Originally designed in 1910 by Skoda and used on Austria-Hungarian destroyers and scout cruisers. Many ships carrying these guns were ceded to the Italians at the end of World War I. The Italians were quite impressed with the design and virtually copied it, one of the few changes being a loose liner. Considered by the Italians to be a good AAA weapon.
In 1930 the Soviet Navy purchased 10 twin mounts from Italy which were installed on the light cruisers Chervona Ukraina and Krasny Kavkaz. These were known in Russia as "Minizini" after the mount's designer, Commander Minisini.
Sources differ, but these guns or a close variation with a 4" (10.2 cm) bore rather than a 100 mm (3.9") bore were used on the Argentine cruisers of the Veinticinco de Mayo class.
Nomenclature note: The lengths of these guns were almost identical, the differences as noted in their designations was strictly the result of the way each nation measured barrel length. See "Definitions and Information about Naval Guns" for further information.
| Designation | Austria-Hungary: 10 cm/50 (3.9") K10 and K11 Italy: 100 mm/47 (3.9") Models 1924, 1927 and 1928 Russia: 100 mm/50 (3.9") "Minizini" |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | Austria-Hungary: Helgoland, Saida and Tatra classes Italy: Cesare, Trento, Zara and all Condotteri classes, San Giorgio as rearmed Russia: Chervona Ukraina and Krasny Kavkaz |
| Date of Design | Skoda: 1910 OTO: 1924, 1927 and 1928 |
| Date In Service | Austria-Hungary: 1912 Italy: 1919 (war prizes), 1930 (OTO production) Russia: 1930 |
| Gun Weight | Austria-Hungary: 4,453 lbs. (2,020 kg) Italian: 4,800 lbs. (2,177 kg) Russian version: 4,894 lbs. (2,220 kg) |
| Gun Length oa | Austria-Hungary: N/A Italian: 196.3 in (4.985 m) Russian: 196.85 in (5.000 m) |
| Bore Length | Austria-Hungary: N/A Italian: 185.0 in (4.700 m) Russian: 184.8 in (4.694 m) |
| Rifling Length | Russian: 148.9 in (3.782 m) Others: N/A |
| Grooves | 26 |
| Lands | N/A |
| Twist | N/A |
| Chamber Volume | 473.5 in3 (7,760 cm3) |
| Rate Of Fire | Austria-Hungary and Italy: 8 - 10 rounds per minute Russia: 12 rounds per minute |
Although the numbers given above for the Russian version of this weapon are slightly different, I would tend to believe that both these and the Italian guns would be identical.
| Type | Fixed |
|---|---|
| Complete Round Weight |
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| Projectile Types and Weights |
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| Bursting Charge |
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| Projectile Length |
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| Propellant Charge |
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| Muzzle Velocity |
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| Working Pressure | Russian: 17.8 tons/in2 (2,800 kg/cm2) |
| Approximate Barrel Life | Russian: 500 rounds |
| Ammunition stowage per gun |
|
| Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|
| 14 degrees | About 12,030 yards (11,000 m) |
| Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|
| 45 degrees | 16,670 yards (15,240 m) |
| AA Ceiling | About 33,000 feet (10,000 m) |
| Shell | Distance |
|---|---|
| 34.83 lbs. (15.8 kg) HE mod 1915 | 20,280 yards (18,546 m) |
| 34.83 lbs. (15.8 kg) HE mod 1928 | 21,400 yards (19570 m) |
| Designation | Austria-Hungary - Single Mounts: Helgoland (9), Saida (9) and Tatra (2) Italy - Twin Mounts 1: Cesare (4), Trento (8), Zara (8), da Barbiano (3), Cardorna (3), Montecuccoli (3), Aosta (3), Garibaldi (4) and San Giorgio (5) Soviet Union - "Minizini" Twin Mounts: Chervona Ukraina (3) and Krasny Kavkaz (2) 2 Argentina - Twin Mounts: Veinticinco de Mayo (6) |
|---|---|
| Weight | Single Mounts: 7.1 tons (7.24 mt) Twin Mounts: 14.8 tons (15.0 mt) |
| Elevation | Austria-Hungary: -4 / +18 degrees Italian: -5 / +85 degrees Russian: -5 / +78 degrees |
| Elevation Rate | Russian: 7 degrees per second Others: N/A |
| Train | 360 degrees |
| Train Rate | Russian: 13 degrees per second Others: N/A |
| Gun recoil | Russian: 22.84 - 23.62 in (58 - 60 cm) Others: N/A |
| Loading Angle | Any 3 |
- ^Italian heavy cruisers had their two after mountings removed in 1937 and replaced by twin 37 mm/54 mountings.
- ^After Chervona Ukrania was sunk in November 1941, two of her 100 mm (3.9") mounts were fitted to Krasnyi Kavkaz during a refit in the autumn of 1942.
- ^These mounts could be loaded at any angle by having the cradle trunnions automatically change position such that the breech remained at about the same height regardless of the elevation. Although a technical marvel, this slowed the overall elevation speed and made it difficult for the gun to follow a fast-moving aircraft. As a result, these weapons were generally limited to firing barrage patterns.
- More photographs of mounting from Almirante Brown at Museo Naval de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Data from:
- "Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
- "Italian Warships of World War II" by Aldo Fraccaroli
- "Anatomy of the Ship: The Cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni" by Franco Gay and Valerio Gay
- "The Battle of Otranto Straits: Controlling the Gateway to the Adriatic in WWI" by Paul G. Halpern
- "Sovetskie Boevye Korabli 1941-45: IV Vooruzhnie" (Soviet Warships 1941-45: Volume IV Armament) by A.V. Platonov
- "Entsiklopedia Otechestvennoi Artillerii" (Encyclopedia of Fatherland (Russian) Artillery) by A.V. Shirokorad
- "Cruisers of World War Two" by M.J. Whitley
- Tony DiGiulian's personal files
Other:
- "Flot vo Slavu Rossii" (Fleet in Honor of Russia) CD
- K.u.k. Kriegsmarine (Hrsg.), Exerzierreglement für die Bedienung des 10 cm G. L/50; Pola 1915
Special help from Vladimir Yakubov, Erwin F. Sieche and Georg v. Rauch
- 21 September 2008
- Benchmark
- 23 September 2012
- Added pictures of museum guns
- 10 January 2015
- Improved description of trunnion elevation system