Škoda 7 cm guns

The Škoda 7 cm guns were developed and built at the Pilsen works between 1892 through 1918. The barrel was made of steel with a horizontal sliding-wedge breech, they used fixed quick fire ammunition and most ranged in length between 26 and 45 calibers. There was a single hydraulic recoil cylinder beneath the barrel and most were aimed by shoulder pads. The G. L/18 was a landing gun which could be taken ashore to provide support for a landing party. Initially these guns were deployed as anti-torpedo boat guns and had an elevation of -10° to +20°. Škoda engineers later developed anti-aircraft mounts which could elevate from -10° to +90°, but the ballistic performance for the guns remained the same.[1]

Acronyms associated with these guns include:

• SFK = Schnell-Feuer Kanone or quick firing cannon.
• TAG = Torpedoboot-Abwehr Geschütz or anti-torpedo boat gun.
• BAG = Ballon-Abwehr Geschütz or anti-balloon gun.
• BAK = Ballon-Abwehr Kanone or anti-balloon cannon.

The Škoda 7 cm were mounted aboard coastal defence ships, destroyers, minelayers, monitors, pre-dreadnought battleships, protected cruisers and submarines of the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

Coastal defense ships:

• Monarch-class - SMS Monarch had one G. L/45 BAG gun after a 1917 refit. SMS Wien and SMS Budapest each received a Škoda 7 cm K10 gun for anti-aircraft defense after a 1917 refit.[2]

Destroyers:

• Huszár-class - The fourteen ships of this class had a primary armament of one SFK L/45 gun on a low angle mount. Later all ships received five L/30 K09 BAG guns on dual-purpose mounts after 1912–1913 refits.[3] One of these ships Ulan was ceded to Greece after World War I and was renamed Smyrni.[4]
• Tátra-class - The six ships of this class had a secondary armament of six SFK L/45 guns on low angle mounts. Two of these guns were replaced with dual-purpose G. L/45 BAG guns after 1916-18 refits.[5] Four ships of this class Tatra, Csepel, Orjen and Balaton were ceded to Italy after World War I where they were called the Fasana-class.[6]
• SMS Warasdiner - This ship had a primary armament of two SFK L/45 guns on low angle mounts and four dual-purpose L/30 K09 BAG guns. Warasdiner was ceded to Italy after World War I.[7]

Minelayers:

• MT.130-class - The eight ships of this class had a primary armament of one dual-purpose L/30 K09 BAG gun. After World War I three of the unfinished ships were ceded to Italy and called the Albona-class, while five unfinished ships were ceded to Yugoslavia and called the Malinska-class. After the defeat of Yugoslavia in World War II five ships were seized by Italy and called the Arbe-class.[8]

Monitors:

• Enns-class - The two ships of this class had a tertiary armament of two G. L/26 K16 BAK guns.[9] SMS Inn was ceded to Romania after World War I and was renamed Besarabia.[10] SMS Enns was ceded Yugoslavia and renamed Drava.[11]
• Sava-class - The two ships of this class had a tertiary armament of two G. L/26 K16 BAK guns.[12] Both ships were ceded to Yugoslavia after World War I and SMS Temes (II) was renamed Vardar,[13] while SMS Sava ceded to Romania and renamed Bucovina.[14]
• Körös-class - The two ships of this class had a secondary armament of two SFK L/42 guns.[15] SMS Körös was ceded to Yugoslavia after World War I and renamed Morava.[16]
• Leitha-class - One ship of this class the SMS Leitha received a SFK L/42 gun after a 1915 refit.[17]

Pre-dreadnought battleships:

• Erzherzog Karl-class - The three ships of this class had twelve SFK L/45 guns for anti-torpedo boat defense. Each ship received two G. L/45 BAG guns for anti-aircraft defense after 1916 refits.[18]
• Habsburg-class - The three ships of this class had ten SFK L/45 guns for anti-torpedo boat defense. Each ship received two G. L/45 BAG guns for anti-aircraft defense after 1916-17 refits.[19]

Protected cruisers:

• Kaiser Franz Joseph I-class - The two ships of this class were armed with two G. L/18 landing guns.
• Panther-class - The two ships of this class the SMS Panther and SMS Leopard received four SFK L/42 guns after 1909-10 refits.[20]

Submarines:

• U3-class - One ship of this class U-4 received one G. L/26 K15 BAK gun after a 1917 refit.[21]
• U20-class - Four ships of this class U-20, U-21, U-22 and U-23 received one G. L/26 K15 BAK gun.[22]

Torpedo boats:

• T-group - The eight ships of this group had a primary armament of two SFK L/45 or two L/30 K09 BAG guns.[23] Four were ceded to Romania and renamed Sborul, Vartejul, Viforul and Vijelia.[24] Four were ceded to Yugoslavia after World War I where they were named T1, T2, T3 and T4.[25] Following the defeat of Yugoslavia in World War II these ships were seized by Germany and Italy[26]
• F-group - The sixteen ships of this group had a primary armament two L/30 K09 BAG guns.[27] These were ceded to Greece, Portugal, Romania and Yugoslavia after World War I. Greece received Panormos, Pergamos and Proussa.[28] Portugal received Zêzere, Ave, Cávado, Sado, Liz and Mondego.[29] Romania received Năluca, Smeul and Fulgerul.[30] Yugoslavia received T5, T6, T7 and T8.
• M-group - The three ships of this group had a primary armament two L/30 K09 BAG guns.[31] The ships of this group were ceded to Greece and renamed Kydonia, Kios and Kyzikos.

Torpedo cruisers:

• Zara-class - The three ships of this class were armed with two SFK L/45 guns after 1917 refits.[32]

Ammunition was of fixed QF type. A complete round measured 66 x 575R[33] and the projectile weighed between 4–5.3 kg (8.8–11.7 lb).

Ammunition types:

• Steel shells
• Common shells
• Shrapnel[1]

• Canon de 65 mm Modèle 1891: French equivalent
• Škoda 7 cm K10 and K16: Skoda successors to the TAG/BAG/BAK line

• Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations: An Illustrated Directory. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.