10.5 cm SK L/40 naval gun

The10.5 cm SK L/40(SK - Schnelladekanone(quick-loading cannon)L - Länge(with a 40-caliber longbarrel) was aGermannaval gunused inWorld War IandWorld War II.

10.5 cm SK L/40
A gun salvaged from thelight cruiserKönigsbergand mounted on thegunboatSSGraf von GötzenonLake Tanganyika
Type	Naval gun
Place of origin	German Empire
Service history
In service	1900—1945
Used by	German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
Wars	World War I World War II
Production history
Designed	about 1898–1900
Specifications
Mass	1,555 kg (3,428 lb)
Length	4.475 m (14 ft 8 in)
Shell	105 x 656 mmFixed QF ammunition
Shellweight	16–17.4 kg (35–38 lb)
Caliber	105 mm (4 in)
Breech	Horizontal sliding-block
Recoil	Hydro-pneumatic
Elevation	-10° to +30°
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	15 RPM
Muzzle velocity	690 m/s (2,300 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	12,200 m (13,300 yd) at 30°

Description

The 10.5 cm SK L/40 gun weighed 1,555 kilograms (3,428 lb), had an overall length of 4.475 m (14 ft 8.2 in). It used a horizontal sliding-blockbreechdesign.

Naval use

• Bremen-class
• Dresden-class
• Gazelle-class
• Iltis-class
• Königsberg-class
• SMSCap Trafalgar

Surviving examples

Gun from SMSKönigsberg,which served ashore in theEast Africa Campaignin World War I, outside the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa.

• FromKönigsberg:
  • Nr. 369L is on display at theUnion Buildingsin Pretoria, South Africa
  • A second is on display atFort Jesus,Mombasa, Kenya
  • A third is located on a traffic island in Jinja, Uganda
• FromEmden:
  • A gun is on display atHyde Park, Sydney,Australia
  • A second is located at theRoyal Australian Navy Heritage CentreinHMASKuttabul,the main naval base in Sydney
  • A third is on display at theAustralian War Memorialin Canberra
• From theHilfskreuzer(auxiliary cruiser)Prinz Eitel Friedrich
  • A gun is on display at Memorial Park, Cambridge, NY, United States

See also

• List of naval guns
• BritishBL 4 inch naval gun Mk VIII- firing slightly lighter shell

Notes

http:// navweaps /Weapons/WNGER_41-40_skc00.php

Sources

• Campbell, John (2002).Naval Weapons of World War Two.London: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN0-87021-459-4.
• Gander, Terry; Chamberlain, Peter (1979).Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939–1945.New York: Doubleday.ISBN0-385-15090-3.
• Hogg, Ian V.(1997).German Artillery of World War Two(2nd corrected ed.). Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books.ISBN1-85367-480-X.
• Rolf, Rudi (1998).Der Atlantikwall: Bauten der deutschen Küstenbefestigungen 1940-1945.Osnabrück: Biblio.ISBN3-7648-2469-7.
• Rolf, Rudi (2004).A Dictionary on Modern Fortification: An Illustrated Lexicon on European Fortification in the Period 1800-1945.Middleburg, Netherlands: PRAK.

External links

• SK L/40 at Navweaps