20.3 cm SK C/34 naval gun

{{Infobox weapon

| name = 20.3 cm SK C/34 naval gun

| image = Prinz Eugen Kiel rear guns.jpg

| image_size = 300

| caption = Aft turrets of Prinz Eugen, Kiel, 1941

| origin = Germany

| type = Naval gun
Coastal defence

| is_ranged = YES

| is_bladed =

| is_explosive =

| is_artillery = YES

| is_vehicle =

| is_UK =

| service = 1939 – 1945Whitley 1995 p.57

| used_by = Kriegsmarine

| wars = Second World War

| designer =

| design_date =

| manufacturer =

| production_date =

| number =

| unit_cost =

| variants =

| weight = 20.7 tonnesCampbell 1985 pp.235–237

| length = {{convert|12.15|m|ft|abbr=on}}
(60 calibres)

| part_length =

| width =

| height =

| crew =

| cartridge = {{convert|122|kg|lb|sigfig=3}}

| caliber = {{convert|20.3|cm|in|adj=on|sigfig=1}}

| action =

| rate = 4 – 5 rounds per minute

| velocity = {{convert|925|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}

| range =

| max_range = {{convert|33.5|km|mi|abbr=on}}

| feed =

| sights =

| breech =

| recoil =

| carriage =

| elevation = -10° to +37°

| traverse =

}}

The 20.3 cm SK C/34SK – Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon); C – Construktionsjahr (year of design) was the main battery gun used on the German Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers.

Description

These built-up guns consisted of a rifled tube encased within an inner and outer jacket with a horizontal sliding breech block. The breech was sealed with an 18 kg (40 lb) brass case containing 30 kg (66 lb) of smokeless powder with a 160 gram (5.6 oz) gunpowder igniter. A cloth bag containing an additional 21 kg (40 lb) of smokeless powder and 380 grams (13 oz) of gunpowder was loaded between the projectile and the brass case. Each gun could fire approximately five rounds per minute. Useful life expectancy was 510 effective full charges (EFC) per barrel.

Naval service

{{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Hipper||2}}, {{ship|German cruiser|Blücher||2}}, and {{ship|German cruiser|Prinz Eugen||2}} each mounted eight of these guns in 248-tonne Drh LC/34 twin turrets with a maximum elevation of 37 degrees.

Coast defence guns

The four turrets intended for the incomplete cruiser {{ship|German cruiser|Seydlitz||2}} were installed as coastal artillery in France.

The turrets A (Anton) and D (Dora) at Battery Karola on the Ile de Re (4./Marine Artillerie Abteilung 282).

And the turrets B (Bruno) and C (Cäsar) at Battery Seydlitz on the Ile de Croix (5./Marine Artillerie Abteilung 264).

Railway guns

Eight barrels from the incomplete cruiser were given to the army and followed rebuild to 20.3 cm K (E) railway guns.

Shell trajectory

class="wikitable"

!Range

!Elevation

!Time of flight

!Descent

!Impact velocity

|1° 54{{prime}}

|6 sec

|2° 6{{prime}}

|{{convert|744|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}

|4° 24{{prime}}

|14 sec

|6° 6{{prime}}

|{{convert|587|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}

|8° 6{{prime}}

|23 sec

|12° 48{{prime}}

|{{convert|463|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}

|13° 18{{prime}}

|36 sec

|23° 36{{prime}}

|{{convert|382|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}

|20° 18{{prime}}

|51 sec

|36° 48{{prime}}

|{{convert|353|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}

|29° 6{{prime}}

|69 sec

|48° 48{{prime}}

|{{convert|363|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}

=Weapons of comparable role, performance and era=

203mm/50 Modèle 1924 gun French equivalent
203 mm /53 Italian naval gun Italian equivalent
20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun Japanese equivalent
BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun UK equivalent
8"/55 caliber gun US equivalent

Footnotes

=Notes=

=Citations=

References

{{cite book| title=Naval Weapons of World War Two |author=Campbell, John |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1985 |isbn=0-87021-459-4}}
{{cite book| title=Cruisers of World War Two |author=Whitley, M.J. |publisher=Brockhampton Press |year=1995 |isbn=1-86019-874-0}}