These guns were intended for smaller warships such as submarine-chasers and Flak corvettes. The KM41 was a lighter version but is not believed to have actually entered service. Both of these guns were significantly lighter than the older 8.8 cm (3.46") SK L/45 guns.
The SK C/30 had a barrel and breech ring with a loose liner and a half-length jacket. A vertical sliding breech block was used. The liner was attached to the breech ring with a brass nut and to the jacket with a ring with an asbestos seal to keep out water and other debris. The KM41 used a monobloc barrel with a muzzle brake and used a horizontal sliding breech block. The gun barrel could easily be removed from the breech end-piece.
A number of these naval guns were sold to the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War where they were used both on ships and as mobile land artillery as can be seen in the photographs below. These guns remained in service until the 1950s.
Many of the older, World War I-era, 8.8 cm SK L/45 weapons were modified during the 1930s and 1940s to use the same ammunition as the SK C/30 and these guns then had similar performance. Guns so modified added (n R) [nachgebohrte Rorhe - "improved drilled barrel"] at the end of their designations, such as 8.8 cm SK L/45 (n R).
Unless otherwise noted, the data below is for the 8.8 cm/45 (3.46") SK C/30.
| Designation | 8.8 cm/45 (3.46") SK C/30
8.8 cm/45 (3.46") KM41 |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | Smaller warships of World War II |
| Date Of Design | C/30: 1930
KM41: 1941 |
| Date In Service | C/30: 1933
KM41: 1943 (?) |
| Gun Weight | SK C/30: 2,712 lbs. (1,230 kg)
KM41: 2,116 lbs. (960 kg) |
| Gun Length oa | 155.91 in (3.960 m) |
| Bore length | 145.91 in (3.706 m) |
| Rifling Length | 122.42 in (3.110 m) |
| Grooves | (32) 0.041 in deep x 0.213 in (1.05 mm x 5.4 mm) |
| Lands | 0.126 in (3.2 mm) |
| Twist | Increasing RH 1 in 45 to 1 in 31 |
| Chamber Volume | 224 in3 (3.67 dm3) |
| Rate Of Fire | about 15 rounds per minute |
| Type | Fixed |
|---|---|
| Complete Round Weight | N/A |
| Projectile Types and Weights 1 2 | AP 39: 22.5 lbs. (10.2 kg)
HE L/4,5: 19.8 lbs. (9.0 kg) Incendiary L/4,5: 20.9 lbs. (9.5 kg) ILLUM L/4,4: 20.7 lbs. (9.4 kg) |
| Bursting Charge 3 | AP 39: 0.14 lbs. (0.064 kg) TNT or Hexanite (?)
HE L/4,5: 1.54 lbs. (0.698 kg) TNT Incendiary L/4,5: 1.23 lbs. (0.560 kg) TNT/Incendiary mix |
| Projectile Length | about 14.0 in (385.5 mm) |
| Propellant Charge | 6.22 lbs. (2.82 kg) RPC/38 |
| Muzzle Velocity | 2,590 fps (790 mps) |
| Working Pressure | 17.5 tons/in2 (2,750 kg/cm2) |
| Approximate Barrel Life | 7,000 rounds |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | N/A |
- ^There were many different kinds of ammunition for these weapons. The ones listed above are meant to be representative, but by no means is this a complete listing.
- ^
Actual German designations AP 39 8,8 cm Pzgr. 39 HE L/4,5 8,8 cm Spgr. L/4,5 Incendiary L/4,5 8,8 cm Spgr. L/4,5 Br Illumination L/4,4 8,8 cm Lg L/4,4 - ^Burster weights (reiner Sprengstoff) from M.Dv. Nr. 198.
| Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|
| 43 degrees | 15,500 yards (14,175 m) |
| AA Ceiling @ 70 degrees | about 30,000 feet (9,150 m) |
| Designation | Single Mountings
For SK C/30: Biaxial MPLC/30, SKC/30U 1a, Ubts L C/35 1a, Ubts Flak LC/41 1a For KM41: Triaxial turntable mounting Flak LM41 |
|---|---|
| Weight | MPLC/30: 5.67 tons (5.76 mt)
Flak LM41: 4.675 tons (4.750 mt) |
| Elevation | MPLC/30: -10 / +70 degrees
Flak LM41: -10 / +75 degrees |
| Elevation Rate | Manual operation, only |
| Cross Leveling | MPLC/30: N/A
Flak LM41: + / - 15 degrees |
| Train | N/A |
| Train Rate | Manual operation, only |
| Gun recoil | 6.9 - 11.8 in (17.5 - 30.0 cm) |
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"German Naval Guns: 1939 - 1945" by Miroslaw Skwiot
---
"Merkbuch: über die Munition der 8,8 cm SK L/45 nachgebohrte Rohre, 8,8 cm FLAK nachgebohrte Rohre, 8,8 cm SK C/30,
8,8 cm SK C/30 U, 8,8 cm Flak 18 M, 8,8 cm Flak 36 M, 8,8 cm KM 41" M.Dv. Nr. 170,16 by Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine
"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
06 October 2006 - Benchmark
05 June 2011 - Added picture note
08 February 2019 - Converted to HTML 5 format, reorganized notes and added gunnery drill photographs
17 March 2019 - Added sketch of 8.8 cm HE round, photographs of guns used in Spain
20 August 2024 - Added burster information