8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun

The 8.8 cm SK C/35[Note 1] was a German naval gun used in World War II.

8.8 cm SK C/35
A gun aboard U-251 in 1942
TypeNaval gun
Place of origin Nazi Germany
Service history
In service1939–1945
Used by Kriegsmarine
 Royal Romanian Navy
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Designed1935–1938
Specifications
Mass776 kilograms (1,711 lb)
Length3.985 meters (13 ft 0.9 in)
Barrel length3.731 meters (12 ft 2.9 in) (bore length)
ShellFixed Brass Casing:
15 kilograms (33 lb)
Shell weight9–10.2 kilograms (20–22 lb)
Caliber88 millimeters (3.5 in)
Breechvertical sliding-block
Elevation+30° to −10°[1]
Traverse360°
Muzzle velocity700 m/s (2,300 ft/s)
Maximum firing range11,950 metres (13,070 yd) at +30°[1]

Description

The 8.8 cm SK C/35 gun weighed 776 kilograms (1,711 lb) and had an overall length of 3.985 meters (13 ft 0.9 in) with a vertical sliding-block breech. The gun fired a 9.5 kg (21 lb) projectile 88 mm in diameter, and the barrel is sometimes described as 45 caliber. A 2.82 kg (6.2 lb) propellent charge produced muzzle velocity of 700 m/s (2,300 ft/s) with nose-fuzed high explosive and high explosive incendiary projectiles (with or without tracer). Useful life expectancy was 12,000 effective full charges (EFC) per barrel.[1]

Ammunition

Ammunition was of a fixed type with a Complete Round Weight of 15 kg (33 lb) and a projectile length of around 355 mm (14.0 in). The gun was able to fire:

The High Explosive (HE) round has a muzzle velocity of 700 m/s (2,300 ft/s).[2]

History
The typically unshielded SK C/35 deck gun of a type VII U-boat is visible below the torpedo tail.

This was the standard deck gun mounted forward of the conning tower in Type VII boats, although a few substituted a high-angle 8.8 cm SK C/30 naval gun for anti-aircraft defense.[1] The SK C/35 was designed for the prototype VIIA boats of 1935 with a nominal ammunition allowance of 220 rounds. During the early war years, these guns were used to encourage surrender of independently routed merchant ships or to sink ships damaged by torpedoes.[3] Some of these guns were later removed from U-boats for mounting aboard minesweepers and submarine chasers after unshielded deck guns proved impractical in action against Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships and escorted trade convoys.[4]

See also

Notes
  1. SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon); C - Construktionsjahr (year of design).

References
  1. Campbell 2002, p. 251.
  2. DiGiulian 2022.
  3. Blair 1996, p. 63.
  4. Lenton 1976, pp. 126–127.

References
  • Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939–1942. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-58839-8.
  • Campbell, John (2002). Naval Weapons of World War Two. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
  • 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. ISBN 0-385-15090-3.
  • Hogg, Ian V. (1997). German Artillery of World War Two (2nd corrected ed.). Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 1-85367-480-X.
  • Lenton, H.T. (1976). German Warships of the Second World War. New York: Arco. ISBN 0-668-04037-8.
  • Rolf, Rudi (1998). Der Atlantikwall: Bauten der deutschen Küstenbefestigungen 1940–1945. Osnabrück: Biblio. ISBN 3-7648-2469-7.
  • Rolf, Rudi (2004). A Dictionary on Modern Fortification: An Illustrated Lexicon on European Fortification in the Period 1800–1945. Middleburg, Netherlands: PRAK.
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