210mm Krupp coast gun M. 1888

 

 

 

 

Bulgarian designation :

210-мм оръдие Д-35

Calibre :

209.3mm L/35

Weight of the barrel :

14200 kg

Weight of the carriage :

15140 kg

Barrel length :

7.330 m

Lenght of the bore :

6.727 m – 32.1 calibres

Number of barrel grooves :

48

Shield

weight :

7090 kg

thickness :

25 mm

Battering charge

heavy shell :

23 kg of smokeless powder (Wurf Pulver C/89)

light shell :

23.5 kg of smokeless powder (Wurf Pulver C/89)

A.P. shell

weight :

140 kg – charge : 1.4 kg

length :

L/3.5

Cast steel shell

weight :

140 kg – charge : 5 kg

length :

L/4

Steel shell

weight :

140 kg – charge : 6.5 kg

length :

L/4.5

Shrapnel

weight :

140 kg – charge : 1.4 kg

975 ball x 39 g

length :

L/3.5

Muzzle velocity

heavy shell :

646 m/s

light shell :

712 m/s

Max. range :

13200 m

Effective range in 1917 :

10000 m

Elevation :

+ 25° / - 5°

Remarks :

Old coast gun with central pivot mounting cradle carriage. Two were delivered to the Bulgarian coast artillery in 1917, and placed at Cape Atya, in the Bay of Burgas. The identification of these two guns is not reliable, but it is very likely that were Krupp coast guns, belonging to the Romanian Danube Flotilla, and not Russian trophies, since there are not mention of Russian guns of this calibre. In fact the Romanian Danube Flotilla had 4 – 210mm coast guns and 6 – 75mm Nordenfelt guns. They were also called 9 inch guns, that means 228.6mm, but again I did not found a Russian gun with such features.

The gun could fire also light projectiles of the same kind of the heavy ones : armour piercing shell L/2.8, steel shell L/3.5, cast steel shell L/3.2 and shrapnel L/2.8, but they were regarded as less effective.