203mm/50 Modèle 1924 gun

203 mm/50 Modèle 1924
203 mm/50 Modèle 1924
	Main guns of the French cruiser Colbert
Type	Naval gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
Used by	France
Wars	Second World War
Production history
Produced	1924
Specifications
Mass	20 tonnes[1]
Length	10.5 metres (34 ft 5 in)[1]
Shell	Separate charges and shell
Caliber	8 inches (203 mm)
Elevation	-5° to +45°[1]
Rate of fire	4-5 rpm
Muzzle velocity	850 metres per second (2,800 ft/s)[1]
Maximum firing range	31.4 kilometres (34,300 yd) at 45°[1]

The 203mm/50 Modèle 1924 was a medium naval gun of the French Navy.

The type was used on the Duquesne and Suffren classes of heavy cruisers as main battery, mounted in four twin turrets weighing 180 tonnes each. The calibre of 203 mm (8 inches) was characteristic of heavy cruisers built as a result of limitations imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922.

Description

These guns used two bags each containing 23.5 kilograms (52 lb) of smokeless powder with a 123-kilogram (271 lb) projectile to achieve the stated maximum range at an elevation of 45 degrees. Each gun could fire approximately 4 to 5 rounds per minute. Range was somewhat less with the 134 kg (295 lb) M1936 APC (armour-piercing) shell.[1]

The type was also mounted in a single twin turret aboard the French submarine Surcouf, which was designed as a submarine heavy cruiser intended to disrupt enemy supply lines. This flavour of the gun was fitted with mechanically actuated tampions to allow quick dive. These guns could open fire 2.5 minutes after surfacing and fire approximately 3 rounds per minute. Maximum elevation of 30 degrees limited maximum range to 28 kilometres (31,000 yd). These were the second largest guns carried by any submarine after the British HMS M1 during the Second World War.[1]

References

Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. p. 290. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.

External links

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[Campbell-1] Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. p. 290. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.

French naval weapons of the Second World War
Battleship main armament	305 mm/45 Modèle 1906 330 mm/50 Modèle 1931 340 mm/45 Modèle 1912 380 mm/45 Modèle 1935
Cruiser main armament	138 mm/40 Modèle 1923 152 mm/55 Modèle 1930 155 mm/50 Modèle 1920 203 mm/50 Modèle 1924 203 mm/55 Modèle 1931
Destroyer and Aviso main armament	65 mm Modèle 1891 90 mm/50 Modèle 1926 100 mm/45 Modèle 1891 100 mm/45 Modèle 1933 130 mm/40 Modèle 1919 130 mm/40 Modèle 1924 130 mm/45 Modèle 1935 138 mm/45 Modèle 1893 138 mm/40 Modèle 1927 138 mm/55 Modèle 1910 138 mm/50 Modèle 1929
Secondary armament	57 mm/40 Modèle 1885 90 mm/50 Modèle 1926 100 mm/45 Modèle 1930 100 mm/55 Modèle 1945 130 mm/45 Modèle 1932 138 mm/55 Modèle 1910 152 mm/55 Modèle 1930
Submarine guns	75 mm/35 Modèle 1924 75 mm/35 Modèle 1927 100 mm/45 Modèle 1917 100 mm/45 Modèle 1925 100 mm/34 Modèle 1936 203 mm/50 Modèle 1924
Anti-aircraft weapons	7.5 mm/80 Modèle 1931 8 mm/50 Modèle 1914 13.2 mm/76 Modèle 1929 25 mm/60 Modèle 1938 25 mm/60 Modèle 1940 37 mm/50 Modèle 1925 37 mm/70 Modèle 1935 57 mm/40 Modèle 1902 75 mm/35 Modèle 1924 75 mm/35 Modèle 1927 90 mm/50 Modèle 1926 100 mm/34 Modèle 1933
Torpedoes	400 mm Modèle 1926V 550 mm Modèle 1919D 550 mm Modèle 1923DT 550 mm Modèle 1924M 550 mm Modèle 1924V

203mm/50 Modèle 1924 gun

Description

See also

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

References

External links