380 mm/45 Modèle 1935 gun

380mm/45 Modèle 1935
380mm/45 Modèle 1935
	Remaining gun under Recouvrance Bridge, Brest
Type	naval gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1935-1969
Used by	France
Wars	Second World War, Suez Crisis
Production history
Designed	1935
No. built	16 guns
Specifications
Mass	Turret: 2,476 tonnes; Single Gun: 94.13 tonnes
Length	17.882 m (58 ft 8 in)
Barrel length	17.257 m (56 ft 7 in)
Shell	AP: 884 kilograms (1,950 lb); separate charges and shell
Calibre	380 mm (15 in)
Breech	Welin breech block, hydro-pneumatically powered
Recoil	132.5 cm (4 ft 4 in)
Elevation	6°/s
Traverse	300°, 5°/s
Rate of fire	1.8 /min
Muzzle velocity	830 m/s (2,700 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	41,700 m (45,600 yd) 35° elevation, streamlined shell

The 380mm/45 Modèle 1935 gun was a heavy naval gun of the French Navy. It was the largest calibre naval gun ever fielded in French service.

History

The built-up guns were used on the two battleships of the Richelieu class, Richelieu and Jean Bart. They were mounted in quadruple turrets, which allowed mounting all the main battery at the bow, and saved weight on turret armour in the context of the Washington Naval Treaty.

During World War II seven guns were captured by the Germans and three of these were taken to Norway. It was planned to install them in a coastal battery at Vardaasen (MKB 6./501 Nötteröy), using Bettungsschiessgerüst (Firing platform) C/39 armoured single mounts, but the war ended before the battery became operational. In 1949 the guns were returned to France (in exchange for 3 German 38 cm SKC/34 from "Batterie Todt") where they were then refurbished at Ruelle.

Five guns remain: one is on display at the Arsenal of Brest, under Recouvrance Bridge; another at Lanvéoc at the École Navale; and a third gun survives at Gâvres, near Lorient.[1] Two others are on display, at Ruelle and at La Spezia.[2] The honour room of the École Navale also displays two 380mm shells and tampions.[3]

Shell on display at the Musée national de la Marine
Battleship Richelieu en route to New York in 1943
One of the five remaining 380mm/45 Modèle 1935 guns of Richelieu, by the Penfeld river in Brest.
The gun of Lanvéoc at the École Navale, in front of the Orion building

Notes

Wahl. p. 57.
Tony DiGiulian. "France 380 mm/45 (14.96") Model 1935 and Model 1936". NavWeaps. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
Le cuirassé Richelieu.

Bibliography

Wahl, Jean-Bernard (2008). "Installés par les Allemands en batterie côtière en Norvège, retour en France des canons de 380 du Jean-Bart". Bunkerarchéo (in French): 44–57.

External links

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[1] Wahl. p. 57.

[2] Tony DiGiulian. "France 380 mm/45 (14.96") Model 1935 and Model 1936". NavWeaps. Retrieved 2022-08-20.

[3] Le cuirassé Richelieu.

French naval weapons of the Second World War
Battleship main armament	305 mm/45 Modèle 1906 330 mm/50 Modèle 1931 340 mm/45 Modèle 1912 380 mm/45 Modèle 1935
Cruiser main armament	138 mm/40 Modèle 1923 152 mm/55 Modèle 1930 155 mm/50 Modèle 1920 203 mm/50 Modèle 1924 203 mm/55 Modèle 1931
Destroyer and Aviso main armament	65 mm Modèle 1891 90 mm/50 Modèle 1926 100 mm/45 Modèle 1891 100 mm/45 Modèle 1933 130 mm/40 Modèle 1919 130 mm/40 Modèle 1924 130 mm/45 Modèle 1935 138 mm/45 Modèle 1893 138 mm/40 Modèle 1927 138 mm/55 Modèle 1910 138 mm/50 Modèle 1929
Secondary armament	57 mm/40 Modèle 1885 90 mm/50 Modèle 1926 100 mm/45 Modèle 1930 100 mm/55 Modèle 1945 130 mm/45 Modèle 1932 138 mm/55 Modèle 1910 152 mm/55 Modèle 1930
Submarine guns	75 mm/35 Modèle 1924 75 mm/35 Modèle 1927 100 mm/45 Modèle 1917 100 mm/45 Modèle 1925 100 mm/34 Modèle 1936 203 mm/50 Modèle 1924
Anti-aircraft weapons	7.5 mm/80 Modèle 1931 8 mm/50 Modèle 1914 13.2 mm/76 Modèle 1929 25 mm/60 Modèle 1938 25 mm/60 Modèle 1940 37 mm/50 Modèle 1925 37 mm/70 Modèle 1935 57 mm/40 Modèle 1902 75 mm/35 Modèle 1924 75 mm/35 Modèle 1927 90 mm/50 Modèle 1926 100 mm/34 Modèle 1933
Torpedoes	400 mm Modèle 1926V 550 mm Modèle 1919D 550 mm Modèle 1923DT 550 mm Modèle 1924M 550 mm Modèle 1924V

380 mm/45 Modèle 1935 gun

History

See also

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

Notes

Bibliography

External links