380 mm/45 Modèle 1935 gun
| 380mm/45 Modèle 1935 | |
|---|---|
|
Remaining gun under Recouvrance Bridge, Brest | |
| Type | naval gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1935-1969 |
| Used by | France |
| Wars | Second World War, Suez Crisis |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1935 |
| Number built | 16 guns |
| Specifications | |
| Weight |
Turret: 2,476 tonnes |
| Length | 17.882 m (58 ft 8 in) |
| Barrel length | 17.257 m (56 ft 7 in) |
|
| |
| Shell |
AP: 884 kilograms (1,950 lb) separate charges and shell |
| Calibre | 380 mm (15 in) |
| Breech | Welin breech block, hydro-pneumatically powered |
| Recoil | 132.5 cm (4 ft 4 in) |
| Elevation | 6°/s |
| Traverse | 300°, 5°/s |
| Rate of fire | 1.8 /min |
| Muzzle velocity | 830 m/s (2,700 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 41,700 m (45,600 yd) 35° elevation, streamlined shell |
The 380mm/45 Modèle 1935 gun was a heavy naval gun of the French Navy. It was the largest calibre naval gun ever fielded in French service.
History
The built-up guns were used on the two battleships of the Richelieu class, Richelieu and Jean Bart. They were mounted in quadruple turrets, which allowed mounting all the main battery at the bow, and saved weight on turret armour in the context of the Washington Naval Treaty.
During World War II seven guns were captured by the Germans and three of these were taken to Norway. It was planned to install them in a coastal battery at Vardaasen (MKB 6./501 Nötteröy), using Bettungsschiessgerüst (Firing platform) C/39 armoured single mounts, but the war ended before the battery became operational. In 1949 the guns were returned to France (in exchange for 3 German 38 cm SKC/34 from "Batterie Todt") where they were then refurbished at Ruelle.
Two guns remain on display at the Arsenal of Brest, under Recouvrance Bridge, and at the École Navale . The honour room of the École Navale also displays two 380mm shells and tampions.[1] A third gun survives at Gâvres, near Lorient.[2]
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Shell on display at the Musée national de la Marine
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One of the two remaining 380mm/45 Modèle 1935 guns of Richelieu, by the Penfeld river in Brest.
See also
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
- 381mm / 50 Model 1934 naval gun : Italian equivalent
- 38 cm SK C/34 naval gun : German equivalent
Notes
- ↑ Le cuirassé Richelieu.
- ↑ Wahl. p. 57.
Bibliography
- Wahl, Jean-Bernard (2008). "Installés par les Allemands en batterie côtière en Norvège, retour en France des canons de 380 du Jean-Bart". Bunkerarchéo (in French): 44–57.
External links
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