Germany 10.5 cm/40 (4.1") SK L/40

Description

Used on cruisers and gunboats of the early 1900s. Some of these guns still served during World War II in coastal batteries and on small combatants. Used a horizontally sliding breech mechanism.

Gun Characteristics

Designation	10.5 cm (4.1") SK L/40
Ship Class Used On	Grazelle, Bremen (1904), Königsberg (1907), Dresden and Tiger (Iltis) classes
Date Of Design	about 1898
Date In Service	1900
Gun Weight	3,428 lbs. (1,555 kg)
Gun Length oa	176 in (4.475 m)
Bore Length	N/A
Rifling Length	N/A
Grooves	N/A
Lands	N/A
Twist	N/A
Chamber Volume	N/A
Rate Of Fire	15 rounds per minute

Ammunition

Type	Fixed
Complete Round Weight	about 56.05 lbs. (25.448 kg) ¹: N/A
Projectile Types and Weights ²	World War I SAP L/3,8 ³: 35.3 lbs. (16.0 kg) HE L/3,4 nose fuze: 38.55 lbs. (17.5 kg) World War II SAP L/3,8: 38.55 lbs. (17.5 kg) HE L/3,6 nose fuze: 38.36 lbs. (17.4 kg) Illum L/3,3: 27.1 lbs. (12.3 kg)
Bursting Charge	World War I ⁴
	SAP L/3,8	G: N/A 2.57 lbs. (1.17 kg) TNT
	HE L/3,4 nose fuze	G: N/A S: 1.7 lbs. (0.774 kg) TNT
	World War II ⁵
	SAP L/3,8	G: 2.57 lbs. (1.166 kg) S: 2.35 lbs. (1.064 kg) TNT
	HE L/3,6 nose fuze	G: 1.82 lbs. (0.827 kg) S: 1.65 lbs. (0.747 kg) TNT
Projectile Length	SAP L/3,8: 15.95 in (40.51 cm) HE L/3,4 nose fuze: 15.605 in (37.96 cm) Illum L/3,3: about 13.64 in (34.7 cm)
Propellant Charge	World War I 7.0 lbs. (3.175 kg) RP C/12 World War II SAP & HE: 7.0 lbs. (3.175 kg) RP C/12 (544 x 7,5/4) Illum: 2.3 lbs. (1.03 kg) RP C/12 (263 x 3,5/2)
Cartridge Case Type, Size and Empty Weight	Brass, 105 x 656 mm, N/A
Muzzle Velocity	SAP & HE: 2,264 fps (690 mps) Illum: 1,480 fps. (450 mps)
Working Pressure	N/A
Approximate Barrel Life	N/A
Ammunition stowage per gun	Early Gazelle class: 100 rounds Later Gazelle class, Bremen, Königsberg and Dresden: 150 rounds Tiger: 241 rounds

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The weight of the complete round varied with the projectile weight.

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Actual designations for Projectiles
SAP L/3,8	10.5 cm Spgr Patr L/3,8 Iz
HE L/3,4 nose fuze	10.5 cm Spgr Patr L/3,4 Kz
HE L/3,6 nose fuze	10.5 cm Spgr Patr L/3,6
Illum L/3,3	10.5 cm Lg Patr L/3,3

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The SAP L/3,8 was an interesting design in that it had a large steel nose with an internal fuze (Iz) behind it. See sketch below.
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Burster weights (G = Gesamtgewicht and S = reiner Sprengstoff) for World War I projectiles from "Diagrams of Great War."
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Burster weights (G = Gesamtgewicht and S = reiner Sprengstoff) for World War II projectiles from M.Dv. Nr. 198.

Range

Range with 38.4 lbs. (17.4 kg) HE
Elevation	Distance
30 degrees	13,340 yards (12,200 m)

Mount / Turret Data

Designation	Single Mounts Grazelle (10): MPL C/97 Bremen (10) and Tiger (2): MPL C/00 Königsberg (12) and Dresden (12): MPL C/0
Weight	N/A
Elevation	MPL C/97: -10 / +10 (?) degrees MPL C/00: -10 / +30 degrees MPL C/04: -6 / +30 degrees
Elevation Rate	Hand operated, only
Train	360 degrees
Train Rate	Hand operated, only
Gun recoil	7.5 in (19 cm)

During World War I many of the older ships were disarmed and their guns then used for coastal defense. A few ships were rearmed with the more powerful 10.5 cm/45 gun during and after the war.
Hilfskreuzer Prinz Eitel Friedrich carried four of these guns.

Additional Pictures

Click for larger image. — 10.5 cm/40 SK L/40 on the German steamer *Graf von Götzen* in October 1916 on the North-Western side of Lake Tanganyika near Uvira. This was the Number 6 gun salvaged from the cruiser *Königsberg*. Note the sliding breech mechanism, typical of Krupp guns of this period. The sailor on the far left is holding a leather ammunition transfer bag. Photograph courtesy of Helen Bachaus.

Sources

"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"German Warships 1815-1945" by Erich Gröner
"Die Geschichte der deutschen Schiffsartillerie" by Paul Schmalenbach
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"Diagrams of Great War - German Naval Guns; Shells & Explosives; Fuses & Exploders" by The Royal Laboratory Woolwich 1921-22
"Marine Rundschau, 1907," official statement of the RMA (Reichsmarineamt, Dept. W)
"Übersicht über die für die Marinegeschütze und deren Abk K zu verwendende Munition und ihre Einzelteile einschließlich Salut- und Manöverladungen" M.Dv. Nr. 198 by Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine
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Special Help from Peter Lienau

Page History

24 May 2008 - Benchmark
30 January 2009 - Added picture of Bremen and deleted picture of Undine
08 April 2012 - Added cartridge case size. Added pictures of casing from Königsberg
16 December 2013 - Added photograph of projectile from Leipzig
05 October 2020 - Updated to HTML 5 format, reorganized notes
28 August 2024 - Added ammunition details and sketches of Spgr. L/3,4 Kz and Spgr. L/3,8 Kz projectiles
19 June 2025 - Redid Burster table