piece and secured by a threaded ring.  A retaining ring with two fittings for transmitting rotation forces was screwed onto the rear of the barrel.  Used a sliding breech block, similar to other large-caliber German naval guns.

The data that follows is specifically for the 40.6 cm (16") Naval version except where noted.  Actual bore diameter of all versions was 40.64 cm (16.0").

Turret intended for "H" Battleships