10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun

10.5 cm SK C/32 Amiral Murgescu during an escort in the Black Sea.jpg 300 The SK C/32 bow gun of Amiral Murgescu Nazi Germany Naval gunAnti-aircraft gunCoastal defence gun yes yes 1936−2002 Nazi GermanyRomaniaNorway World War II 1585 - 1785 kg lb usCampbell pp.248&249 4.74 - 4.86 m ftin us 4.4 m ftin us (bore length) Fixed 15.1 kg lb 10.5 cm in us 785 m/s ft/s on Horizontal: 15 km yd us at +44.4°Ceiling: 10300 m ft on at +80° Dependent on mount: MPLC/30: -9 to +80 MPLC/32: -10 to +50 MPLC/32 gE: -10 to +70 Ubts LC/32: -10 to +35 Ubts LC/36: -10 to +30Campbell pp.248&249 The 10.5 cm SK C/32 (SK - Schiffskanone (ship board cannon) C - Construktionsjahr (year of design), was a widely used German naval gun on a variety of Kriegsmarine ships during World War II. Originally designed as a surface weapon, it was used in a number of other roles such as anti-aircraft and coastal defence; wet-mounts were developed for U-boats. Description The 10.5 cm SK C/32 was a built-up gun, 45 calibers long, with a jacket and breech that weighed about 1.8 tons. The gun fired 10.5 cm in us fixed ammunition, which was 1.51 m ft on long, weighed 24.2 kg lb on and had a 4.08 kg lb on propellant charge. Useful life expectancy was 4,100 effective full charges (EFC) per barrel. Surface ships The 10.5 cm SK C/32 was widely deployed on three different types of single mounts. The high-angle MPLC/30 was a modified 8.8 cm mount. The low-angle MPLC/32 was used on Type 35 torpedo boats, Type 37 torpedo boats and Type 40 minesweepers. The high-angle MPLC/32 gE was used on the cruiser Emden, the battleship Schlesien 2, the battleship Schleswig-Holstein 2, Elbing class torpedo boats, Type 35 minesweepers and Type 43 minesweepers. Two guns formed the main armament of the Romanian multi-purpose vessel Amiral Murgescu.John Campbell, Naval Weapons of World War Two, Conway Maritime Press, 2002, p. 389 U-boats The 10.5 cm SK C/32 was the standard low-angle deck gun mounted forward of the conning tower in type I, type IX and type X U-boats. The Ubts LC/32 mounting used in type I and early type IX U-boats weighed about 5 tonnes. Later type IX and type XB U-boats used the lighter Ubts LC/36 mounting with a maximum elevation of +30° . During the early war years, these guns were used to encourage surrender of independently routed merchant ships or to sink ships damaged by torpedoes.Blair p.63 Some of these guns were later removed from U-boats for mounting aboard type 40 minesweepers after unshielded deck guns proved impractical in action against Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships and escorted trade convoys.Lenton pp.126&127 One gun was mounted aboard the submarine Marsuinul of the Romanian Navy. The gun, together with her six 533 mm torpedo tubes, made her the most powerful Axis submarine in the Black Sea.Robert Gardiner, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946, Naval Institute Press, 1980, p. 361W.M. Thornton, Submarine Insignia and Submarine Services of the World, Pen and Sword Publishing, 1996, p. 100 Coastal defence left|thumb|105 mm SK C/32 on display at Fjell Fortress, Norway Norway used this gun in coastal defence batteries until 2002. See also List of naval guns Weapons of comparable role, performance and era QF 4 inch Mk XII & Mk XXII guns : Slightly less powerful British equivalent submarine guns Notes References Blair Clay Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939-1942 Random House New York 1996 0-394-58839-8 Campbell John Naval Weapons of World War Two Conway Maritime Press London 2002 0-87021-459-4 Lenton H.T. German Warships of the Second World War Arco New York 1976 0-668-04037-8 External links Tony DiGiulian, Germany 10.5 cm/45 (4.1") SK C/32 Category:105 mm artillery Category:Naval guns of Germany Category:Coastal artillery Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1930s