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24 cm SK L/40
The 24 cm Schnelladekanone Länge 40, abbreviated as 24 cm SK L/40, was a German naval gun developed in the years before World War I that armed a number of the Imperial German Navy's pre-dreadnought battleships and armored cruisers. Later; a number of these guns were removed from naval ships and converted to coastal artillery; which would see service during World War I and World War II. The actual bore diameter was 23.8 cm (9.4 in), but the classification system for artillery rounded up to the next highest centimeter. HistoryThe first L/40 24 cm Krupp gun was tested in 1892.[2] The 24 cm SK L/40 was designed in 1894 and produced in 1898 by Krupp for the Imperial German Navy. Krupp also produced a variant of the 24 cm SK L/40 for the Austro-Hungarian Navy called the 24 cm L/40 K94 which armed coastal defense ships, pre-dreadnought battleships and armored cruisers. Skoda later produced the Škoda 24 cm L/40 K97 and the Škoda 24 cm L/40 K/01 under license.[3] Krupp 24 cm guns also armed coastal defense ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy.[4] ConstructionThis was the first large caliber German naval gun to use a Krupp horizontal sliding-wedge breech block and separate loading metallic cased propellant charges and projectiles.[5] Unlike other large naval guns of the time which used separate loading bagged charges and projectiles, this gun used charges inside of a brass cartridge case to provide obturation. The first twelve guns were constructed of an inner tube, two reinforcing layers of hoops and a jacket. Later guns had a third hoop added near the breech, which added 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) of weight.[5] Naval Artillery The 24 cm SK L/40 was the primary armament of two classes of pre-dreadnought battleships, the Kaiser Friedrich III-class and the Wittelsbach-class. It was also the primary armament of two unique armored cruisers, the SMS Fürst Bismarck and SMS Prinz Heinrich of the Imperial German Navy.[5]
The Krupp 24 cm L/40 K94 armed the Monarch-class coastal defense ships, the pre-dreadnought Habsburg-class battleships and the armored cruiser SMS Kaiser Karl VI of the Austro-Hungarian Navy.[5]
Krupp 24 cm guns were also mounted as primary armament on the Koningin Regentes-class of coastal defense ships and two unique coastal defense ships, the HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck and the HNLMS Marten Harpertszoon Tromp of the Royal Netherlands Navy.[4]
Coastal ArtilleryDuring 1915-1916 the Kaiser Friedrich III-class and the Wittelsbach-class battleships were decommissioned and disarmed. The 24 cm SK L/40 guns salvaged from these ships were also converted to coastal artillery. Eight guns in four turrets from the Kaiser Friedrich III-class were emplaced at Libau. Four guns were emplaced at Battery Hamburg on Norderney. Lastly four guns were emplaced at Battery S2 on Sylt.[5] During World War II Battery Hamburg at Norderney was still in action and was moved to Cherbourg, where it saw action against Allied naval forces during the Bombardment of Cherbourg.[6][7] Bibliography
References
External linksInformation related to 24 cm SK L/40 |
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