Heavy and coastal guns. Big guns of leningrad

Kronstadt-class heavy cruisers

The refusal in February 1938 of the creation of battleship "B" in favor of one "battleship of the most powerful type" did not mean abandoning the idea of ​​​​creating, in addition to the battleship "A", a large ship of the second type - "a fighter of enemy heavy cruisers". By the above-mentioned resolution of the KO of August 13/15, 1937, it was recognized as necessary “to build cruisers of two types: heavy with 254-mm artillery and light. A heavy cruiser should have powerful tactical and technical elements: a) armament: 9-254-mm guns in three-gun turrets with 150 rounds of ammunition per barrel, 8-130-mm guns in two-gun turrets, 8-100-mm anti-aircraft guns, 16 -37-mm anti-aircraft guns and two triple (three-pipe) torpedo tubes; b) the cruiser must take two aircraft on catapults; c) the armor protection of the cruiser should ensure the impenetrability of vertical armor by 203-mm caliber shells at heading angles of 40-50 ° and 130-140 ° from a distance of more than 60 cable and deck with the same projectile closer than 150 kbt at all heading angles and from a 250-kg bomb from a height of 4000 m; d) the area (range) of navigation of a heavy cruiser without reloading (with a full supply of fuel) at full speed should be 600 miles, cruising - 3000 miles, with taking fuel in overload (with a maximum fuel supply), the navigation area at an economic speed should be up to 8000 miles. Travel speed not less than 34 knots with a normal fuel supply; e) the standard displacement of such a cruiser should not exceed 22,000-23,000 tons. The silhouette is the same as that of a B-type battleship.

In September 1937, in development of the resolution of the KO of August 13/15, a commission chaired by the joint venture. Stavitsky developed a TTZ project for a heavy cruiser with a main battery of nine 254-mm guns, armor protecting against 203-mm projectiles and a speed of 34 knots. SP. At the same time, Stavitsky insisted on limiting the displacement of the ship (no more than 18,000-19,000 tons) “so that this ship does not move from the category of the most powerful cruisers to the category of the weakest battleships (as happened with battleship B).”

On November 1, 1937, the People's Commissariat of the Defense Industry was issued new "Tactical and Technical Requirements (TTT) for the Project 69 heavy cruiser", approved by Namorsi M.V. Viktorov.

Chief designer of the heavy cruiser project 69 F.E. Bespolov

The main purpose of the SRT was determined: in squadron combat - the fight against enemy cruisers (especially heavy ones) to ensure the actions of their light forces, support the active actions of light forces in remote areas; independent actions on enemy communications.

The development of draft design 69 was carried out by TsKB-17 (former TsKBS-1) under the general supervision of the chief engineer of the bureau V.A. Nikitin, the responsible executor of these works was F.E. Bespolov.

At the beginning of the design of the ship, the Military Council of the Navy agreed with the proposal of the People's Commissariat of the Defense Industry to exclude the cruiser from the armament torpedo weapons. The implementation of the TTT to protect the ship required a 140 mm side armor, decks: middle - 80 mm, lower - 20 mm. The standard displacement was determined to be about 24,800 tons, speed - 33.3 knots, maximum length and width - 232 and 26.6 m, draft at full displacement - 8.4 m.

In connection with the completion of the construction in Germany of two battleships of the Scharnhorst type (with a 280-mm main battery and a speed of about 30 knots), and in France similar ships of the Dunkirk type (with a 330-mm main battery), Deputy People's Commissar of the Navy flag officer 1st rank I.S. Isakov reported to the CO on the need to revise the main elements of the TTZ for project 69 established in August 1937. As a result, this cruiser was given a new task - the fight against ships of the Scharnhorst type, and on June 29, 1938, the CO decided to change the TTZ, which determined its armament with 305-mm main battery artillery, an increase in side armor to 250 mm, a displacement of up to 30,000-31,000 tons at a speed of 31 to 32 knots. The NKVMF was instructed to issue to the NKOP the necessary additions to the main TTZ for the heavy cruiser within a decade.

In accordance with this decision, I.S. On July 10 of the same year, Isakov approved the revised “Basic TTZ for the design of the RKKF heavy cruiser” prepared by the Main Staff and the Criminal Code of the RKKF, which imposed the following requirements on him:

a) inflict decisive damage on enemy ships at combat distances of 70-120 kbt, having the following main elements: artillery: IX - 280-mm guns with a projectile weight of 304 kg, at an initial speed of approximately 950 m / s, XII - 150-mm guns; booking: sides 254 mm, decks PO mm-40 mm (pickup), travel speed: 32 knots.

b) repel attacks by aircraft attacking from two directions: two groups of bombers and two groups of attack aircraft.

Based on the requirements, a heavy cruiser must have:

I. Armament:

1. Artillery: IX - 305-mm guns (in towers) with a projectile weight of 450 kg at an initial speed of 900 m / s and a rate of fire of 3.5 rds / min; VIII - 130 mm guns (in turrets); VIII - 100 mm guns (in turrets); XXIV - 37-mm machine gun (in armor nests with a closed supply of ammunition).

2. Ammunition: 305 mm caliber - 100 rounds per barrel, 130 mm caliber - 150 rounds per barrel; 100 mm caliber - 300 rounds per barrel, 37 mm caliber - 800 rounds per barrel.

II. Equipment (air armament - Auth.): 2 seaplanes (for reconnaissance and artillery fire adjustment) on a catapult.

III. Protection:

1. Armored: providing combat with the enemy at heading angles of 40-500 at a distance of 70-120 kbt and protection against 250 kg of air bombs from a drop height of 4000 m. Approximate following thicknesses to be refined by calculation: board 230 mm [medium (main armored) ] deck - 96 mm, pickup deck (lower - Auth.) - 30 mm. traverses - 270 mm. barbettes (turrets of the main caliber) - 330 mm, GKP (conning tower - Auth.): wall - 270 mm, towers of 305-mm guns: (frontal wall) - 305 mm.

2. Mine protection - the maximum allowable for a given hull design and selected mechanisms of the main power plant. The protection system is "American".

VI. Travel speed. The main requirement for a heavy cruiser is a guaranteed speed of 32 knots at normal (on trial) displacement and normal (nominal - Avt.) Mechanism power.

V. Cruising range. At full speed with a displacement on test - 650 miles. Cruising (about 20 knots), with a full supply of fuel - 5000 miles. The economic course with a full supply of fuel - 8000 miles.

VI. Displacement. According to the calculation, measures should be worked out to ensure that the displacement is brought to the government task.

The preliminary design 69 developed by TsKB-17 on these TTZ was submitted in October 1938 for consideration to the NKVMF and NKOP. The standard displacement of the ship was 32,870 tons. According to the conclusion of the Criminal Code of the RKKF, the project had a number of significant shortcomings and was subject to adjustment before approval. Bringing the elements of armor, PKZ and unsinkability into line with the requirements of the TTZ increased the displacement by about 1500 tons, ensuring a given speed required increasing the steam output of the boilers. The cruising range determined when placing part of the largest fuel supply in the boolean fittings of the hull (PKZ air chambers) was subject to clarification.

To evaluate the draft design and make a decision on the further design of the cruiser, appointed in September 1938, the new People's Commissar of the Navy, Commander of the 1st Rank M.P. On December 30 of the same year, he appointed a special commission chaired by the head of the command faculty of the VMA SP. Stavitsky. The Commission considered as possible opponents of the Project 69 heavy cruiser in various maritime theaters of operations (Baltic, Black Sea, Northern and Pacific) ships of a similar subclass of foreign fleets: Scharnhorst, Dunkirk and Congo (Japan), having a speed of 26– 30 knots

The results of eight tactical games held at the Academy in various operational conditions showed that the Project 69 cruiser with the main elements according to the presented draft design is somewhat superior to the Scharnhorst, has an advantage over the Kongo at combat distances of 50–90 kbt and is inferior to the Dunkirk. She also significantly outperformed the heavy cruisers of the "Washington" type and light cruisers of foreign fleets in artillery and armor, but was inferior to some of them in speed.

According to the conclusion of the commission, project 69 met the main tasks assigned to it, but its speed is low for the successful pursuit of the enemy's high-speed cruisers. The main caliber (305-mm) in terms of the number of guns, their power and rate of fire corresponded to these tasks, while the anti-mine artillery (eight 130-mm guns) was insufficient in terms of the number of barrels to repel destroyer attacks, and in terms of power - to act against cruisers. Long-range anti-aircraft weapons (eight 100-mm guns) had limited capabilities, the number of 37-mm machine guns was considered quite sufficient. The commission proposed replacing the 130-mm B-28 gun mounts with the 152-mm MK-4 130 mm gun mounts adopted for the Project 23 battleship, and by reducing the cruising range, strengthen the cruiser’s armor and PKZ, and leave the speed unchanged.

The results of the commission's work were reviewed at a meeting with the People's Commissar of the Navy, and after approval, its proposals were sent to TsKB-17 as a task for adjusting the project, which was completed at the end of 1938. In addition to increasing the caliber of the secondary armament, the armor of the bow beam, conning tower, main battery and secondary armament towers was strengthened, the power of the generators of the electric power system was increased, which in general caused an increase in the displacement of the cruiser to 35,000 tons.

In January 1939, People's Commissars of the Navy M.P. Frinovsky and shipbuilding industry I.F. Tevosyan submitted to the KO a revised draft design of the heavy cruiser for approval, after which TsKB-17 began to develop a technical design. In February of the same year, F.E. was appointed chief designer of project 69. Bespolov.

By a resolution dated July 13, 1939, the CO accepted the proposal of the NKVMF and the NKSP to approve the draft design of the 69 heavy cruiser. The list of its tactical and technical elements (Appendix No. 1 to the decision of the CO on the approval of the draft design) determined:

I. Displacements. Standard - no more than 35,000 tons; on test - approx. 38,000 tons

II. Propulsion and navigation area: 1. Travel speed with a displacement in deep water and sea and wind conditions is not higher than 3 points, with a rated power of mechanisms of 201,000 hp. - 32 knots. 2. The maximum speed when forcing mechanisms on a two-hour test is 32–33 knots. 3. The power of the mechanisms is normal - 201,000 liters. s, with a two-hour boost - 231,000 hp 4. Area (range - Auth.) Navigation at an economic speed (14–17 knots) with a full supply of fuel - 6000 miles.

III. Armament:

a) main artillery: 1. Three three-gun turrets (MK-15), two in the bow and one in the stern, IX - 305-mm guns; ... 3. Projectile weight - 470 kg; 4. starting speed projectile - 900 m / s; 5. Rate of fire - 3.2 rds / min; 6. The number of shots per barrel - 100;

b) anti-mine artillery: 1. Four two-gun turrets (MK-17), with light armor, two turrets on each side, VIII - 152-mm guns; ... 3. Projectile weight - 55 kg; 4. Initial speed - 950 m/s; 5. Rate of fire - 7.5 rds / min; 6. The number of shots per barrel -150;

in) flak long-range combat: 1. Four two-gun turrets (MZ-16), with light armor, two turrets on each side, VIII - 100-mm guns; ... 3. Projectile weight - 15.5 kg; 4. Initial speed - 900 m/s; 5. Rate of fire - 16 rds / min; 6. The number of shots per barrel - 300;

d) close-range anti-aircraft artillery: 1. Seven four-barreled automatic nests (46-K), with light armor, XXVIII - 37-mm guns; 2. Projectile weight - 0.7 kg; 3. Initial speed - 915 m/s; 4. The number of shots per barrel - 800;

f) air armament: 1. KOR-2 aircraft (without hangars) - 2; 2. Catapult (between pipes) - 1.

IV Protection:

a) vertical armor (cemented): 1. Main side belt - 230 mm; 2. Bow traverse -330 mm; 3. Aft traverse - 275 mm; 4. Barbets of the main caliber (above the middle deck) - 330 mm; 5. Frontal wall of the conning tower - 330 mm.

c) horizontal armor (homogeneous): 1. Middle deck - 90 mm; 2. Lower deck (pickup) - 30 mm.

d) tower armor: 1. 305 mm towers (MK-15), frontal wall - 305 mm;

f) mine protection - "American" type (4 longitudinal bulkheads) with a width of 6 m in the middle part of the ship's hull and at least 4 m at the extremities.

I.V. personally followed the progress of the creation of the heavy cruiser. Stalin, therefore, in accordance with the "Plan of laying ships of the Navy for 1939", without waiting for the completion of the development and approval of the technical project, two ships were laid down in November of the same year: the lead "Kronstadt" - at plant No. 194 named after. A. Martha in Leningrad and the first serial "Sevastopol" - at the plant number 200 named after. 61 Communards in Nikolaev.

On January 20, 1940, People's Commissars of the Navy N.G. Kuznetsov and the shipbuilding industry I.I. Nosenko presented to the KO technical project 69, which was approved by a decree of April 12 of the same year with TFC, which differed from the elements approved in 1939 in terms of displacement, cruising range, power plant power, steam output of boilers, rate of fire of 100-mm artillery mounts, inclusion in the composition armament of four twin 12.7 mm DShK machine guns, strengthening the reservation.

When drawing up the resolution, the Navy's proposal was accepted to install, in order to improve the efficiency of fire control of long-range anti-aircraft caliber at forward heading angles, three stabilized aiming posts instead of two by removing the bow 37-mm 46-K machine gun. Otherwise, the composition of the ship's armament fully complied with that listed in Appendix No. 1 to the resolution of the KO of July 13, 1939. It should only be added that the PUS GK (located in two central artillery posts) was provided by two KDP2-8 and three 12-m tower rangefinders, PMK - by two KDP2-4t, and ZKDB - by three SPN. Four 90 cm and four 45 mm searchlights were provided, as well as eight paravanes. The ship's radio communications were supposed to ensure its stable maintenance at a distance of up to 4000 miles. For communication with submarines, the ZPS Arctur station was installed.

305-mm three-gun mount MK-15:

1 - filtering unit;

2 - electric heater; 3 - rangefinder DM-12; 4 - top charger; 5 - piston lock; 6 - fighting compartment; 7 - breech; 8 - recoil and roll brakes of the spindle type; 9 - swinging shield; 10 - gun barrel; 11 - knurler; 12 - vertical aiming mechanism; 13 - ball shoulder strap; 14 - vertical roller; 15 - upper transfer compartment; 16 - rotary return feed tray; 17 - hard drum; 18 - bottom charger; 19 winch of the lower charger of the 1st gun; 20 - charging cellar; 21 - shell cellar; 22 - winch of the lower charger of the medium gun; 23 - winch of the upper loader of the medium gun; 24 - horizontal aiming mechanism; 25 - feeder; 26 - chain breaker.

The ship had a citadel with a length of 76.8% of its length along the DWL, formed by a 230-mm main armor belt 5 m high, tilted 5 ° outward, covered with 90-mm armor of the middle deck, and 330-mm bow and 275-mm aft traverses. The lower deck within the citadel had 30 mm armor, and on the sides, above the bullpen compartments, 15 mm armor. A nose 20 mm armor belt was provided, and 14 mm armor was provided above the cellars of the Civil Code. The gas storage located in the aft end of the ship was protected by 50-mm armor. The side walls and roof of the GK MK-15 turrets were protected by 125 mm armor, while the rear and frontal walls were protected by 305 mm armor. The PMK MK-17 turrets had a 100 mm frontal wall, a 110 mm rear, a 50 mm roof and side walls with 75-50 mm barbettes. Towers ZKDB MZ-16 were protected by 50-mm armor ( back wall- 75 mm), and their barbettes - 40 mm. The GKP had a 330 mm frontal wall, 275 mm rear, 260 mm side and 125 mm roof with a 230 mm wire protection tube. The FKP was protected by 20 mm armor.

According to calculations, the main armor belt was not penetrated by a German 280-mm armor-piercing projectile at distances of 70 kbt or more at heading angles up to 50 °. Horizontal armor was not penetrated by the same projectile from distances up to 140 kbt and could withstand a 250-kg high-explosive bomb.

The PKZ design (length 61.4% of the length of the ship according to design waterline) belonged to the so-called American type and was developed by TsKB-17 in accordance with the recommendations of the commission V.I. Pershina. In order to determine its resistance to explosion, as well as to identify and eliminate structural defects, by order of the NKSP and the NKVMF of April 27, 1940, TsNII-45 was ordered to perform the appropriate experimental work. In Sevastopol, at plant No. 201, four experimental compartments were made on a scale of 1: 5, reproducing the designs of the most characteristic sections of the PKZ of project 69. Tests conducted from July 1940 to February 1941 made it possible to establish that the adopted PKZ design withstands a contact explosion of a 550-kg charge in the middle of the ship and 400-kg at the ends. These values ​​were considered acceptable for ships under construction, therefore, it was not recommended to make any serious changes in the design of their onboard underwater protection (the thickness of the longitudinal bulkheads, counting from the side, 7 + 16 + 14 + 18 + 10 mm) was not recommended.

The ship's power plant included three GTZA with a capacity of 70,000 hp each. (maximum - 77,000 hp) and six water-tube boilers with a steam capacity of 90 t / h each (maximum 95 t / h), which produced steam with a pressure of 37 kg / cm2 at a temperature of 380 ° C. The GTZA cruisers were unified with the units of the battleship project 23. The evaporative plant was provided as part of two units (total capacity 240 tons / day). The power plant was located echelon in three TO and six KO, while the 1st and 2nd TO were in the same compartment, separated by a longitudinal bulkhead and located aft of the 3rd KO. The control of the power plant was supposed to be remote from specially equipped hermetic cabins, however, local control was also provided.

The ship was supposed to have a full speed of 32 knots (with a power of 210,000 hp on the shafts) and a maximum speed of 33 knots (with a power of 231,000 l, s). The cruising range of the technical and economic course (16.5 knots) was 6900 miles. Three-bladed propellers had a diameter of 5.0 m (onboard) and 4.8 m (medium).

The electrical power system of the ship was supposed to operate on a mixed direct and alternating current with a voltage of 230 V. Four turbogenerators with a capacity of 1200 kW each and four diesel generators of 650 kW each were provided, which were located in four power plants: the turbogenerators were located in the citadel, and two diesel generators were located in the bow and aft of her.

The ship had a smooth-deck hull, slightly collapsed sides and boules in the middle part of the hull. There were three continuous decks along the entire length (upper, middle and lower), as well as two platforms. The superstructure was planned to be two-tier, the tower-like fore-mast had seven tiers. The hull of the ship was a riveted structure, made of the same materials as the hull of the Project 23 battleship. Two semi-balanced rudders installed behind the side propellers provided at full speed with a full rudder shift a circulation diameter equal to five ship hull lengths.

According to the results of the development of the technical design, the size of the standard displacement of the ship (35,240 tons) slightly exceeded the given KO when the preliminary design was approved.

Under all load conditions, the ship had some trim aft; with displacements from standard to full, the transverse metacentric height ranged from 1.66 m to 1.74 m, and the rolling period was 14.6-13.7 s, respectively.

In accordance with the technical design, the crew of the ship was to include 1406 people: 125 commanders and commanding officers, 93 junior commanders (midshipmen and chief foremen) and 1188 sailors and foremen (later the crew was increased to 1837 people). The command staff was located in single, double and quadruple cabins on the middle deck, as well as on the 2nd tier of the superstructure; foremen and privates - in quarters equipped with stationary beds for 16-52 people. The autonomy of the ship in terms of provisions was 20 days.

KO allowed the construction of heavy cruisers according to the approved technical design to continue, at the same time warning the people's commissariats of the shipbuilding industry and the Navy about the inadmissibility of exceeding the established displacement, and proposed to ensure exact observance of the accepted task during the production of working drawings and the construction of ships.

With the approval of the technical project 69, the design was not completed. The formation of cruiser hulls on the stocks of both construction plants was carried out in parallel with the development of weapons and equipment for them, which seriously lagged behind the planned dates. Delays in the production of weapons and the need to ensure the construction of cruisers on time forced the command of the Navy and the leadership of the NKSP to consider the proposal of the German company Krupp to supply them with main gun turrets with 380-mm guns.

38-cm twin turret mount SKC / 34 of the heavy cruiser project 69I:

I - swinging shield; 2 - tower sight; 3 - breech; 4 - feed tray; 5 - 10.5-m rangefinder; 6 - ventilation pipe; 7 - rammer; 8 - charging cellar; 9 - shell cellar; 10 - reloading compartment of shells; 11 - the main pipe of the lift; 12 - reloading department of charges; 13-hard drum; 14 - hydraulic system; 15 - auxiliary lift; 16 - engine room; 17 - vertical aiming mechanism; 18 - ball strap.

Such a proposal was received by the Soviet "Economic Commission" headed by People's Commissar I.T. Tevosyan at the negotiations in Germany in February 1940. The German company, which had a significant backlog of turret installations for the third and fourth Bismarck-class battleships planned for construction, after refusing to build them, tried to avoid losses from unsold products.

At the direction of I.V. Stalin, a group of specialists from the NKVMF and the NKSP were instructed to urgently consider the technical feasibility of installing German 380-mm two-gun turrets and launchers for them on the heavy project 69, according to preliminary data from Krupp and Siemens. A joint report on this issue by I.V. Stalin, chairman of the CO V.M. Molotov and People's Commissar for Foreign Trade of the USSR A.I. Commissars Kuznetsov and Tevosyan were introduced to Mikoyan on April 17, 1940. The report noted that the German 380-mm guns, surpassing our 305-mm in projectile mass, are inferior to them in firing range, rate of fire and fire performance (the total mass of projectiles fired per minute by all main guns) - 11,000 kg versus 13,700 kg .

38 cm SKC/34 turrets of the German battleship Tirpitz

According to the directive of N.G. Kuznetsov, in order to assess the combat capabilities of Project 69 heavy cruisers when installing 380-mm German towers (Project 69I) on them, two tactical games were held in the Navy in May 1940, where the same "small" battleships of types Scharnhorst and Dunkirk. The results of these games showed that the replacement of 305-mm guns by German 380-mm guns, even with a smaller number of them, qualitatively changes and increases the power of the cruiser's artillery. At the same time, the armor of enemy ships is pierced by larger shells, while disadvantageous battle distances (105–170 kbt) are excluded at the same time. The smaller number of hits of such shells is compensated by their greater destructive effect with an increase in the affected area behind the armor. The project 69I ship, remaining a heavy cruiser in terms of armor, PKZ and speed, would correspond to a battleship in terms of the main caliber of artillery. This predetermined the decision to develop a rearmament project. On July 10, 1940, People's Commissar of the Navy N.G. Kuznetsov approved "TTZ for the re-equipment of the project 69 SRT with German 380-mm towers (instead of the 305-mm MK-15 towers) and the main caliber launcher." The draft design 69I, developed at TsKB-17, was submitted to the people's commissars I.I. in October of the same year. Nosenko and N.G. Kuznetsov, his results were the basis for their joint report to the new Chairman of the Defense Committee K.E. Voroshilov.

Project 69I heavy cruiser: location of posts on the foremast and the first funnel

Copy of the original drawing

In connection with the acquisition under a trade agreement with Germany of February 11, 1940, 38-cm (caliber designation adopted in Germany - Auth.) Two-gun turrets from Krupp, PUS for them from Siemens and indications that these turrets and PUS should be applied on the Project 69 ships under construction (according to the technical design approved on April 12 of the same year), the report contained a request to make a decision by the CO under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR on the following issues:

On the installation of these towers on the heavy cruisers "Kronstadt" and "Sevastopol", laid down according to project 69 at factories No. 194 in Leningrad and No. 200 in Nikolaev and the further construction of these ships with German 380-mm turrets and German main-caliber launchers according to a new technical project ;

On changing the decision of the KO of April 12, 1940 and developing in TsKB-17, by order of the Navy, draft and technical (contractual) designs of a heavy cruiser, taking into account all import deliveries for it (project 69I).

The report noted that “as a result of the development of a preliminary design, the installation of imported towers causes major changes in the previously approved project 69: a) displacement of the axes of the towers, b) complete redevelopment of the cellars of the main caliber with a change in the location of all longitudinal and transverse bulkheads and platforms in areas 62 -175 sp. and 351–431 sp., as well as changing superstructures.

An increase in the standard displacement of the ship is expected by approximately 800 tons (in fact, by 1000 tons - Auth.) And drafts for a displacement of up to 9 m during the test, the speed and navigation area change slightly. Due to the large changes in the general layout of the ship, the return transition from project 69I to project 69, if necessary, will be very difficult and will lead to additional special study with the involvement of contractors.

In order to avoid a slowdown or even suspension of work at factories No. 194 and 200 for the construction of these heavy cruisers, the people's commissars asked for permission to issue working drawings for the variable areas of project 69, without waiting for the completion of the development of the contractual technical project 69I.

The issue of the main caliber of the SRT was resolved by signing in Moscow on November 30, 1940 an agreement with the Krupp company for the supply of six 380-mm twin-gun turrets with ammunition. The deadlines for the readiness of the towers for shipment to the USSR were determined by the agreement in stages: 1st tower - from October 5, 1941 to February 28, 1942; 2nd tower - from December 5, 1941 to March 31, 1942; 3rd tower - from February 5 to April 30, 1942; 4th tower - from May 5 to November 30, 1942; 5th tower - from August 5 to December 31, 1942; 6th tower - from November 5, 1942 to March 28, 1943; ammunition - in two batches: July 1, 1942 and February 1, 1943.

The set of ammunition supplied under the contract included a double (in terms of barrel survivability - 240 shots) number of shots, consisting of armor-piercing, semi-armor-piercing, high-explosive and practical shells, complete (with a semi-charge in a cartridge case and without a cartridge case) combat charges, charges for practical shells and warming shots, as well as 127-mm ammunition for training trunks. Despite the timely payment by the Soviet side of advance payments (50 million marks) under this agreement, the German side was in no hurry to fulfill its obligations, even delaying the delivery to the USSR of the documentation on the towers and the PUS necessary for the development of the technical project 69I.

On February 11, 1941, the NKVMF and the NKSP submitted a draft design of 69I to the CO for approval. In the report of People's Commissars N.G. Kuznetsova and I.I. Nosenko to the chairman of the CO K.E. Voroshilov, based on the results of a joint review of the project, noted an increase in the displacement of the ship (in accordance with the part of the documentation received from Germany) by 1250 tons and, as a result, some deterioration in the parameters of combat unsinkability. Such an overload did not cause a change in speed: in the development of propellers, it was possible to compensate for its effect by improving the propulsion coefficient. Both people's commissars considered it possible to continue further development technical project and at the same time - the construction of ships. In the event that Germany refuses to supply the ordered weapons, the report indicated, the forced transition to the original version with domestic weapons will be associated with significant alterations to the hull with the replacement of about 50% of the cable routes, as well as a significant delay in the readiness of the ships. The creation of a "universal" ship, equally suitable for installing domestic 305-mm or imported 380-mm towers, was not possible: the variable areas for placing cellars, towers and launchers for them on projects 69 and 69I had significant differences.

In the event of a forced transition to domestic armament, the main factor determining the timing of the completion of the construction of cruisers would be the supply of MK-15 and PUS turrets. Therefore, simultaneously with the development of the technical project 69I, it was proposed to continue the production of working drawings of these towers and begin their manufacture. It was also not possible to develop a comprehensive project for the transition to the original project 69 in advance, since the amount of alterations to the ship was related to the degree of technical readiness of the cruisers at the time of the transition. The time required to create the prototype of the MK-15 turret and manufacture serial turrets was sufficient to redesign the ship design and ship structures.

The construction of the hulls of both heavy cruisers at factories No. 194 and No. 200 was carried out at that time along their entire length, with the exception of variable areas. In order to avoid a further decrease in the pace of construction of these ships, the people's commissars asked the KO to authorize their decision to issue working drawings and continue the construction of the KRT, without waiting for the completion of the development and approval of the 69I technical project, and also approve the attached draft resolution.

At a meeting held in the Kremlin in early April 1941, I.V. Stalin got acquainted with the state of supplies for the construction of the KRT, but decided not to break the agreements concluded at the end of 1940, avoiding complicating relations with Germany. By the Decree of the KO dated April 10 of the same year "On the installation of 380-mm main-caliber artillery on heavy cruisers under construction", the Navy and the NKSP were allowed to install on these ships three two-gun 380-mm GK turrets with their PUS instead of three three-gun 305 -mm towers provided for by the approved project 69. In this regard, a change in individual TFC of cruisers under construction was also approved. The NKSP was instructed to amend the technical project 69 in accordance with the decree and approve it in its final form together with the NKVMF by October 15, 1941.

As already noted, the development of the 69I draft design showed that a heavy cruiser with 380 mm artillery would have a standard displacement of at least 30,660 tons, a normal displacement of 36,240 tons, and a full displacement of 42,830 tons. , as well as PKZ (from 147.5 to 156.5 m), while the length of the ship in design waterline increased from 240 to 242.1 m. The chief designer of the ship F.E. Bespolov recalled that due to the shift of the main armor belt to the stern, where the hull contours acquired a complex curvilinear shape, it would be necessary to give such a shape to the 230-mm armor plates closing the citadel, which all armor factories categorically refused. But the matter did not come to the real need for the supply of such plates, since with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War ship building was stopped.

On this, the further development of the subclass of heavy cruisers in the Soviet Navy did not stop. Pre-war design work in this area received an additional impetus after the purchase in Germany of the unfinished heavy cruiser Lutzow (Lutzow) with 203-mm main artillery artillery (project 83 in the domestic industry). The idea arose to create a similar heavy cruiser in the USSR. This is how project 82 appeared, which will be discussed below.

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At the end of 1916, the command of the Russian army decided to take advantage of the French experience and strengthen the heavy field artillery with long-range coastal guns mounted on railway transporter platforms. At that time, the Russian coastal defense system had about 200 254-mm (12-inch) guns with a barrel length of 45 calibers, which in principle could be used for this purpose. The project of the railway artillery installation was developed by the St. Petersburg Metal Plant on the model of the French 240-mm railway installation. The manufacture of the first two installations was carried out in fact in parallel with the design, which made it possible already in July 1917 to test the first installation, and in August of the same year - the second.

On the basis of these installations, on August 15, 1917, the 1st and 2nd naval heavy batteries were formed, intended for combat operations on the land front. According to the wartime staff, each battery included permanent and temporary trains. The permanent composition included a railway conveyor with a gun, a front car (so, by analogy with field artillery called the ammunition wagon), six freight wagons for ammunition and one service wagon. The temporary composition was provided to the battery at the request of the commander during long-distance movements and included a 1st or 2nd class car, two cars for soldiers, four ordinary platforms and a covered car for a camp kitchen. In addition, the battery consisted of one truck and one car and two motorcycles each.
As a base for the railway transporter, a railway platform with a carrying capacity of 50 tons was used, which was used to transport heavy loads from St. Petersburg to the Black Sea. 254-mm guns were taken from among those made in the mid-90s of the XIX century for the battleship Rostislav, but removed from the ship due to the unsuccessful design of the machine. These guns were more suitable for use from railway transporters than 254-mm coastal guns, since the latter did not have a recoil along the axis of the bore, but recoiled along with the machine, as a result of which the load on the axles of the railway carts exceeded all permissible limits.
The gun barrel consisted of an inner tube, two bonding layers and a casing. The first bonding layer was formed by two cylinders and a cylinder-cone, which fastened the inner tube throughout. Consisting of 9 rings and a cylinder-cone, the second layer, as well as the casing, fastened the gun in the middle and breech. The length of the bore was 10,983 mm (43 calibers), the length of the rifled part was 90,177 mm (35.5 calibers). 68 rifling of constant steepness was made in the bore, the bore was locked using a piston valve with a shutter with a mushroom-shaped rod.

Pointing the gun in a vertical plane was carried out using manual drives. The highest elevation angle was +35°. Due to the peculiarities of the installation of the gun on the railway transporter, it had an extremely narrow firing zone - only 2 °. Shooting could only be carried out in the direction of the railway track, so it was necessary to adjust a special section of the track in the required direction. In all cases, at the firing position, the path was fixed by placing two more sleepers under each sleeper, and to unload the springs when firing, two stops were pressed against the track rails with jacks and, in addition, grips on the rails were used to reduce recoil (nevertheless, after each shot, the gun rolled back along rails by 700-750 mm).

The cannon could fire 254-mm shells of the so-called "old style", i.e. 1899 - 1904 and sample 1907. At the same time, the shells had the same mass - 225.2 kg. The old-style steel armor-piercing projectile had a relatively weak charge - only 2 kg of smokeless gunpowder. In contrast, the armor-piercing projectile of the 1907 model was equipped with 3.89 kg of TNT and, due to this, had a rather powerful destructive effect.
Cast-iron Russian "old-style" shells with a charge of 9.6 kg of gunpowder could only be used when firing with reduced propellant charges. When fired with a full charge, they exploded in the bore or when leaving the muzzle.
The high-explosive steel charge of the 1907 model had a charge of 28.3 kg of TNT and, at an initial speed of 777 m / s, could hit a target 20,486 m away. The length of this projectile exceeded 1 m.
The gun ammunition also included the so-called "segment" projectile with 212 segments - ready-made lethal elements. The undermining of this projectile was carried out in the air using a 12-second tube of the 1888 model.

The command of the Russian army planned to use 254-mm cannons on railway transporters for firing at distant targets of great importance: railway junctions, enemy troops concentration sites, positions of long-range or large-caliber enemy artillery. Due to the well-known October events of 1917, these plans were not destined to come true.
According to reports, at the end of the civil war, the 254-mm machine tools were replaced with Metal Plant installations for 203-mm guns with a barrel length of 50 calibers. This gun had the designation TM-8 (TM - sea transporter) and was intended for use in the coastal defense system.
In 1932, a battery of two TM-8s was transferred to the Far East.
They were not used in the battles of the Great Patriotic War.

All warships are armed with different kinds military guns. Cannons were of great importance for the development of the Navy of any country. The first of them appeared in the 14th century, but over the next 200 years, artillery was practically not used. And only at the end of the 16th century did they become an important element of naval battles. England is considered the ancestor of such weapons on board a ship. What is the history of the emergence of naval artillery? What types of guns left a significant mark on the history of world battles? How has this weapon changed over time? We will learn about all this below.

Prerequisites for the creation of naval artillery

The tactics of ship battles until the 16th century invariably included close combat and boarding. The main way to destroy an enemy ship is to destroy the crew. There were 2 main ways to get over to an enemy ship in an attack:

1. When the ship rammed the enemy with a bow ram, to inflict more time on the ship and crew;
2. When they wanted to cause less harm to the ship, they used special gangways (corvus) and cables when the ships were aligned with the sides.

In the first case, when it is necessary to disable combat unit enemy. Small guns were mounted on the bow of the ship. Which, at the moment of ramming, fired cannonballs or buckshot. Tearing the sides of the ship, the cannonball created many dangerous "splinters" up to several meters in length. Buckshot in turn was an advantage against groups of sailors. In the second case, the goal was to capture the cargo and the ship itself with less damage. In such cases, shooters and snipers were more often used.

Nose cannons were used in ramming

It was difficult to make an aimed and powerful shot from the guns of the 14-15th century. Stone balls were poorly balanced, and gunpowder did not have sufficient explosive power.

Smoothbore guns

Constant wars for new territories forced the production of more and more powerful weapons for warships. At first, stone shells were used. Over time, cast-iron, much heavier, cannonballs appeared. For the greatest defeat, they were launched even in a red-hot form. In this case, there was more chance of igniting an enemy target. Could have been for more a short time destroy more enemy ships and save your crew.

To use such shells, it was necessary to create new types of artillery. This is how various types of smooth-bore guns appeared, providing the possibility of long-range shooting and the use of a variety of charges. At the same time, the accuracy of the hit left much to be desired. Moreover, it was almost impossible to sink a wooden ship. Permanently made of wood, they could stay afloat even with severe damage.

Bombard

Predecessors ship cannons bombards were fired. They were used in the 14-16 centuries. During this period, it was still impossible to work with cast iron, the degree of melting of which is 1.5 times greater than that of bronze or copper. Therefore, these weapons were made from forged iron plates, they were attached to a wooden cylindrical shape. Outside, the structure was fixed with metal hoops. The dimensions of such weapons at first were small - the weight of the core did not exceed 2.5 kg. In those years, there was no standardization of weapons, so all subsequent, larger guns were also called bombards. So, some of them reached a weight of 15 tons. The total length of a large sample could be 4 meters. The chamber is the back of the weapon, into which gunpowder was placed; the first copies of the bombards were removable.

Bombard

The development of metallurgy made it possible to manufacture cast iron bombards. They were more reliable in operation, easier to maintain. The most famous bomber, although not shipborne, is the famous Tsar Cannon.

It is worth noting that, along with bombards, until the 16th century, catapults and ballistas were present on ships - devices for throwing stone cannonballs.

One of the most famous battles of the Middle Ages is the naval battle between Spain and England at the end of the 16th century. The Spanish Armada in those years was considered the most powerful military force in the world. In 1588, 75 warships and 57 Spanish transport ships approached the English Channel. There were 19,000 soldiers on board. King Philip II wanted to take over the British Isle. At that time, Queen Elizabeth did not have strong army, but she sent a small fleet to meet them, which had ship guns on board.

A long-barreled bronze cannon - a culverina, also called a snake, could hit a target at a distance of up to 1000 meters. The speed of a projectile for the Middle Ages was prohibitively high - about 400 meters per second. The British believed that long barrel will help optimize the flight path. The Culevrins took the Spaniards by surprise, after which they turned their ships in the opposite direction. However, tragedy struck later. As a result of the Gulf Stream - the strongest current, which at that time was not known to the Spaniards, the arcade lost more than 40 ships.

Ship guns of the 17th century the emergence of the "Classic gun".

Initially all artillery pieces called bombards, and then guns. However, in the 16th century, after the possibility of casting iron and, as a result, the development of ship weapons, it was necessary to somehow classify all installations. So, it was customary to consider artillery devices with a barrel length of 10 feet as cannons. This size was not chosen by chance, in England of the 17th century, there was an opinion that the length of the gun barrel was directly related to the range of the projectile. However, this turned out to be true, only in theory. The black powder that was used at that time had a slow ignition rate, which meant that the projectile received acceleration only in a small part of the gun barrel. Having calculated the optimal barrel length, they created a gun that was not too large and heavy and had an optimal indicator of using a powder charge.

This made it possible to aimed shooting- the charge received a clear flight path. Weapons with a shorter barrel length were called mortars, howitzers, and others. Their flight path was not strictly defined, the launch of the core was carried out upwards - hinged firing.

Until the 17th century, artillery installations for sea and land battles were no different. But with the increase in naval battles, additional elements appeared on the ships for working with artillery. On warships, the guns were tied with a powerful cable, which served to hold the ship's gun during the rollback, and were also mounted on wheels. With the help of their device returned to its original position. To reduce recoil, a wing was installed - the protruding part of the rear of the gun.

Sailors begin to study ballistics - the analysis of the movement of a projectile, on which the speed and flight path depend. Ammunition consisted of cast-iron cannonballs, buckshot, and explosive or incendiary shells.

Increasingly, when evaluating guns, attention was paid to aiming speed, ease and convenience of loading, and reliability. During naval battles, the ships fired tens of tons of cannonballs at each other.

18th century ship cannons - Coronade

Warships in the 18th century already had a large number of guns. Their weight and size did not differ from the installations of the 17th century. However, several improvements have been made:

• The arson of gunpowder was no longer carried out with the help of a wick - a silicon lock was installed instead;
• The guns were located not only on the deck, they were installed throughout the ship: lower and upper decks, bow, stern. The heaviest installations were located at the bottom of the ship.
• For big guns, as before, a carriage with wheels was used. But now special guides have been made for them, along which the wheels rolled back when fired from a cannon and returned back.
• In the 17th century, the cannonballs flew no more than 200 meters. Now the projectile overcame 1000 meters.
• The quality of gunpowder has improved. In addition, it was already packaged in the form of caps or cartridges.
• New types of shells appear - knippels, explosive bombs, grenades.

Also at the end of the 18th century appears the new kind artillery weapons - carronade. Which, although they had a weak charge and low speed cores, but could quickly reload, which was of key importance in close combat. Coronades were used against the crew and rigging of an enemy ship. In general, the reload speed of the gun reached 90 seconds, with an average of 3-5 minutes.

A striking representative of the warship of the 18th century is the battleship "Victoria", which was launched in 1765, in this moment it is a museum piece and stands in the sea dock in Portsmouth.

The ship "Victoria"

19th century ship cannons - bombing guns

Improvement in technology and the invention of granular gunpowder. It made it possible to build more accurate and powerful guns. But it was already a necessity, and not just a consequence of technological progress. The appearance of the first ships, whose hull was sheathed with metal plates below the waterline, began to change the previous idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwar at sea.

By improving unsinkability in parallel with firepower, the ships were well protected in close combat. The age of boarding battles had already passed, and the ships themselves were the targets of the battles. Simple cores could no longer cause serious damage to the ship. This led to the creation of guns that fired high-explosive shells and bombs. They were called bomb cannons.

The very design of the smoothbore gun was changed, the loading of the projectile was now carried out from the breech breech. Now it was no longer necessary to roll back the barrel to load the cap (gunpowder) and the projectile. With a gun weighing several tons, this greatly exhausted the team. Such guns could send shells to 4 km.

At the end of the century, ships appeared in the fleet whose hull was made only of metal. Torpedoes were used to damage the underwater part of the ship.

The arms race led to the fact that the sailors simply could not cope with the new guns. The increase in the range of the projectile made it very difficult to aim. Combat tests were carried out large calibers up to 15 inches (381 mm) - such artillery was very expensive to manufacture and had a very short service life.

Ship cannons of the 20th century

In the 20th century, ship cannons underwent significant changes. The development of weapons as a whole was reflected in the change in artillery. smoothbore guns were replaced by rifled gun mounts. They have increased trajectory accuracy and increased flight range. Ammunition carries a large amount explosives. Hydrostabilization systems appear.

World War II required new types of weapons in naval battles. Single guns are no longer relevant. Large artillery installations are being installed. Such installations are distinguished by caliber, method of firing and type.

There are the following types of purpose of firing from cannons of the 20th century:

• Main or main - used when determining a surface target: another ship or coastal objects;
• Anti-mine artillery;
• Anti-aircraft artillery - used for air targets;
• Universal artillery - used against sea, coastal and air targets.

Technological progress post-war years gave impetus to new types of weapons, radio-controlled and jet. And more and more military experts wrote off naval artillery as an already obsolete type of naval weapon.

Coastal units “12”/52”

Gun bodies– In 1907, a “12”/52” naval gun was designed for the Sevastopol-class battleships. In the same year, a prototype gun was ordered by OSZ. Due to the poor quality of the steel used, the barrel was lengthened by 2 klb on 08/08/1907, the GUK asked OSZ about the cost and deadline for an order for 20 "12" / 52" guns, which ordered OSZ in the same year. By July 1908, OSZ received an order for another 28 guns, and a little later, an order for 48 guns (48 spare guns for the Baltic battleships). In the autumn of 1911, OSZ received an order for 36 guns for the Black Sea battleships, with a production deadline: 3 guns by 06/15/1912, 6 guns by 01/01/1913, the rest - from 10/27/1913 to 05/01/1914. In total, the Naval Department ordered 198 guns from the OSZ, of which 126 were delivered by 01/01/1917, 42 were supposed to be delivered in 1917, and the remaining ordered 30 guns in 1918. In fact, in 1917, 12 guns were handed over, and not a single one in 1918. The War Department also decided to adopt the "12" / 52" guns, albeit with minor changes, the main of which was the long chamber length - 2667 mm instead of 2443.5 mm for the naval gun. As on other guns, “SA” was stamped on the breech of land guns - land artillery, and naval “MA” - naval artillery . According to the Regulations of the Military Council - dated 12/30/1910, the GAU ordered 16 OSZ coastal "12" / 52" guns. Then new orders followed: according to the Regulations of the Military Council of 08/11/1911 for 4 guns, according to the Regulations of the Military Council of 01/13/1913 for 12 guns; 06/03/1913 for 4 guns. Thus, a total of 36 guns were ordered, of which the first 28 guns were made with a long chamber, and the last 8 were made according to the model of a naval gun chamber. Of these orders, by 09/01/1917, 35 guns were accepted, and the last No. 170 was at the cutting stage. The first "12"/52" land gun was tested at the GAP from September 1911 to February 1914 on the Durlyakher proving ground gun carriage. 72 shots were fired. In Soviet times, new "12" / 52" guns were not manufactured, and only the completion of already started guns was carried out. So, in 1921, 14 guns were handed over. On June 16, 1922, 29 new “12”/52” guns were stored at the OSZ in a degree of readiness from 95% to 10%. Almost all of these guns were completed and commissioned in 1923-1930. The bodies of the MA and SA guns had basically the same structure. The barrel consisted of an inner tube fastened with 3 rows of cylinders. Each row had 2 fastening cylinders. A casing with annular protrusions was put on over the cylinders for connection with the sled of the installation. A breech is screwed into the casing at the back. Rifling of constant steepness with an angle of inclination of 6 degrees. At the end of the 1930s, experiments were started on the liner of the barrels of "12" / 52" guns. The first liner (an internal thin-walled pipe inserted into the barrel of the gun. The wall thickness of the liner was 0.1 - 0.2 caliber. According to the official standard of 1989, the liners are free and fastened. The free liner is inserted into the barrel at normal temperature with a radial clearance of 0.1 - 0.25 mm, due to which the liner is replaced on batteries or ships by personnel.The fastened liner is inserted into the barrel in a heated state (120 - 150 degrees) and can only be replaced in the factory), according to drawing No. 32913 was developed and made in 1938 at the Bolshevik plant. The liner was tested from 05/15/1938 to 09/16/1938. The conclusions of the commission: “The strength of the liner is insufficient (inflated). Wear, in comparison with the re-barreled barrel No. 72, proceeds faster. Wear on the "12"/52" gun after 327 shots was less than on the liner after 281 shots. The laner has a 1.3% muzzle velocity drop for every 10 shots fired. Later, experiments were carried out with liners of other drawings. Already at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, part of the "12" / 52" trunks was lined.

Ammunition "12"/52" - In the 20s, when the guns MA and SA were thoroughly mixed in coastal artillery, the same situation became very uncomfortable. Therefore, in the magazine of the artillery committee No. 8/8 of 09/26/1927, it was stated that the shells of the Military Department weighing 470.9 kilograms would fire charges of the Naval Department, as a result of which the initial speed dropped from 777 m / s to 762 m / s, but on the other hand, it became possible to use naval shooting tables when shooting. What to do with the shells of the land department weighing 446.4 kilograms, the “committees” did not come up with the phrase, limiting themselves to the phrase “at present, there are very few shells weighing 446.4 kilograms, and they are not supposed to be manufactured again.” In 1915 bullet shrapnel was introduced into the "12"/52" naval cannon ammunition load. In 1916, chemical shells were added to the ammunition load of "12"/52" guns. Armor-piercing shells "mod. 1911" were equipped with suffocating agents. and practical projectiles. At the beginning of 1917, there were 154 “12”/52” choking shells in the port of Kronstadt, and 300 choking shells converted from practical shells were equipped in Sevastopol. At the Black Sea Fleet for "12" / 52" guns, 400 shots were fired per barrel, of which 37 were choking and 20 were shrapnel. At the end of the 30s, a high-explosive long-range projectile of the 1928 model of an improved aerodynamic shape entered the ammunition load. 305 / 52-mm remote grenades began to arrive at the Baltic Fleet in April 1943, but their cases combat use was not in the war. Before the start of the Second World War, an experimental batch of extra-long-range sub-caliber projectiles "drawing 2042" intended for firing along the coast was designed and manufactured in the 1st half of 1941. The caliber of the active projectile is 210 mm, the initial velocity of the projectile is 1275 m / s, the firing range is 100 kilometers. On June 22, 1941, in the fleets and warehouses of the Navy, there were shells for "12" / 52" guns: high-explosive "model 1911" - 9670 pieces, armor-piercing "model 1911" - 4108 pieces, long-range "model 1928" - 1440 pieces and shrapnel - 411 pieces. From 06/22/41 to 05/01/1945, the Navy received 6186 “12” shells from industry. Army shells.

"12"/52" - single-gun installations.

In September 1909, the GAU proposed a competition for the design of coastal installations, among which was the "12" / 52" single-gun open installation. At the end of January 1910, the Ministry of Health proposed a project for such an installation. On December 20, 1910, the GAU signed a contract with the Ministry of Health for 8 open "12" / 52" single-gun installations at a price of 229,000 rubles per gun carriage. The "12"/52" gun carriage was close in design to the ship's machines of the battleships of the "Sevastopol" type. The recoil brake is hydraulic, the knurler is hydro-pneumatic. The lifting mechanism is sectorial, etc. The main difference was that the DC motors had a voltage not of 220 Volts, as on ship installations, but of 100 Volts, and in addition, not Jenny speed controllers were adopted for the vertical and horizontal pickup mechanisms, but the Harle DuPont system with transformers. However, it was not possible to put electric guidance drives into operation, and the "12" / 52" open installations of both forts during the entire period of service had only manual guidance systems and shutter actions. The projectile and semi-charges were sent manually by a breaker. The supply of ammunition to the delivery line was carried out using manual feed. The installation had a Zeiss periscope sight of the Metal Plant and a Geismer system PUS with a 1.5-meter rangefinder. The carriage rotated on balls, and the force from the shot was perceived on the one hand by the central pin, and on the other hand, by the rear rollers under the tail section of the frame. 4 open "12" / 52" installations were intended for Fort Ino (Nikolaevsky), and 4 more for Fort Krasnaya Gorka (Alekseevsky). In October 1912, the first 2 bodies of "12" / 52" guns arrived at Fort Eno. In November 1912, the first 2 machines were commissioned by the plant and sent to Kronstadt. In the second half of 1913, all 8 installations of both forts were put into operation. On December 21, 1915, JSC Guks instructed the Ministry of Health to the shortest time to manufacture for the Sea Fortress of the "Emperor Peter the Great" 1 installation on the central pin for a 12 ”gun according to the project developed by him and on the condition that, according to the working drawings and instructions of the Ministry of Health, other plants urgently perform 11 more of the same installations. Of the indicated number, the Nikolaev plants were to complete 4 installations, the Admiralty and Baltic shipyards together 7 installations. Nikolaev plants were involved in this work for the reason that the oscillating parts of the machine tools for these installations were taken from 3-gun 12 ”installations of the Emperor Alexander III battleship under construction at this plant, for which the installations were manufactured by the same plants. The guidance drives of the installations were only manual, although the Ministry of Health developed a design for an installation with electric guidance drives, actions with a lock, a breaker and a charge. A total of 5 engines with a capacity of 47 hp. and DC voltage 110V. However, it was believed that no more than 2 engines with a total power of up to 25 hp could operate simultaneously. Since the installations on the central pin were maximally unified with the ship installations already manufactured by the plant, the order was completed relatively quickly. Already in mid-April 1916, the 1st "12" / 52" installation was assembled at the MZ on the central pin. Until the end of the year, 3 units were handed over by the St. Petersburg Admiralty Plant, 4 by the Baltic and 4 by the Nikolaev Plants. On batteries No. 60 and No. 39, the installations had an angle of 1 degree; + 30 degrees, and on the island of Ezel + 5 degrees; + 40 degrees. The speed of manual guidance drives did not exceed 0.67 deg / s, and the rate of fire - 2 rds / min. Thus, the “12”/52” installations on the central pin of the Naval Department can rightly be called ersatz wartime installations. Battery No. 43 was captured by the Germans at the end of 1917, and batteries No. 60 and No. 39 were captured by the Finns in 1918. It is curious that the "12" / 52" coastal battery was also used by the Germans in 1943 - 1944 in the English Channel. The French in Bizerte removed guns and turrets from the battleship "General Alekseev" (former "Emperor Alexander III"). In 1940, these guns came to the Germans. Krupp has created a new carriage with an angle of + 45 degrees. From the end of 1941, the construction of the “12” / 52” battery “Nina” began on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel. After the death of the captain of the 1st rank Mirus, the Nina was renamed Mirus. The battery consisted of 4 guns in separate towers with their own ammunition cellars, residential casemates, a command post with a target designator and a 10-meter rangefinder, as well as 2 advanced command posts. There were searchlight installations and one Würzburg-type radar. The battery was ready at the end of 1943 and for the first time seriously came into action during numerous naval battles in June-July 1944. The Mirus battery was combat-ready until the end of the war. In early May 1945, the German garrisons capitulated and the entire Mirus was handed over to the British.

"12"/52" 2-gun mounts

On May 22, 1913, the GAU issued an order to the Ministry of Health for the first 6 "12" / 52" turret 2-gun mounts, and on November 12 of the same year, another order for 8 of the same mounts. These installations were intended for:

• Installations No. 1 and No. 2 for Fort "Ino" on the island of Nikolaevsky.
• Installations No. 3 and No. 4 for the Krasnaya Gorka fort on Alekseevsky Island.
• Installations No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 for the fortress of Sevastopol were located on batteries No. 25 and No. 26 in the areas of Chersonesos and Lyubimovka.
• Installations No. 9 and No. 10 for the Ust-Dvinsk fortress.
• Installations No. 11, No. 12, No. 13 and No. 14 Vladivostok fortress, for batteries No. VII (at the 55th height of the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula) and No. XIX on Russky Island.

The towers for the forts "Ino" and "Krasnaya Gorka" were made by the Ministry of Health relatively quickly. So, the 1st tower on Krasnaya Gorka was fire tested on 06/09/1915, and the 2nd on 07/05/1915. On 10/16/1915, in Fort Eno, tests were started by shooting "12" / 52" towers No. 3 and No. 4. By the beginning of 1916, all 8 towers of both forts were in service. In connection with the raiding operations of the cruiser "Goeben" and the need to protect the port of Batumi - the main operational base of the Russian troops advancing in Anatolia, in September 1915, it was decided to install 2 of the 4 towers ordered for Vladivostok in Batumi. The transfer of the fortress "Peter the Great" to Morved caused confusion in the artillery orders to the factories. The fleet began to demand almost all the artillery systems that were in service with the SV, including the 76-mm cannon mod. 1902, 76 mm gun mod. 1910, 107 mm gun mod. 1910, etc. In December 1913, JSC GUKS ordered MZ 2 - "12" / 52" tower installations for the fortress of Peter the Great, and later - 2 more towers. These towers were planned to be installed 2 each on the islands of Nargen and Wulf. The turret installations of the Naval Department had a number of differences from the installations ordered by the Military Department. So, vertical armor in front and side should be 305 mm, and rear 250 mm roof armor 150 mm. However, the Metal Plant failed to complete the order on time and did not complete a single turret ordered by the GUKS. In this situation, Morved convinced the Stavka to transfer the 4 towers of the Military Department to the fortresses of Peter the Great; 2 made for Sevastopol and 2 for Batum. For the installation of these towers, rigid drums made by MOH for the Morved towers were used. In late February - early March 1918, both batteries were occupied by the Germans. The towers of battery No. 10 on Nargen Island were blown up by personnel on February 27. On May 14, 1918, the tower batteries of Fort Ino were blown up, and the fort itself was captured by the Finnish White Guards.

Location and composition of batteries during World War I.

1) Battery No. 60: the location of the battery is Ere Island, the date of commissioning is 1916, the composition of the battery is 4 "12" / 52" guns.

2) Battery No. 39: the location of the battery is Dago Island, the date of commissioning is 06/03/1917, the composition of the battery is 4 "12" / 52" guns.

3) Battery No. 43: the location of the battery is Ezel Island, the date of commissioning is 04/24/1917, the composition of the battery is 4 "12" / 52" guns.

4) Battery No. 10: the location of the battery is Nargen Island, the date of commissioning is September 21, 1916, the composition of the battery is 4 "12" / 52" guns.

5) Battery No. 15: location - Wolf Island, commissioning date - October 1917, battery composition - 4 "12" / 52" guns.

"12"/52" 2-gun installations in the Soviet period

Both the "12"/52" open and the tower batteries of the Krasnaya Gorka fort were not seriously damaged during the mutiny in June 1919. After the suppression of the rebellion, the fort was renamed Krasnoflotsky. In 1923, the tower battery had No. 1, and the open battery had No. 2. Both batteries were part of the 1st division of the Krasnoflotsky fort. By June 22, 1941, both batteries were part of the 3rd OAD of the Kronstadt fortified sector. Both batteries conducted intense fire on the enemy in 1941-1944. None of the guns were seriously damaged. In Sevastopol, by 01/01/1916, pits were dug and part of the installation parts of tower batteries No. 25 (near Cape Khersones) and No. 26 in the area of ​​​​the village of Lyubimovka were mounted in them, and several bodies of SA guns were delivered. Then the work was mothballed and resumed only in 1923. The dispatch of parts of tower installations from the Ministry of Health to Sevastopol began on 09/17/1927. Battery No. 25 was called No. 8 or No. 8/25 in the 1920s. In 1927 Battery No. 25 became Battery No. 35 and Battery No. 26 became Battery No. 30. Battery No. 35 was commissioned in 1928. The bodies of the guns were only SA (No. 144, No. 170, No. 124, No. 128). In 1928, they all had only 109 shells. After another 4 years, battery No. 30 was put into operation. In 1942, both batteries fired literally to the last shell and were blown up immediately before the capture of Sevastopol by the Germans. Battery No. 30 was blown up on June 16, and battery No. 35 on the night of July 1-2. In 1940, in connection with the return of Estonia to Russia, the 2-tower battery on Wolf Island, which by that time was called Aegna, returned to the Baltic Fleet BO. The battery received No. 374. After the evacuation of Tallinn, battery No. 374 was blown up by personnel.

Device "12"/52" 2-gun turret installations- The shutter had an electric drive. Opening or closing time 8 seconds. The compressor is hydraulic, filled with spindle oil. The hydropneumatic knurler had 2 cylinders. The loading angle is variable from 0 to + 15 degrees. The sending of the projectile and semi-charges was carried out by a chain breaker, which had an electric drive. 2 tower installations were an underground town covered with a thick layer of concrete. According to the project, the distance between the axes of the towers was 53.4 meters, and in fact there was a slight deviation for each battery. Around each tower, in the form of a rhombus, there were cellars: 2 shells 18.3 meters long and 2 chargers 17.4 meters long. The height of the cellars was 3048 mm, and the thickness of the concrete vault was 2895 mm. Each shell cellar contains 201 - 204 shells, and in the charging cellar 402 - 410 semi-charges. In the turret room there was a railroad with hand trucks in which ammunition was delivered from the cellars to the charger. The lifting of the ammunition by the charger was carried out using an electric drive. Charger lifting height 4650 mm, lifting time 5 seconds. Turret installations had a system of fire control devices (PUS) Geisler, providing firing at visible and invisible targets moving at speeds up to 60 knots. The PUS included a rangefinder cabin of the RD-10-8 battery post, which was a rotating cabin mounted on a concrete base. Stereoscopic rangefinder with 8 or 10 meter base. The turret has 2 periscope sights of the Zeiss metal plant (to the right and left of the guns). Magnification of the sight 12-fold. The limits of aiming angles are 0 - 130 cable (0 - 23790 meters).

TTX "Armor-piercing projectile"
Projectile weight - 446.6 kilograms.
Fuse - 10DT.

Projectile weight - 446.4 kilograms.
Projectile length - 4.15 caliber.
The weight of explosives is 30.7 kilograms.
Fuse - 8DT.

TTX "High-explosive projectile with 2 tips"

Projectile length - 5 calibers.
The weight of explosives is 61.5 kilograms.

Shells of the Naval Department

Drawing No. - 2-0438.
Projectile weight - 470.9 kilograms.
Projectile length - 1191 mm or 3.9 caliber.
The weight of explosives is 12.96 kilograms.
Fuse - KTMB.

TTX "Armor-piercing projectile arr. 1911"
Drawing No. - 253.
Projectile weight - 470.9 kilograms.
Projectile length - 1188 mm / 3.9 klb.
The weight of explosives is 12.84 kilograms.
Fuses - KTMB, BZM.

TTX "High-explosive arr. 1911"
Drawing No. - 2-0339.
Projectile weight - 470.9 kilograms.
Projectile length - 1457 mm / 4.8 klb.
The weight of explosives is 48.94 kilograms.
Fuse - KTMF.

TTX "High-explosive arr. 1911"
Drawing No. - 254.
Projectile weight - 470.9 kilograms.
Projectile length - 1531 mm / 5.0 klb.
The weight of explosives is 61.5 kilograms.

TTX "High-explosive arr. 1911" (Japanese made).
Drawing No. - 45307.
Projectile weight - 470.9 kilograms.
Projectile length - 1372 mm / 4.5 klb.
The weight of explosives is 45.9 kilograms.
Fuses - arr. 1913, MRD.

TTX "High-explosive arr. 1911" (American made).
drawing number - 36.
Projectile weight - 470.9 kilograms.
Projectile length - 1351 mm / 4.4 klb.
The weight of explosives is 41.3 kilograms.
Fuses - arr. 1913, MRD.

TTX "High-explosive arr. 1911" (without tip)
Drawing No. - 45108.
Projectile weight - 470.9 kilograms.
Projectile length - 1491 mm / 4.9 klb.
The weight of explosives is 58.8 kilograms.
Fuses - arr. 1913, MRD.

TTX "High-explosive arr. 1911"
Drawing No. - 2 - 02242.
Projectile weight - 470.9 kilograms.
Projectile length - 1419 mm / 4.66 klb.
The weight of explosives is 47.09 kilograms.
Fuzes - B-418.

TTX "Remote Grenade"
Drawing No. - DG - 022.
Projectile length - 470.9 mm / 1.7 klb.
The weight of explosives is 47.9 kilograms.
Fuzes - VM-12.

TTX "High-explosive long-range arr. 1928"
Drawing No. - 2 - 1420.
Projectile weight - 314 kilograms.
Projectile length - 1524 mm / 5 klb.
The weight of explosives is 55.2 kilograms.
Fuses - "MRD", "RGM", "RGM-2", "RGM-6".

TTX "Shrapnel"
Drawing No. - 50545.
Projectile weight - 470.9 kilograms.
Projectile length - 949 mm / 3.1 klb.
The weight of explosives is 3.07 kilograms.
Fuzes - "TM-10".

Firing table "12"/52" for naval and coastal guns.

1) High-explosive land department: projectile weight - 446.3 kilograms; charge - 156 kilograms of the B-12 brand or 141.3 kilograms of the B-12 brand; initial speed "a" - 853 m / s, "b" - 792 m / s.

2) High-explosive land department: projectile weight - 470.9 kilograms; charge weight - 141.3 kilograms of the B-12 brand; initial projectile speed - 877 m / s; firing range at an angle of VN 25 degrees 12 minutes - 24541 meters; firing range at an angle of VN 30 degrees 6 minutes - 26888 meters; firing range at an angle of VN 35 degrees 33 minutes - 28809 meters; TS - 1916.

3) All shells "arr. 1911 ": charge weight - 132 kilograms of brand - 305/52; The initial speed of the projectile - 762 m / s; firing range at an angle of VN - 20 degrees 11 minutes - 20668 meters; firing range at an angle of VN - 25 degrees - 23228 meters; firing range at an angle of VN - 40 degrees 34 minutes - 28715 meters; firing range at an angle of VN - 47 degrees 59 minutes - 29338 meters; TS - 1939.

4) High-explosive long-range "arr. 1928 ": projectile weight - 314 kilograms; charge weight - 140 kilograms of brand "305/52"; initial projectile speed - 950 m / s; firing range at an angle of VN - 24 degrees 59 minutes - 34019 meters; firing range at an angle of VN - 40 degrees 9 minutes - 44079 meters; firing range at an angle of VN - 50 degrees - 45981 meters; UTS - 1947.

5) Remote grenade with "VM-12" - projectile weight - 470.9 kilograms; charge weight - 132 kilograms of brand "305/52"; muzzle velocity - 762 m / s; firing range at an angle of VN 20 degrees 02 minutes - 24692 meters; firing range at an angle of VN 29 degrees 47 minutes - 27069 meters; UTS - 1947.

6) Shrapnel with "TM-10" - projectile weight - 331.7 kilograms; charge weight - 100 kilograms of brand "305/40"; muzzle velocity - 810.8 m / s; firing range at an angle of VN 24 degrees 59 minutes - 19570 meters; firing range at an angle of VN 32 degrees 41 minutes - 21948 meters; UTS - 1947.

Production and combat service

3*

projectile	Charge	Initial speed, m/s	Firing range, m
			at +20°	at +30°
armor-piercing	62.2 kg B 10	777	17072	20486
high explosive	62.2 kg B10	777	16644	19419
segmental	39.7 kg B11	610	5760 by tube

Notes:

10 "(254-mm) coastal guns in 45 klb.

Adoption history and installation device

In the mid-90s, the GAU decided to introduce 10 "/45 coastal guns, which, together with 6" / 45 Kanet guns, were supposed to provide the country's coastal defense. Several factors influenced the choice of the maximum caliber of 10" for coastal artillery. Firstly, 10" guns were accepted in the fleet and already in 1892 OSZ received the first order for 8 guns. Secondly, at the time described, the artillery committee, like the devil of incense, was afraid of any innovations in artillery and considered that 10 "caliber was the limit, where the supply of ammunition and guidance of guns could be carried out by the muscular strength of the servant. By the way, we note that by 1895 in various fleets already there were large-caliber gun mounts with electric guidance and feed drives, and similar hydraulic drives were in service with ship gun mounts for more than twenty years both in Russia and abroad.

In the mid-1990s, foreign fleets saw a continuous increase in the tonnage of battleships, the caliber and length of guns, the thickness of armor, and the systems for ensuring the unsinkability of battleships were improved. And already in 1895, it was clear that the adoption of the 10 "/ 45 gun was 7-10 years late, and that in 5 years it would be hopelessly outdated. Nevertheless, the technical illiteracy of the generals prevailed over the interests of the country's defense.

Looking ahead, let's say that if the 6 "/45 guns of Kane of the Naval and Land departments had at least some uniformity, then the generals of the GAU from the very beginning decided to make a fundamentally different gun and gun carriage than in the fleet. And again, the matter rested on the conservatism of the generals "The Naval Department was making a modern cannon with a recoil along the axis of the bore, a hydraulic compressor and a hydropneumatic knurler. Well, the hydraulic compressor has been used in land artillery for 10 years, and the generals, reluctantly, agreed. But what is a hydropneumatic knurler, among the bearded generals, no one knew. Therefore, it was decided to make a gun carriage modeled on gun carriages of the 70s, where the machine rolled back along an inclined swivel frame, and then rolled under the action of gravity. Accordingly, the gun had to be made with trunnions. This was the last domestic coastal artillery system with a rolling machine. So Thus, the interchangeability of the barrel and gun carriage with marine artillery systems and the rest was completely violated. there was only partial interchangeability of ammunition. Therefore, unlike Canet's guns, 10"/45 ship guns were never mounted on coastal batteries.

For the first time, the issue of 10 "/ 45 coastal guns was raised in 1891, when the Manager of the Naval Ministry sent a letter to the Minister of War about the introduction of a single naval coastal gun. was to be the same except for the trunnion ring. Moreover, both departments wanted a cheaper and lighter gun. This logic is difficult to understand. Both on the battleship and on the coastal battery, an increase in the body weight of the gun, say, by 10%, does not play a special role. Similarly, an increase in cost guns by 10-15% is also a drop in the bucket compared to the total cost of a coastal battery, and even more so an armadillo.It is clear that you have to pay for lightness and cheapness with the strength of the barrel.As a result, the first naval guns could not withstand the calculated ballistics and almost every battleship had a gun that differed in design from others.

The military department was playing for time with an order for 10 "/45 coastal guns and avoided these troubles. The first order for 5 coastal 10" / 45 guns was given to the OSZ only on 10/28/1896, and the first gun should be delivered in 12 months. The price of one gun was 55,100 rubles.

However, due to damage to 10"/45 naval guns during tests at the sea range in March (September 1897), work on the coastal guns was suspended by order of the GAU. New working drawings for the hardened body of the coastal gun OSZ received only on March 16, 1893, after which work was resumed. As a result, the first 10 "/ 45 guns were delivered to the OSZ in May 1899.

The gun had trunnions. Piston shutter, had an obturator with a mushroom-shaped rod. Rate of fire - up to 1 rds / min.

The machine for the 10 "/45 coastal gun was designed by the famous gunnery designer General R.A. Durlyakher. The gun carriage turned out to be solid and not the fault of the creator in the outdated machine system, which was predetermined by the GAU.

The lifting mechanism had two gear arcs. Initially, the HH angle was -5°; + 15 °, which was determined, by the way, not by a constructive need, but by an indication of the generals from the GAU in order to stop any attempts to fire at long distances. In the All-Understanding Report on the War Department for 1895, there was a catchphrase "since it is not necessary to shoot from 10" guns further than 10 versts (10.5 km)." The rotary chain mechanism allowed circular firing.

The compressor is hydraulic. The compressor cylinder is connected to the swing frame, and the piston rod is connected to the machine.

The 10"/45 gun was mounted on a concrete (regular) base, and, if necessary, in wartime, on a wooden base.

Concrete base: Large stones were placed under the base and tamped with crushed stone and sand, then the lower installation circle was installed with the installation bolts threaded through and all the space between them was filled with concrete, along with the entire base.

The wooden base was built from pine logs in several rows, through which bolts were passed and setting circles were laid. The installation time of the implement on pre-prepared bases is 4-7 days.

Production and combat service

Officially, the 10"/45 guns were put into service by the Imperial Order of August 7, 1895, on the same day as the 6"/45 Canet coastal gun.

Gross production of 10 "/45 coastal guns was carried out only by the Obukhov Plant. By August 25, 1901, one 10" / 45 gun was tested at the GAP, one was fitted to the gun carriage at the Putilov Plant, and two more were loaded onto the Koreya steamer en route to the Port -Arthur.

By the beginning of the war in Port Arthur, five 10 "/45 guns out of 10 laid down by the state were installed on the Electric Cliff battery. cast iron. high-explosive shells was not at all. Another 4 10 "/45 guns for Port Arthur were loaded onto the ship "Korea", but because of the outbreak of war, she never left Reval, and the guns were unloaded and sent by rail to Vladivostok.

In total, OSZ manufactured 89 10 "/45 guns in 1895-1909 (67 of them in 1899-1906). By 08/10/1908, it was supposed to have 84 10"/45 guns in coastal fortresses, but actually consisted of 80.

Carriages of the Durlyakher system have been mass-produced since 1899 at the Putilovsky, and since 1904 at the Bryansk plant. Both factories produced carriages according to the same drawings, but only the first carriages of the Putilov factory had an angle of +15°, and all subsequent ones had an angle of +20°.

In 1905, in the Artillery Committee, under the leadership of Durlyakher, a project was drawn up to remake the machine 10 "/45 guns with an increase in the angle of VN from + 20 ° to + 30 °. Thus, the firing range increased from 14 to 17 miles. The carriage was altered at St. Petersburg Metal Plant, and in 1907 the modernized carriage was tested at the GAP. During the tests, it became clear that the design of the swivel frame and the crane needed to be changed. And in order to compile the firing tables, the size of the firing range itself had to be increased. As a result, the tests were completed only on September 22, 1909.

On August 16, 1910, a contract was signed with the Putilov Plant for the manufacture of 10 new carriages and the conversion of 10 old ones to an elevation angle of +30°. Curiously, the price of manufacturing a new carriage was 4,775 rubles, and reworking the old one was 4,275 rubles, that is, it was more profitable to make new carriages.

To celebrate, instead of manufacturing new artillery systems, AK ordered to slap new carriages to the long-obsolete ten-inch gun. On February 26, 1912, OSZ received an order for 45 gun carriages with an HV angle of +30°, and exactly five months later, for another 31 gun carriages. Total 76. One can only quote Guchkov, a member of the State Duma, "that this is stupidity or treason" - to load the only plant in Russia capable of manufacturing heavy naval guns with a caliber of up to 406 mm inclusive with such scrap metal. It is clear that the plant, overloaded with orders, was able to make the first 4 gun carriages from an order for 45 gun carriages only in October 1914, that is, after the start of the war.

To the honor of the OSZ, he coped with orders in wartime conditions, by February 1, 1915, all 45 gun carriages of the first order were delivered, 7 of them in January. And by July 1, 1915, 15 carriages were delivered from an order for 31 carriages.

Attempts were made to automate the operation of the machine. So, in October 1913, a project was presented to the AK to re-equip a 10 "carriage" for accelerated firing, which was supposed to increase the rate of fire from 60-90 seconds per shot to 40 seconds.

3* - General Durlyakher was a Baltic German by nationality. At the beginning of the 1st World War, with the Highest permission, he changed his surname to Durlyakhov, which gave rise to numerous jokes, like "Durlyakher lost his ... dick." In the book "The Sea Fortress of Peter the Great", Amirkhanov claims that Durlyakher changed the Jewish faith to the Orthodox one. Let's leave this statement on the conscience of the connoisseur of Orthodoxy, Mr. Amirkhaiov.

Mounting 10" implements on a concrete base

The Putilov factory manufactured all the necessary equipment, which was then mounted on the right-flank 10 "/45 carriage of the Alexander Battery in Kronstadt.

A 10 hp electric motor was installed inside the swing frame. voltage 110 V and 800-1000 rpm. With the help of this electric motor, the gun was guided, the kokor with the projectile was lifted, and the action of the chain breaker was carried out. The electric motor was connected to the guidance drives by means of Jenny couplings (one for the HV and one for the GN).

The upgraded carriage was tested in April 1915. The test results were found satisfactory by the commission.

Following the model of the tested carriage, the GAU decided to remake another 35. Of these, 12 in Sveaborg and 23 in Kronstadt, and first of all, of course, the three remaining unconverted gun carriages on the Alexander Battery. However, the representation of the GAU about this order went on a many-month voyage through bureaucratic instances. In the end, on January 18, 1916, the GAU signed a contract with the Putilov Plant for the conversion of only three machines (for the Alexander Battery) with a deadline of August 12, 1916. However, by the end of the year, the deadline was postponed to April 1917 and, apparently, the modernized machines were never put into operation. In Soviet times, machines for 10 "/45 guns were not modernized.

In the early 1920s, 10 "/45 guns were considered obsolete and most of them were dismantled. As of March 1, 1923, there were 15 in the BO in the state and actually consisted of 15 10"/45 guns. Their provision with ammunition was 35%. Of these, 9 guns were in Kronstadt and 6 in Sevastopol.

By 06/22/1941, only 7 10 "/45 guns remained in service. They were part of the 12th and 13th separate artillery divisions (OAD) in Kronstadt. Their ammunition load was 721 high-explosive and 1457 armor-piercing shells. New shells in years There were no wars, and a total of 1,098 shells were expended during the war.

Ammunition and ballistic data 10 "/45 guns

The 10 "/45 gun ammunition included shells of the "old model" (i.e. 1899-1904) and model 1907. All shells had the same weight of 225.2 kg.

The steel armor-piercing projectile of the "old model" had a length of 3 klb, an explosive of 2 kg of smokeless gunpowder, a bottom tube, model 1896, and then 10DT.

Armor-piercing projectile mod. 1907, 3.07 klb long, equipped with 3.89 kg of TNT and a 11 DM bottom fuse.

A cast-iron high-explosive projectile 3.6 klb long was equipped with 9.6 kg of a mixture of gunpowder with coarse-grained and head tube mod. 1884. When fired at full charge, cast-iron shells exploded in the bore or when leaving the muzzle. Therefore, they were fired only with reduced charges. After 1904, such shells were not produced.

A steel high-explosive projectile of the "old model" 3.2 klb long contained 8.7 kg of pyroxylin, a fuse 11DM or mod. 1913

High-explosive steel projectile mod. 1907, 4.0 klb long, was equipped with 28.3 kg of TNT and fuses 11DM, 11 DT and model 1913.

In addition, in 1898, a segmented projectile with 212 segments was adopted. Projectile length 2.7 klb, explosive 1.1 kg of smoke gunpowder. Tube 16-second arr. 1888

The 10"/45 guns could fire naval shells from 10"/45 ship guns, which was practiced in Port Arthur.

Test results of the upgraded gun carriage

projectile	Charge	Initial speed, m/s	Firing range, m
			at +20°	at +30°
armor-piercing	62.2 kg B 10	777	17072	20486
high explosive	62.2 kg B10	777	16644	19419
segmental	39.7 kg B11	610	5760 by tube