Designation | 8.8 cm/45 (3.46") SK C/35 |
---|---|
Ship Class Used On | Type VII U-boats and smaller vessels |
Date Of Design | 1935 |
Date In Service | 1938 |
Gun Weight | 1,711 lbs. (776 kg) |
Gun Length oa | 157.0 in. (3.985 m) |
Bore length | 146.9 in (3.731 m) |
Rifling Length | 147 in. (3.731 m) |
Number Of 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 30 |
Chamber Volume | 152 in3 (2.49 dm3) |
Rate Of Fire | 15 rounds per minute |
Type | Fixed | |
---|---|---|
Complete Round Weight | 33 lbs. (15 kg) | |
Projectile Types and Weights 1 2 | AP 35: 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 35 | G: N/A
S: 0.14 lbs. (0.064 kg) |
HE L/4,5 4 | G: 1.71 lbs. (0.775)
S: 1.54 lbs. (0.698 kg) TNT |
|
HE L/4,5 incendiary | G: N/A
S: 1.23 lbs. (0.560 kg) TNT + 1.42 lbs. (0.646) Incendiary (Brandkörper A) |
|
Projectile Length | about 14.0 in (385.5 mm) | |
Propellant Charge | 3.70 lbs. (1.68 kg) RP C/32 (320 x 4,2/2,5)
- or - 3.90 lbs. (1.77 kg) RP C/38 (320 x 4,2/2,2) - or - 4.63 lbs. (2.1 kg) RP C/40N (300 x 3,6/1.07) m. PL/V41 Illum, only: 3.42 lbs. (1.55 kg) Lg P 40 (305 x 3,3/1,8) |
|
Muzzle Velocity | HE - 2,300 fps (700 mps)
Illumination: 1,970 fps (600 mps) Others: N/A |
|
Working Pressure | 17.5 tons/in2 (2,750 kg/cm2) | |
Approximate Barrel Life | 12,000 rounds | |
Ammunition stowage per gun 5 | Type VII: 220 rounds
Others: N/A |
- ^
Actual German designations AP 35 8,8 cm Pzgr Patr 35 HE L/4,5 8,8 cm Spgr. Patr 35 L/4,5 Incendiary L/4,5 8,8 cm Spgr. Patr 35 L/4,5 Br Illumination L/4,4 8,8 cm Lg Patr 35 L/4,4 - ^The 8.8 cm C/30, C/32, C/35 and rebuilt SK L/45 guns used the same projectiles, but different casings which held different amounts of propellant.
- ^Burster weights (G = Gesamtgewicht and S = reiner Sprengstoff) from M.Dv. Nr. 198.
- ^The HE L/4,5 fuze had both impact and time functions.
- ^Outfits for minesweepers and subchasers included nose-fuzed HE and HE incendiary both with and without tracers, AP and illuminating shell.
Elevation | Distance |
---|---|
30 degrees | 13,070 yards (11,950 m) |
Designation | U-boats (1): Ubts LC/35
Others: N/A |
---|---|
Weight | 5,346 lbs. (2,425 kg) |
Elevation | -10 / +30 degrees |
Elevation Rate | Hand operated, only |
Train | 360 degrees |
Train Rate | Hand operated, only |
Gun recoil | N/A |




"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"German Warships 1815-1945" by Erich Gröner
"Una nueva visión del hundimiento del submarino C 3" [A new vision of the sinking of Submarine C 3] by Jose Luis Martín
"The Royal Oak Disaster" by Gerald S. Snyder
"Air Power at Sea: 1939-45" by John Winton
"German Capital Ships of World War Two" by M.J. Whitley
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"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
22 September 2006 - Benchmark
16 January 2010 - Fixed typographical error
02 December 2015 - Changed Vickers Photographic Archive links to point at Wayback Archive
27 December 2022 - Added photograph of early Type VII U-boats
19 August 2024 - Added burster information
18 June 2025 - Redid Burster table