3.7 cm SK C/30

3.7 cm SK C/30
3.7 cm SK C/30 on a Dopp LC/30 stabilized mount
Type	Anti-aircraft cannon
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1935–45?
Used by	Nazi Germany Spain
Wars	Second World War
Production history
Designer	Rheinmetall
Designed	1930—35
Manufacturer	Rheinmetall
Produced	1935—1943?
Variants	3.7 cm SK C/30U
Specifications
Mass	243 kilograms (536 lb)
Length	3.074 metres (10 ft 1 in)
Barrel length	2.962 metres (9 ft 9 in) L/83
Shell	fixed, cased charge
Shell weight	0.68 kilograms (1 lb 8 oz)
Caliber	3.7 centimetres (1.5 in)
Action	single-shot
Breech	semi-automatic, vertical sliding block
Elevation	depends on the mount
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	30 rpm (practical)
Muzzle velocity	1,000 m/s (3,300 ft/s)
Effective firing range	2,000 m (6,600 ft) (effective ceiling)
Maximum firing range	8,500 m (9,300 yd) at 37.5°

The 3.7 cm SK C/30 was the German Kriegsmarine's primary 3.7 cm (1.5 in) anti-aircraft gun during the Second World War. It was superseded by the fully automatic 3.7 cm FlaK 43 late in the war.

Description

The C/30 was a single-shot, semi-automatic anti-aircraft gun that was loaded one round at a time which dropped its effective rate of fire to a mere 30 rounds per minute, far inferior to the 80-100 rounds per minute of its contemporary, the Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun. The SK C/30U gun was modified for use by submarines. All mountings were suitable for use against both air and sea targets.

Mountings

The Dopp LC/30 was a twin mount with each gun in a separate cradle. It had a six-man crew on the mount itself plus additional ammunition handlers. The mounting was manually traversed and elevated and was gyro-stabilized up to a limit of 19.5° degrees to counteract the roll and pitch of the ship. Most German ships, fleet torpedo boat or larger, carried at least one Dopp LC/30 mounting. The Einheitslafette C/34 (universal mounting model 34) was a single gun mounted on a pedestal with a two-man crew. Some mounts were fitted with a 8 millimetres (0.31 in) gun shield. It was used on the smaller Kriegsmarine ships like the Schnellboot. A number were used on land to supplement the anti-aircraft defenses of ports. The Ubts LC/39 submarine mount used the SK C/30U gun. It was a simple pedestal mount with a two-man crew, one of whom trained the gun with the shoulder stirrup; the other used gears to elevate the gun.

Mounting	weight	elevation
Dopp LC/30	3,670 kg (8,090 lb)	-9° to +85°
Ein LC/34	1,860–2,020 kg (4,100–4,450 lb)	-10° to +80°
Ubts LC/39	1,450 kg (3,200 lb)	-10° to +90°

Ammunition

The SK C/30 used two types of tracer rounds. The 3.7 cm Br Sprgr Patr 40 L/4.1 Lh 37M was a high-explosive round with an incendiary filling while the 3.7 cm Sprgr Patr 40 L/4.1 Lh 37 lacked the incendiary fill, but was otherwise identical. Tracers were available in red, yellow or white and were marked on the shell by a painted band of the appropriate color. A complete round weighed 1.78 kilograms (3.9 lb).

Footnotes

Notes

Citations

References

• Campbell, John (2002). Naval Weapons of World War Two. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4. 
• Gander, Terry; Chamberlain, Peter (1979). Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939–1945. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-15090-3. 
• Hogg, Ian V. (1997). German Artillery of World War Two (2nd corrected ed.). Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 1-85367-480-X. 

External links

• SK C/30 on navweaps.com