38 cm/45 (14.96") SK L/45

History

"The most powerful German naval gun of World War I. Used on the Baden class battleships, which were completed too late to participate in the Battle of Jutland (Skagerrak) and saw little action during the rest of the war.

Those guns planned for the uncompleted battleships Sachsen and Württemberg were instead used on the Western Front where they were known as "Max" or "Lange Max" (Long Max). Coast Defense Battery Deutschland was equipped with four of these guns and Battery Pommern had one more. The Pommern battery, located at Leugenboom in Belgium, is perhaps best known for firing about 500 rounds between June 1917 and October 1918 at ranges of up to about 48,000 yards (44,000 m) including many at Allied positions in and around Dunkirk (Dunkerque). One gun was greatly altered and became the long range "Paris Gun."

The naval mountings for these guns used electric pumps to drive hydraulic elevation gear while the training was all electric. These guns also had hydraulically worked shell hoists, rammers and breeches.

Constructed from shrunk on tubes and hoops and used a Krupp horizontal sliding wedge breech block."[1]

Used on

INTENDED FOR

• Battleship Sachsen (Uncompleted)
• Battleship Württemberg (Uncompleted)

ACTUAL USAGE

• Coast Defense Battery Deutschland
• Coast Defense Battery Pommern
• Paris Gun

Affiliated systems

links to other components that use these pages, for example:

• RIM-2 Terrier
• Mk 76 Terrier FCS
• AN/SPG-55

Part description

Description that clarifies or expands on what somebody using the part should know before using it.

See also

[1]: http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_15-45_skc13.php