Germany 24 cm/40 (9.4") SK L/40 and Austria-Hungary 24 cm/40 (9.4") Krupp C/94

Germany
24 cm/40 (9.4") SK L/40
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Austria-Hungary
24 cm/40 (9.4") Krupp C/94
24 cm/40 (9.4") Skoda K/02

Updated 06 April 2009

Used on Pre-dreadnoughts and "First Rate Cruisers" of the 1890s. During World War II some of these guns were used in coastal batteries, the best known being Battery Hamburg, originally at Nordeney and later at Cherbourg.

This gun or a very similar one was built by Krupp for Austria-Hungary coast defense ships. Later guns were made by Skoda.

Actual bore diameter of all guns was 23.8 cm (9.37").

Unless otherwise noted, the data that follows is for the German 24 cm/40 SK L/40 guns.

Austria-Hungary Armored Cruiser Erzherzog Ferdinand Max in December 1912
Bain News Service Photograph
Library of Congress Photograph ID LC-DIG-ggbain-11001

German Armored Cruiser Wittlesbach
Click on this picture for a larger image
Bain News Service Photograph
Library of Congress Photograph ID LC-DIG-ggbain-19644

Aft turret on Austria-Hungary Coast Defense Ship Budapest
The "crack" in the gun barrel is actually a flaw in the picture

Dud German 24 cm (9.4") shell that hit USS Texas BB-35 on 25 June 1944 during her bombardment of Battery Hamburg, located east of Cherbourg, France. Projectile appears to be a 24 cm Spr.gr. L/4,1 Bdz (HE with base fuze). In the background are the 14"/45 (35.6 cm) guns of USS Texas.
The USN officers are Rear Admiral Carleton F. Bryant (left) and Captain Charles A. Baker, CO, USS Texas
U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph 80-G-46961

Repairing the hole in USS Texas BB-35 caused by the above projectile

Gun Characteristics .

Designation	Germany 24 cm/40 (9.4") SK L/40 Austria-Hungary 24 cm/40 (9.4") C/94 Krupp 24 cm/40 (9.4") C/02 Skoda
Ship Class Used On	Germany Kaiser Friedrich III, Wittelsbach, Fürst Bismarck and Prinz Heinrich Classes Austria-Hungary Habsburg, Sankt Georg, Erzherzog Karl and Monarch Classes
Date Of Design	1894
Date In Service	1898
Gun Weight	53,000 to 56,526 lbs. (24,040 to 25,640 mt)
Gun Length oa	376 in (9.550 m)
Bore Length	349 in (8.866 m)
Rifling Length	N/A
Grooves	N/A
Lands	N/A
Twist	N/A
Chamber Volume	4,406 in³ (72.2 dm³)
Rate Of Fire (see Mounting Notes)	C/92 Turrets: about 1.5 rounds per minute C/98 Turrets: about 3 - 4 rounds per minute

Ammunition .

Type	Separate
Projectile Types and Weights (see Note 3)	1895 AP - 308.6 lbs. (140 kg) 1914 AP L/2,6 - 321.9 lbs. (146 kg) HE L/4,1 nose fuze - 332.9 lbs. (151 kg) HE L/4,2 base and nose fuze - 327.4 lbs. (148.5 kg)
Bursting Charge	N/A
Projectile Length	1895 AP - N/A 1914 AP L/2,6 - about 24.4 in (62 cm) HE L/4,1 base fuze - about 38.6 in (98 cm) HE L/4,2 base and nose fuze - about 39.8 in (101 cm)
Propellant Charge	1895 - 91.2 lbs. (41.35 kg) World War II - 103 lbs. (47 kg) RPC/38 (12/6.6)
Muzzle Velocity	1895 - 2,263 fps (690 mps) World War II - 2,657 fps (810 mps)
Working Pressure	N/A
Approximate Barrel Life	N/A
Ammunition stowage per gun	Kaiser Friedrich III and Prinz Heinrich: 75 rounds Wittelsbach: 85 rounds Fürst Bismarck: 78 rounds Monarch: 80 rounds Others: N/A
Notes: 1) Actual Projectile designations were as follows: 1895 AP - N/A 1914 AP L/2,6 - Psgr. L/2,6 HE L/4,1 base fuze - Spr.gr. L/4,1 Bdz HE L/4,2 base and nose fuze - Spr.gr. L/4,2 Bdz u. Kz (mhb) 2) Propellant was in a brass cartridge case weighing 48.8 lbs. (25.15 kg) empty. 3) "Austria-Hungary's Monarch Class Coast Defense Ships" says the Austrian-Hungarian Monarch class carried armor piercing and explosive shells weighing 474 lbs. (215 kg) each. This weight is much heavier than the German projectiles for these weapons, but it is similar to the weight of shells for French 24 cm guns and Krupp-built 24 cm guns for the Netherlands Navy. Muzzle velocity for the Monarch class is not available.

Range .

Elevation	With 308.6 lbs. (140 kg) Shell (1890 design)
Range @ 30 degrees (max. elevation of turrets)	18,500 yards (16,900 m)
Range @ 45.8 degrees (as coastal artillery)	20,870 yards (19,080 m)
Elevation	With 327.4 lbs. (148.5 kg) HE 4,2 Shell
Range @ 45.8 degrees (as coastal artillery)	29,090 yards (26,600 m)

Armor Penetration with 474 lbs. (215 kg) Austria-Hungary Armor Piercing Shell .

Range	Vertical Iron Plate
11,000 yards (10,000 m)	11.8 in (30 cm)
Range	Vertical Harvey Plate
11,000 yards (10,000 m)	7 in (18 cm)
Range	Vertical Krupp Cemented Plate
11,000 yards (10,000 m)	4.7 in (12 cm)
Note: Data from "Austria-Hungary's Monarch Class Coast Defense Ships."

Mount / Turret Data .

Designation	Germany Two-gun Turrets Kaiser Friedrich III (2), Wittelsbach (2), Fürst Bismarck (2) and Prinz Heinrich (1): Drh.L. C/98 Austria Hungary Single Turret Habsburg (1): N/A Two-gun Turrets Monarch (2): N/A (similar in design to German Drh.L. C/98) Habsburg (1), Sankt Georg (2) and Erzherzog Karl (2): N/A (slightly different design than C/98)
Weight	N/A
Elevation	-5 / +30 degrees
Elevation Rate	N/A
Train	about +150 / -150 degrees
Train Rate	N/A
Gun recoil	N/A
Loading Angle	+4 degrees
Notes: 1) Rammers were pneumatically powered. Each gun had its own ammunition hoist. Each turret required a crew of 20 men. 2) A cutaway sketch of the turrets on the Austria-Hungary ship Monarch shows that the ammunition hoists for this mounting rotated with the gunhouse. From that, I would conclude that the German C/98 turret would have been similar. These assumptions are reflected in the Rate of Fire figures given above.

Data from
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"German Warships 1815-1945" by Erich Gröner
"Austria-Hungary's Monarch Class Coast Defense Ships" article by Erwin F. Sieche in Warship International No. 3, 1999
"Die Geschichte der deutschen Schiffsartillerie" by Paul Schmalenbach
"Battleships" by Paul Stillwell
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Special help from Peter Lienau and Aleš Maryška

Page History

22 November 2008 - Benchmark
06 April 2009 - Removed mention of Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm class, added mention of Skoda guns, added pictures of Erzherzog Ferdinand Max and Wittelsbach