A low-powered gun originally developed as secondary armament for large coastal warships and river gunboats at the end of the 19th century and later used for older torpedo boats and U-boats during World War I. Interesting in that the U-boat mounting could be collapsed to allow it to be lowered into the boat. During World War I some guns were used in AA mountings.
Some U-boats had this gun replaced by the more-powerful 10.5 cm/45 (4.1") Utof in 1917 - 1918.
| Designation | 8.8 cm/30 (3.46") SK L/30
8.8 cm/30 (3.46") Ubts L/30 |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | Coastal Battleships: Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm, Kaiser Friedrich III and Wittelsbach classes
Cruisers: Kaiserin Augusta, Victoria Louise, Fürst Bismarck and Prinz Heinrich classes U-boats
|
| Date Of Design | about 1890 |
| Date In Service | 1892 |
| Gun Weight | 8.8 cm SK L/30: 1,420 lbs. (644 kg) including BM
8.8 cm Tbts KL/30: 0.490 tons (0.498 mt) including BM 8.8 cm Ubts KL/30: 0.492 tons (0.500 mt) including BM 8.8 cm Ubts + Tbts Flak L/30: 0.634 tons (0.644 mt) including BM |
| Gun Length oa | 102.7 in (2.610 m) |
| Bore length | 93.7 in (2.381 m) |
| Rifling Length | 77.8 in (1.977 m) |
| Grooves | (32) 0.202 in W x 0.36 in D (5.6 mm x 0.9 mm) |
| Lands | 0.118 in (3.0 mm) |
| Twist | Krupp: RH increasing 1/45 to 1/25
Erhardt: RH uniform N/A |
| Chamber Volume | N/A |
| Rate Of Fire | 15 rounds per minute (?) |
| Type | Fixed |
|---|---|
| Complete Round Weight | 30.4 lbs. (13.8 kg) |
| Projectile Types and Weights | Common L/2.60 C/83: 14.7 lbs. (6.68kg)
Common L/2.60 C/83/88: 15.0 lbs. (6.81 kg) SAP L/2.80 C/01: 21.6 lbs. (7.04 kg) HE L/3.80 C/07: 21.6 lbs. (9.80 kg) HE L/3.70 C/07: 21.3 lbs. (9.65 kg) SAP L/3.70 C/07: 22.0 lbs. (9.98 kg) |
| Bursting Charge | All except HE C/07: N/A
HE C/07: 3.1 lbs. (1.42 kg) |
| Projectile Length | N/A
Complete C/07 round was 26.0 in (66.1 cm) |
| Propellant Charge | N/A |
| Muzzle Velocity | Old gunboats with C/83 to C/01 shells: 2,021 fps (616 mps)
Other ships with C/07 shells: 1,936 fps (590 mps) |
| Working Pressure | N/A |
| Approximate Barrel Life | N/A |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm: 250 - 290 rounds
Kaiser Friedrich III: 170 - 250 rounds Wittelsbach: 150 rounds Kaiserin Augusta, Victoria Louise and Prinz Heinrich: 200 rounds Fürst Bismarck: 250 rounds Iltis: 281 rounds Tsingtau: 100 rounds UB30-47: 116 rounds UB48: 160 - 192 rounds UC16: 100 - 133 rounds UC80: 230 rounds |
| Elevation | Muzzle Velocity | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 2,021 fps (616 mps) | 7,530 yards (6,890 m) | |
| 2,198 fps (670 mps) | 8,000 yards (7,300 m) |
| Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|
| 20 degrees
(max of MPL C/89 mounting) |
7,980 yards (7,300 m) |
| 30 degrees
(max of Ubts.L mounting) |
11,480 yards (10,500 m) |
| 45 degrees | 12,900 yards (11,800 m) |
- ^At a firing angle of 30 degrees, the projectile reaches a maximum height of 6,400 feet (1,950 m) at a distance of 6,010 yards (5,500 m) from the muzzle.
| Designation | Coastal Battleships
Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm (8), Kaiser Friedrich III (12 - later 14) and Wittelsbach (12): MPL C/89 Cruisers
Gunboats
U-boats
|
|---|---|
| Weight | MPL C/89: N/A
Ubts.L: 3,617 lbs. (1,640 kg) |
| Elevation | MPL C/89: -10 / +20 degrees
Ubts.L: -10 / +30 degrees |
| Elevation Rate | Manual operation, only |
| Train | N/A |
| Train Rate | Manual operation, only |
| Gun recoil | N/A |
- ^Some of the Victoria Louise class had these guns replaced by the 8.8 cm/35 SK L/35.
- ^The Ubts.L mounting had a 3X left-mounted gunsight with a 12 degree viewing angle. The recticle was illuminated by a battery.
"Weapons of World War One" by Norman Friedman
"Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906-1922" by Randal Gray and Robert Gardiner (Editor)
"German Warships 1815-1945" by Erich Gröner
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Special help from Peter Lienau
22 March 2007 - Benchmark
05 February 20 - Added information on additional 8.8 cm/30 gun types
19 November 2012 - Added gun details
24 August 2024 - Converted to HTML 5 format