One of the largest guns ever constructed, this was probably an experimental weapon. Ordered in 1938, the prototype gun and cradle were apparently fired a few times although the proof mounting was not completed. It seems unlikely that this weapon was ever intended to be used as an actual naval gun as even the gigantic H-44 battleship was to be armed with "only" 50.8 cm (20") guns.
Construction was of built up design consisting of four layers; a shrunk liner, A tube and two outer tube layers. Used a horizontal sliding breech block, similar to other Krupp designs.
Actual bore diameter was 53.34 cm (21.0").
This projectile is modeled in Nathan Okun's Facehard programs.
| Designation | 53 cm/52 (21") Gerät 36 |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | Experimental |
| Date Of Design | 1938 |
| Date In Service | 1941 (?) |
| Gun Weight | Including breech mechanism: 329.8 tons (335.1 mt) |
| Gun Length oa | 1,090.55 in. (27.700 m) |
| Bore Length | 1,025.2 in. (26.040 m) |
| Rifling Length | 843.2 in. (21.417 m) |
| Number Of Grooves | (110) 0.236 in deep x 0.323 in (6.0 mm x 8.2 mm) |
| Lands | 0.277 in (7.03 mm) |
| Twist | Increasing RH 1 in 35.9 to 1 in 29.9 |
| Chamber Volume | 76,280 in3 (1,250 dm3) |
| Rate Of Fire | Probably less than 1 round per minute |
| Type | Cartridge - Bag - Bag |
|---|---|
| Projectile Types and Weights 1 | APC L/4,9: 4,850 lbs. (2,200 kg)
HE L/4,9 nose fuze: 4,850 lbs. (2,200 kg) |
| Bursting Charge | APC L/4,9: 100.2 lbs. (45.45 kg)
HE L/4,69 nose fuze: 485 lbs. (220 kg) |
| Projectile Length | APC L/4,9: 103.2 in (262.1 cm)
HE L/4,9 nose fuze: 103.8 in (264.6 cm) |
| Propellant Charge 2 | Fore: 551 lbs. (250 kg) Gu RP 3 Middle: 551 lbs. (250 kg) Gu RP Main: 661 lbs. (300 kg) Gu RP Brass case for main charge: 346 lbs. (157 kg) |
| Muzzle Velocity | 2,690 fps (820 mps) |
| Working Pressure | 19.0 tons/in2 (3,000 kg/cm2) |
| Approximate Barrel Life | N/A |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | N/A |
- ^
Actual German designations APC L/4,9 53.3 cm Psgr. L/4,9 (m.Hb) HE L/4,9 nose fuze 53.3 cm Spgr. L/4,9 Kz (m.Hb) - ^These guns used a three part charge with the fore and middle charges being identical. The rear or main charge was in a brass cartridge case, similar to those used for other German naval guns.
- ^Gu RP was a nitroguanidine propellant in hollow tubular form.
| Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|
| 50 degrees | about 51,950 yards (47,500 m) |
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
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Special help by Zhu Shipeng
21 March 2007 - Benchmark
19 May 2012 - Updated to latest template
26 December 2023 - Converted to HTML 5 format and added sketch of APC
16 August 2024 - Minor changes