Description
This is a SUPERB and VERY RARE example of a 100% INERT WW1 Imperial Navy Kaiserliche Marine 17cm SK L/40 AP HE Round! This was ONLY used on Germany’s Battleships, such as the Braunschweig and Deutschland Class!
The 17 cm SK L/40 was a Kaiserliche Marine naval gun that was used on two classes of German pre-dreadnought battleships the Braunschweig-class and the Deutschland-class as their secondary battery. Later they were adapted for land service during World War I and World War II.
The Braunschweig-class secondary battery consisted of fourteen 17 cm SK L/40 quick-firing guns, four of which were mounted in single turrets amidships, with the remaining ten in casemates around the superstructure. These guns had a total of 1,820 shells, for 130 rounds per gun and a rate of fire of approximately 6 per minute. To transit the Kiel Canal, the three central casemated guns had to be withdrawn into their housings, as they were unable to train fully flush with the sides of the ships. With the guns fully emplaced, the ships would have been too wide to fit in the canal.
The Deutschland-class secondary battery consisted of fourteen 17 cm SK L/40 quick-firing guns mounted in casemates amidships. Five were emplaced in the top deck and two one deck higher in the superstructure on either side. These guns had a total of 1,820 shells, for 130 rounds per gun and a rate of fire of approximately 6 per minute. The guns had an arc of train of 160°.
When the pre-dreadnoughts began to be relegated to training duties in 1916. The guns were adapted for land use by mounting it on an improvised carriage, but this proved to be extremely heavy, often too heavy to be moved by horse, even after being broken down into three loads. The solution was to mount the guns, still on their carriages, on rail cars to increase their strategic mobility.
They were also converted for use as Railway Guns during both world wars, as the 17 cm SK L/40 i.R.L. auf Eisenbahnwagen; and 17 cm Kanonen (E) auf Eisenbahnlafette assigned to Artillerie-Batteries 717 and 718 (E) along the Channel coast.
Made of solid steel with copper driving bands, this High Explosive Armor Piercing Round is a FANTASTIC piece of history! Completely inert, there are some slight wear, marks, and scratches, due to the age, however it remains VERY SOLID! It can be disassembled fully (though not shown in the photos), and it still retains all of its manufacture markings and stamps! All numbers are matching, and it has a total of FOUR Navy Acceptance Stamps, depicting the Imperial Crown over “M”. Dated November 1917. With a total height of 32″, it weighs a MASSIVE 120 lbs.! Though the empty shell casings do come up every once in a while, this is the ONLY complete round I have ever seen, making it EXCEEDINGLY RARE! I have shown the exact gun in use in the last photos. Would make a PERFECT addition to any collection or display!
