Description

A widely used weapon employed in both the anti-torpedo boat and anti-aircraft roles in easily removable mounts. Some of these guns were mounted on top of main gun turrets where they could be coupled with the 30.5 cm guns for gunnery practice. The K16 - also known as BAG (Ballon-Abwehr Geschütz - Anti-Airship Gun) - was slightly different to suit an anti-aircraft mounting but had the same ballistic characteristics as the K10.

Seven of these guns were allocated for coastal defense and eight more were given to the Army.

Actual bore diameter was 6.6 cm (2.6").

Gun Characteristics

Designation 7 cm (2.75")/50 K10 and K16 Skoda
Ship Class Used On Battleships: Viribus Unitis class
Cruisers: Admiral Spaun and Helgoland classes
Destroyers: Tatra, Triglav II classes
Monitors: Enns class
Date Of Design 1910 / 1916
Date In Service 1911 / 1917
Gun Weight 1,146 lbs. (520 kg) without breech
Gun Length oa about 138 in (3.500 m)
Bore Length N/A
Rifling Length N/A
Grooves (20) 0.030 in D x 0.244 W (0.75 mm D x 6.2 mm W)
Lands N/A
Twist RH 1 in 30
Chamber Volume N/A
Rate Of Fire 15 to 20 rounds per minute

Ammunition

Type Fixed
Projectile Types and Weights HE: 9.9 lbs. (4.5 kg)
Bursting Charge 3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg)
Projectile Length HE: 4 calibers
Propellant Charge 3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg)
Muzzle Velocity 2,887 fps (880 mps)
Working Pressure 18.4 tons/in2 (2,900 kg/cm2)
Approximate Barrel Life N/A
Ammunition stowage per gun 400 rounds

Range

Range with 9.9 lbs. (4.5 kg) AP Shell
Elevation Distance
20 degrees 8,750 yards (8,000 m)
AA Ceiling 16,400 feet (5,000 m)

Mount/Turret Data

Designation Single Mounts 1
   As Commissioned
     Viribus Unitis (12 ATB and 4 AA)
     Tatra (6 ATB) and Triglav II (6 ATB)
     Enns (2 AA) 2

   Late War
     Viribus Unitis (12 ATB and 4 AA)
     Radetzky (4 AA)
     Wien (1 AA), Budapest (1 AA)
     Admiral Spaun (1 AA) and Helgoland (1 AA)
     Tatra (6 ATB) and Triglav II (6 ATB)
     Enns (2 AA)
     Mars (1 ATB)

Weight N/A
Elevation Anti-torpedo boat: -10 / +20 degrees
Anti-airship: -5 / +90 degrees
Elevation Rate N/A
Train 360
Train Rate N/A
Gun recoil N/A
Loading Angle N/A
  • ^The quantities in this section are primarily based upon the findings of Mihály Krámli and may disagree with the quantities found in other sources. The number of available weapons and the quantities used on each ship fluctuated during the war as guns became available either by new production or by reusing guns from older ships being decommissioned.
  • ^The mountings on the Enns class monitors had a flap on the top of the gunhouse that could be opened to allow high gun elevations.

Additional Pictures

Sources

"Naval Weapons of World War One" by Norman Friedman
"Austro-Hungarian Battleships 1914-18" by Ryan Noppen
"A Fleet in Being: Austro-Hungarian Warships of WWI" y Russell Phillips
"The Viribus Unitis Class" article in "Warship Volume II" by Friedrich Prasky
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Original research by Mihály Krámli, author of "Sinking of the Austro-Hungarian Monitor SMS Inn, 22 September 1917," "A Használhatatlan Lövegtornony Mítosza: Legenda Vagy Valóság?" [The Myth of the Useless Turret: Legend or Reality?] and "Az Osztrák-Magyar Monarchia Csatahajói: 1904-1914" [Austro-Hungarian Battleships and Battleship Designs: 1904-1914] {Link - Hungarian to complete book in pdf form and Link - English}. Paperback copies printed on A4 paper and shipped from Hungary are available. Contact NavWeaps by clicking on the Contact link above or below.
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Tony DiGiulian's personal data files

Page History

01 August 2006 - Benchmark
12 October 2013 - Added additional information and picture of AA gunners
15 June 2023 - Converted to HTML 5 format
01 July 2024 - Added use on cruisers, destroyers and monitors, added photograph of SMS Inn