This was to be Germany's first DP destroyer gun. However, the two ships intended to carry these guns, Z46 and Z47, were both severely damaged while under construction in 1944 and never completed.
This gun fired fired very streamlined projectiles, some of which had ballistic caps as much as 20crh. It is sometimes confused with the well-known 12.7 cm Flak 40 which was used to protect German cities but which was never mounted afloat.
Construction details are not known, but it is possible that these weapons would have had similar features as other late-war German guns, such as a three-piece barrel.
Nomenclature note: This gun was possibly also known as the "12.7 cm KM41" gun.
All German 12.7 cm guns had an actual bore diameter of 12.8 cm (5.04 in).
| Designation | 12.7 cm/45 (5") SK C/411 |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | Planned for Z46 and later classes
(Types 36C, 41, 42C and "Zerstörer 1945") |
| Date Of Design | 1941 |
| Date In Service | N/A |
| Gun Weight | 4.18 tons (4,250 kg) |
| Gun Length oa | 228.6 in (5.807 m) |
| Bore Length | 212.6 in (5.400 m) |
| Rifling Length | 178.6 in (4.547 m) |
| Grooves | (40) 0.067 in deep x 0.199 in (1.7 mm x 5.05 mm) |
| Lands | 0.197 in (5.0 mm) |
| Twist | Increasing RH 1 in 35.9 to 1 29.9 |
| Chamber Volume | 877 in3 (14.37 dm3) |
| Rate Of Fire | 15 - 18 rounds per minute |
- ^"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell refers to this gun as the "12.7 cm KM41".
| Type | Fixed |
|---|---|
| Weight of Complete Round | 108 lbs. (49 kg) |
| Projectile Types and Weights | HE: 61.7 lbs. (28 kg) |
| Bursting Charge | N/A |
| Projectile Length | N/A
Complete round was 53.0 in (134.6 cm) |
| Propellant Charge | 22 lbs. (10 kg) RPC/40N (6.5/2.5) |
| Muzzle Velocity | 2,723 fps (830 mps) |
| Working Pressure | 18.7 tons/in2 (2,950 kg/cm2) |
| Approximate Barrel Life | N/A |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | Type 36C: 120 rounds
Type 41, 42C and Z1945: 180 rounds |
| Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|
| 40 degrees | 24,060 yards (22,000 m) |
| 70 degrees | about 40,000 feet (12,200 m) |
"German Warships 1815-1945" by Erich Gröner
"German Destroyers of World War Two (2nd Edition)" by M.J. Whitley
---
Special help from Thorsten Wahl
09 May 2006 - Benchmark
01 April 2012 - Updated to latest template
30 January 2019 - Converted to HTML 5 format
09 November 2022 - Added sketch of Fire Control System