Cannone navale da 381/40
| Company type | Naval artillery, Coastal artillery, Railway gun |
|---|---|
| Industry | Defense |
| Founded | 1913 |
| Headquarters | Italy |
| Products | Naval guns, Coastal defense guns, Railway artillery |
The Cannone navale da 381/40 was developed as an Italian naval artillery piece designed for the dreadnought battleships of the Error: {{sclass}} missing required parameter: ship type (help) class, which consisted of four vessels. These battleships were ultimately cancelled in 1916, leading to the reassignment of their guns for alternative military applications. Of the seven units transferred to the Esercito Italiano (Italian Army), four were converted into railroad guns, six served as coast-defense guns, and the remainder were mounted on monitor vessels to deliver naval gunfire support for ground forces. Following World War I, most monitors were stripped of their armament, with their guns redeployed to coastal defense batteries, which remained operational throughout World War II.
Development
Italy intended to commission a quartet of new dreadnought battleships as successors to the two ships in the Error: {{sclass}} missing required parameter: ship type (help) class, equipping them with 381 mm (15 in) artillery pieces to rival the British Error: {{sclass}} missing required parameter: ship type (help) class. In 1913, thirty guns were ordered: ten each from Ansaldo-Schneider, Armstrong-Pozzuoli, and Vickers-Terni. While all three designs shared identical ballistic capabilities, their construction methods varied. The Italian government showed a preference for the British design and placed an additional order for ten guns in 1914 from Armstrong-Pozzuoli, despite Ansaldo’s models weighing only 63 long tons (64 t) compared to Armstrong’s heavier weight of 83.56 long tons (85 t). The Cannone navale da 381/40 featured an overall length of 15.74 meters (51 ft 8 in), with a barrel length measuring 15.24 meters (50 ft), corresponding to a 40-caliber barrel. The propellant charge used for firing projectiles weighed between 148 or 150 kilograms (326 or 331 lb). The firing rate depended on the mounting type but never exceeded one round per minute when installed in naval mounts.
Ammunition
| Shell type | Muzzle velocity[1] | Weight[1] | Maximum range at +20° elevation[2] | Maximum range at +30° elevation[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-explosive | 700 m/s (2,297 ft/s) | 875 kg (1,929 lb) | 19,800 m (21,700 yd) | 27,300 m (29,900 yd) |
| Armor-piercing | 884 kg (1,949 lb) |
Service
Construction of the Francesco Caracciolo-class battleships commenced between 1914 and 1915; however, due to shortages of materials and Italy's entry into war against Austria-Hungary in 1915, the Regia Marina halted progress to prioritize other strategic projects. This suspension allowed their artillery pieces to be repurposed elsewhere. By this stage, Armstrong-Pozzuoli had produced twelve guns, with the final units completed by approximately 1922; Ansaldo-Schneider had delivered one test gun along with nine production models, while Vickers-Terni had manufactured around three guns.[3]
Coast-defense guns
A twin-gun turret was constructed as Batteria Amalfi on the Cavallino coast northeast of Venice. Work started in September 1915 and required 17 months for completion. The turret housed two Vickers-Terni guns mounted atop a reinforced concrete bunker containing ammunition storage and barracks for the artillery crew. Auxiliary buildings accommodated electrical generators and hydraulic pumps, linked to the main bunker via underground tunnels. The bunker’s walls reached up to 9 meters (29 ft 6 in) thickness at their thickest point, while its roof measured 3 meters (9 ft 10 in) in depth. The turret armor featured a frontal thickness of 400 millimeters (15.7 in), side protection of 300-millimeter (11.8 in), and a roof armored with 150 millimeters (5.9 in) plating. The guns could elevate to a maximum of +20°, and the turret was capable of full 360° rotation, enabling it to support Italian troops during the Second Battle of the Piave River in June 1918.[4]
Two additional twin-gun turrets were installed near Brindisi: Batteries Benedetto Brin and Fratelli Bandiera. Construction began in 1916; however, only Benedetto Brin was finalized during wartime, conducting test firings with Armstrong-Pozzuoli guns in September 1917. Initially planned to mount 305-millimeter (12 in) guns, Fratelli Bandiera was altered in 1917 to accommodate Armstrong-Pozzuoli artillery pieces before construction was halted later that year,[2] ultimately reaching completion in 1923. These bunkers closely resembled Amalfi but were fully autonomous facilities.[5]
Although plans called for three more twin-gun turrets during the 1930s, only one—Batteria Capo S. Panagia, located north of Augusta, Sicily—was realized and finished in 1934 with Armstrong-Pozzuoli armaments. Unlike earlier models, this turret featured rear-loading ammunition doors instead of traditional naval hoists and allowed gun elevation up to +30°. Following Italy’s declaration of war on France and Britain in June and the British Operation Grog bombardment of Genoa in early 1941, two turrets were erected near Genoa: Batteria Monte Moro at Quinto al Mare and Batteria Punta S. Martino at Arenzano. Both were completed by mid-1942 and shared design features with the Sicilian installation.[6]
After the Allied Operation Husky, which marked the invasion of Sicily in mid-1943, the garrison destroyed Batteria Capo S. Panagia prior to surrendering. The two Brindisi batteries never engaged in combat and were taken intact by Allied forces. Following the Armistice of Cassibile in September 1943, German troops seized control of the two Genoa batteries along with Batteria Amalfi, operating them alongside forces loyal to the puppet Repubblica Sociale Italiana for the remainder of the conflict. Batteria Monte Moro endured a siege by Italian partisans before capitulating to the American 92nd Infantry Division on April 29, 1945; meanwhile, Batteria Punta S. Martino suffered damage inflicted by German forces before war’s end. The Germans surrendered control of Batteria Amalfi at hostilities’ conclusion.[7]
Railway artillery
Out of the seven Schneider-Ansaldo guns, the Army received seven, but only four were adapted into Cannone da 381/40 AVS railroad guns. Each gun, mounted on its railway carriage, weighed approximately 212 tonnes (209 long tons; 234 short tons) and measured 24.5 metres (80 ft) in length. The elevation capability reached up to 25°, while the traverse on the mount was limited to 2°. It fired high-explosive projectiles weighing 730 kg (1,609 lb) and 876 kg (1,931 lb), achieving ranges of 33.6 km (21 mi) and 30 km (19 mi), respectively. Additionally, an armor-piercing shell weighing 884.5 kg (1,950 lb) could be launched up to 30 km (19 mi).[8] Delivered in 1917, these weapons supported Italian military efforts along the Isonzo front and in the Trentino region.[9] Postwar, the guns were placed in reserve and remained stored at La Spezia throughout World War II.[10]
Coastal monitors
Two Ansaldo artillery pieces were installed aboard the monitor Faà di Bruno, which was completed in 1917. This vessel had a limited role during the 11th Battle of the Isonzo, providing fire support to Italian forces before being driven ashore by a storm in November. It was not refloated until shortly before the war’s conclusion and was officially decommissioned in 1924. Reactivated in 1939 under the name GM 194 for World War II preparations, it was towed to Genoa for defensive duties. However, its guns were quickly rendered inoperative when an electric cable was severed during a British bombardment of Genoa. Following Italy’s armistice, German forces captured the ship and handed it over to the puppet Marina Nazionale Repubblicana (National Republican Navy).[11] At war’s end, GM 194 was scuttled in Savona and later dismantled.[12]
The monitor Alfredo Cappellini originated as a converted floating crane, equipped with two Armstrong-Pozzuoli guns housed in a turret by 1916. Its artillery could elevate up to +20° and had a traverse range of only 15° to each side.[13] This vessel also took part in the 11th Battle of the Isonzo but sank during a storm near Ancona, Italy, in November 1917. Two captured Austro-Hungarian self-propelled barges—Monte Santo and Sabotino—were rebuilt with one gun each; they entered service in July and September 1918 respectively,[14] supporting Italian troops around Venice during the final months of the conflict.[2] Earlier that year, four monitors known as the Monte Grappa class class were laid down at the Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia shipyard near Naples, each armed with a single Cannone navale da 381/40; however, their completion occurred only between 1919 and 1920. Except for Faà di Bruno, all these monitors were disarmed by 1924 and repurposed for other functions.[15]
Gallery
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A 381/40 naval gun mounted on a testing apparatus. -
Ammunition for the 381 mm caliber. -
Railway-mounted 381/40 AVS artillery piece. -
Installation of 381/40 guns aboard the monitor Alfredo Cappellini. -
Loading operations of a 381/40 gun on a monitor during the Battle of the Piave in June 1918. -
The Amalfi artillery battery located at Punta Sabbioni, Venice, in 1920. -
View of the Amalfi battery installation.
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See also
- BL 15 inch Mk I naval gun: British counterpart naval artillery
- 38 cm SK L/45 "Max": German equivalent used both at sea and on land
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Friedman, pp. 231–232
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Clerici, Flocchini & Robbins, p. 154
- ↑ Clerici, Flocchini & Robbins, p. 152
- ↑ Clerici, Flocchini & Robbins, pp. 152, 154
- ↑ Friedman, p. 231
- ↑ Clerici, Flocchini & Robbins, pp. 154–156
- ↑ Clerici, Flocchini & Robbins, pp. 156–157
- ↑ Kosar, p. 234
- ↑ Romanych & Heuer, p. 24
- ↑ Zaloga, p. 27
- ↑ Brescia, p. 181
- ↑ Ordovini, Petronio; et al., p. 335
- ↑ Trawick & Wilterding, p. 298
- ↑ Ordovini, Petronio; et al., pp. 335–336
- ↑ Ordovini, Petronio; et al., pp. 335–337
Sources
- Brescia, Maurizio (2013). Mussolini's Navy: A Reference Guide to the Regia Marina 1930–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-544-8.
- Clerici, Carlo; Flocchini, Alfredo & Robbins, Charles B. (1999). "The 15" (381mm)/40 Guns of the Francesco Caracciolo Class Battleships". Warship International. 36 (2). International Naval Research Organization: 151–157. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations; An Illustrated Directory. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
- Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Kosar, Franz (1999). Eisenbahngeschütz der Welt [Railroad Guns of the World] (in German). Stuttgart: Motorbuch. ISBN 3-613-01976-0.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - Ordovini, Aldo F.; Petronio, Fulvio; et al. (December 2017). "Capital Ships of the Royal Italian Navy, 1860–1918: Part 4: Dreadnought Battleships". Warship International. LIV (4): 307–343. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Romanych, Marc (2017). Railway Guns of World War I. London: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-1641-2.
- Trawick, Henry P. & Wiltering, John H. Jr. (2010). "Italian Monitor Faa di Bruno". Warship International. XLVII (4). Toledo, Ohio: International Navy Research Organization: 297–298. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Zaloga, Steve (2016). Railway Guns of World War II. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-1068-7.
Further reading
- Anderson, Richard M.; Brescia, Maurizio; Del Prete, Maurizio (1989). "Question 53/87". Warship International. XXVI (2): 198–200. ISSN 0043-0374.