Description

Adapted from the SP 75 mm gun by shortening the barrel and given a high-elevation mounting, this AA weapon was obsolete by the start of World War II. Fired fixed rounds.

I have been unable to determine the differences between the Model years. Possibly these were slight improvements.

Gun Characteristics

Designation 75 mm/50 (2.95") Model 1922, 1924 and 1927
Ship Class Used On Bretagne, Béarn, Duquesne, Suffren 1, Jeanne D'Arc, Duguay-Trouin, Chacal (2100 tonnes) and Bourrasque (1500 tonnes) classes
Date Of Design 1922, 1924 and 1927
Date In Service 1926
Gun Weight 1.05 tons (1.07 mt)
Gun Length oa N/A
Bore Length 147.6 in (3.75 m)
Rifling Length N/A
Grooves N/A
Lands N/A
Twist N/A
Chamber Volume N/A
Rate Of Fire 8 - 15 rounds per minute 2
  • ^Of the Suffren class, only Suffren herself carried these guns, the other members of her class carried the 90 mm/50 Model 1926.
  • ^The theoretical rate of fire was 15 rounds per minute but 8 rounds per minute was the practical rate.

Ammunition

Type Fixed
Weight of Complete Round 26.5 lbs. (12.01 kg)
Projectile Types and Weights 1a HE: 13.07 lbs. (5.93 kg)

Starshell: N/A
Bursting Charge N/A
Projectile Length about 12.8 in (32.5 cm)
Complete round 38.1 in (96.67 cm)
Propellant Charge 4.81 lbs. (2.18 kg) BM5
Cartridge Case Type, Size and Empty Weight 27.1 x 4.33 in (688.5 x 110 mm), 13.4 lbs. (6.08 kg)
Muzzle Velocity 2,789 fps (850 mps)
Working Pressure N/A
Approximate Barrel Life N/A
Ammunition stowage per gun 2a Duguay-Trouin: 135 rounds 3a
Duquesne and Suffren: 500 rounds
Jeanne D-Arc: 400 rounds 4a
Bourrasque: 180 HE and 120 starshell
Chacal: 150 HE and 60 starshell
Others: N/A
  • ^
    Actual projectile designations
    HE OEA Mle 1925
    Starshell OEcl Mle 1923
  • ^Most ships also had practice and a few saluting (blank) rounds.
  • ^Duguay-Trouin outfit was 540 rounds HE, 120 rounds illumination and 90 practice rounds.
  • ^Jeanne D-Arc outfit was 1,600 rounds and 20 starshells.

Range

Range with 13.07 lbs. (5.93 kg) HE
Elevation Distance
40 degrees 15,420 yards (14,100 m)
AA Ceiling @ 90 degrees about 26,250 feet (8,000 m)
Effective AA Range 24,600 feet (7,500 m)

Mount/Turret Data

Designation Single open mountings 1b: Bretagne (8), Bearn (6), Duguay-Trouin (4), Chacal (2), Bourrasque (1), Duquesne (8), Suffren (8) and Jeanne D-Arc (4): Model 1922
Weight N/A
Elevation -10 / +90 degrees
Elevation Rate N/A
Train about +150 / -150 degrees
Train Rate N/A
Gun recoil N/A
Loading Angle -10 / +75 degrees
  • ^Destroyers had these guns removed during refits in the 1930s as a weight-saving measure. These were replaced by 13.2mm MGs on the Chacal class and by 37 mm Model 1925 on the Bourrasque class.

Sources

"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"Navies of the Second World War - The French Navy" by Henri le Masson
"French Light Cruisers" article by Jean Guigliani and Albert Moreau in "Warships International No. 3, 2001"
"French Cruisers: 1922 - 1954" and "French Destroyers: Torpilleurs d'Escadre & Contre-Torpilleurs 1922 - 1956" both by John Jordan and Jean Moulin

Page History

24 March 2008 - Benchmark
03 March 2012 - Updated to latest template
28 March 2013 - Added use on destroyer classes and minor details
29 March 2015 - Minor additions
24 September 2015 - Additional information regarding use on destroyers
19 November 2024 - Converted to HTML 5 format