Summary
The 5.28 cm SK L/55[Note 1] was a German naval gun that was used before and during World War I on a variety of mounts, in torpedo boats and cruisers.
| 5.2 cm SK L/55 gun | |
|---|---|
 Krupp gun in Royal Australian Armoured Corps Tank Museum, Puckapunyal, Victoria, Australia. | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin |  German Empire |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1906—1920? |
| Used by | German Empire |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designed | around 1905[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 386 kg (851 lb)[2] |
| Barrel length | 2.87 m (9 ft 5 in) L/55[2] |
| Shell | Fixed QF 52 x 463 R[3] |
| Shell weight | 1.75 kg (3 lb 14 oz)[2] |
| Caliber | 5.2 cm (2 in) |
| Action | Semi-automatic |
| Breech | Horizontal sliding wedge |
| Recoil | Hydro-pneumatic |
| Carriage | Central pivot |
| Elevation | -5° to +20°[1] |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 10 rpm[1] |
| Muzzle velocity | 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 7.1 km (4.4 mi) at +20°[1] |
Design and description edit
The 5.2 cm SK L/55 gun was designed around 1905, and used fixed ammunition. It had an overall length of about 2.86 m (9 ft 5 in).[1] The gun was of built-up steel construction with a central rifled tube, reinforcing hoops from the trunnions to the breech. The gun used a semi-automatic Krupp horizontal sliding-block breech and used fixed quick fire ammunition.
Service edit
This gun was installed in several torpedo boats and cruisers of the Imperial German Navy, as well as in some torpedo boats ordered by the Royal Netherlands Navy, among them:
- SMS V106 torpedo boat (ex-Dutch)
- A-class torpedo boat (coastal)
- S90-class torpedo boat (ocean-going)
- Dresden-class cruiser
- Kolberg-class cruiser
- Königsberg-class cruiser
- Pillau-class cruiser
- Wiesbaden-class cruiser
During World War I it was sometimes replaced with larger guns (as the 8.8 cm L/30, 8.8 cm L/35 or 8.8 cm L/45), while in turn replaced the less powerful 5 cm SK L/40 gun in some older torpedo boats.[1]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon); L - Länge (length); /55 - with a 55-caliber-long barrel
Bibliography edit
- Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1848321007.
Further reading edit
- Reichs-Marine-Amt, ed. (1907). Bedienungsvorschrift für die 5,2 cm Schnellade-Kanone L/55 in Mittel-pivot-lazette C/1903 : LII. Berlin.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
External links edit
- 5.2 cm/55 (2.05") SK L/55 - History and specifications, at Naval Weapons of the World website (NavWeaps.com) (accessed 2016-08-27)