24 cm SK L/40

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24 cm SK L/40
SMS Wettin NH 47897.jpg
Twin C/92 turret aboard SMS Wettin
TypeNaval gun
Coastal artillery
Place of originGerman Empire
Service history
In service1898-1945
Used byGerman Empire
Austria-Hungary
Netherlands
Nazi Germany
WarsBoxer Rebellion
World War I
World War II
Production history
DesignerKrupp
Designed1894
ManufacturerKrupp
Produced1898
VariantsKrupp 24 cm L/40 K94
Skoda 24 cm L/40 K97
Skoda 24 cm L/40 K/01
Specifications
Weight24–25.6 t (26.5–28.2 short tons)
Length9.5 m (31 ft 2 in)
Barrel length8.8 m (28 ft 10 in)
ShellSeparate loading cased charges and projectiles
Shell weight140–151 kg (309–333 lb)
Caliber24 cm (9.4 in) 40 caliber
BreechHorizontal sliding wedge
Recoilhydro-pneumatic
ElevationNaval Mounts: -5° to +30°
Coastal Artillery: -5° to +46°
Traverse-150° to +150°
Rate of fire3 rpm
Muzzle velocityWWI: 690 m/s (2,300 ft/s)
WWII: 810 m/s (2,700 ft/s)
Maximum firing rangeWWI: 16.9 km (10.5 mi) at +30°
WWII: 26.6 km (16.5 mi) at +46°[1]

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 guns removed from these ships were converted to coastal artillery and were used 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.

History

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.[2] Krupp 24 cm guns also armed coastal defense ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy.[3]

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