Cannone navale da 381/40

Breech	Interrupted screw
Elevation	+20°, later +30°
Muzzle velocity	700 m/s (2,297 ft/s)
Effective firing range	19,800 m (21,700 yd) at +20° elevation
Filling weight	38.5 or 50 kg (85 or 110 lb)

The Cannone navale da 381/40 was an Italian naval gun intended to equip the

coast-defense guns and the rest were used on monitors to provide naval gunfire support for the Army. Most of the monitors were disarmed after World War I and their guns were transferred to coast-defense batteries which were used throughout World War II

.

Development

Italy planned a class of four

Vickers-Terni. The guns had identical ballistic performance, but differed in construction. The government favored the English design and ordered another ten in 1914 from Armstrong-Pozzuoli despite the fact that the Ansaldo guns weighed only 63 long tons (64 t)^[1] compared to the Armstrong's 83.56 long tons (85 t). The Cannone navale da 381/40 had an overall length of 15.74 meters (51 ft 8 in) and its 40-caliber barrel was 15.24 meters (50 ft) long. The propellant for the projectiles weighed either 148 or 150 kilograms (326 or 331 lb).^[2] The rate of fire varied for each type of mount, but did not exceed one round per minute in the naval mount.^[3]

Ammunition

Type of shell	Muzzle velocity^[2]	Weight^[2]	Range at +20°^[3]	Range at +30°^[3]
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	700 m/s (2,297 ft/s)	884 kg (1,949 lb)	19,800 m (21,700 yd)	27,300 m (29,900 yd)

Service

The Francesco Caracciolo-class ships were

laid down in 1914–1915, but material shortages and the Italian declaration of war on Austria-Hungary in 1915 forced the Regia Marina to suspend construction in favor of higher-priority programs. This freed up their guns to be used for other purposes. By this time Armstrong-Pozzuoli had started work on a dozen guns, the last of which were finished around 1922, Ansaldo-Schneider had finished one proving gun and nine production weapons and Vickers-Terni had built around three guns.^[4]

Coast-defense guns

One twin-gun turret was built as Batteria Amalfi on the Cavallino coast (northeast of Venice). Construction began in September 1915 and took 17 months to complete. Equipped with a pair of Vickers-Terni guns, the turret was installed on the roof of a concrete bunker that contained the ammunition, and the sleeping quarters for the artillerymen manning the turret. Electrical generators and the hydraulic pumps were in separate structures connected to the main bunker by tunnels. At their thickest point the bunker's walls were 9 meters (29 ft 6 in) deep and its roof was 3 meters (9 ft 10 in) thick. The frontal armor of the turret was 400 millimeters (15.7 in) thick, its sides were protected by 300-millimeter (11.8 in) armor and it had a roof 150 millimeters (5.9 in) thick. The guns in the turret had a maximum elevation of +20°. The turret could revolve 360°, which allowed it to provide fire support for the Italian forces within range during the Second Battle of the Piave River in June 1918.^[5]

Two other twin-gun turrets were installed near Brindisi: Batteries Benedetto Brin and Fratelli Bandiera. Construction of both began in 1916, but only the former was completed during the war, test-firing its Armstrong-Pozzuoli guns in September 1917. The latter was originally planned to be equipped with 305-millimeter (12 in) guns, but it was modified to suit a pair of Armstrong-Pozzuoli guns in 1917; construction was suspended later that year,^[3] before it was finally completed in 1923. These bunkers were almost identical to Amalfi, except that they were entirely self-contained.^[6]

Although three other twin-gun turrets were planned during the 1930s, only one (Batteria Capo S. Panagia) north of Augusta, Sicily, was actually built, completed in 1934 with Armstrong-Pozzuoli guns. This turret was different than the earlier ones as its ammunition was loaded through doors in the rear of the turret, rather than the naval-type hoists previous used. Its gun could elevate to +30°. After the Italian declaration of war on France and Britain in June and the British bombardment of Genoa in early 1941, two turrets were built near the port: Batteria Monte Moro in Quinto al Mare-Genoa and Batteria Punta S. Martino in Arenzano-Genoa. Both were completed in mid-1942 and they were the same type as the turret installed in Sicily.^[7]

After

partisans for several days before surrendering to the American 92nd Infantry Division on 29 April 1945 while Batteria Punta S. Martino was damaged by the Germans before the end of the war. Batteria Amalfi was surrendered by the Germans at the end of the war.^[8]

Railroad guns

Seven of the Schneider-Ansaldo guns were transferred to the Army

Isonzo and in the Trentino.^[10] They were placed in reserve after the war and remained in storage at La Spezia for the duration of World War II.^[11]

Coastal monitors

Two Ansaldo guns were mounted on the monitor

Marina Nazionale Repubblicana (National Republican Navy).^[12] GM 194 was scuttled in Savona at the end of the war and was subsequently scrapped.^[13]

The monitor

laid down at the Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia shipyard in Naples, each armed with a single Cannone navale da 381/40, but they were not completed until 1919–1920. All of the monitors except Faà di Bruno were disarmed in 1924 and converted to other uses.^[16]

Gallery

A 381/40 on a test rig.
381 mm shells
A 381/40 AVS railroad gun
381/40 guns being installed on the monitor Alfredo Cappellini
Loading a 381/40 on a monitor during the Battle of the Piave River, June 1918
The Amalfi battery at Punta Sabbioni, Venice, 1920
The Amalfi battery

References

^ Clerici, Flocchini & Robbins, pp. 151–152
^ ^a ^b ^c Friedman, pp. 231–232
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f 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
.

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
.

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
.

ISBN 978-1-4728-1068-7
.

External links

[1] Clerici, Flocchini & Robbins, pp. 151–152

[f2-2] Friedman, pp. 231–232

[c4-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Clerici, Flocchini & Robbins, p. 154

[c2-4] Clerici, Flocchini & Robbins, p. 152

[5] Clerici, Flocchini & Robbins, pp. 152, 154

[6] Friedman, p. 231

[7] Clerici, Flocchini & Robbins, pp. 154–156

[8] Clerici, Flocchini & Robbins, pp. 156–157

[9] Kosar, p. 234

[10] Romanych & Heuer, p. 24

[11] Zaloga, p. 27

[12] Brescia, p. 181

[13] Ordovini, Petronio; et al., p. 335

[14] Trawick & Wilterding, p. 298

[15] Ordovini, Petronio; et al., pp. 335–336

[16] Ordovini, Petronio; et al., pp. 335–337

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v t e Italian artillery of World War I
Anti-aircraft guns	Cannone da 76/45 S 1911 Cannone da 75/27 A.V.
Field, Medium and Heavy guns	Cannone da 75/27 modello 06 Cannone da 75/27 modello 12 Cannone da 75/27 modello 11 8 cm FK M. 5 Obice da 100/17 modello 14 Obice da 105/14 Cannone da 105/28 Cannone da 105/32 Obice da 149/12 Cannone da 149/23 Cannone da 149/35 A Cannone da 152/45
Mortars	Bombarda da 58 A Bombarda da 58 B 15 cm Mörser M1881 Bombarda da 240 mm
Infantry and Mountain guns	Cannon 37F Cannone da 65/17 modello 13 Cannone da 76/17 S modello 12 Cannone da 70/15
Naval and coastal defense guns	Cannon 76/40 Model 1916 Cannone da 76/45 S 1911 Cannon 102/35 Model 1914 Cannon 102/45 Cannon 152/32 Model 1887 Cannone da 190/45 EOC 8 inch 45 caliber EOC 10 inch 40 caliber EOC 10-inch /45 naval gun Obice da 280 305 mm /46 Model 1909 100-ton gun BL 13.5 inch naval gun Mk I – IV Cannone navale da 381/40
Railroad artillery	Cannone da 381/40 AVS
Superheavy and Siege artillery	Mortaio da 210/8 D.S. Mortaio da 210/9 modello 14 Mortaio da 260/9 Modello 16 Obice da 280 Obice da 305/17

v t e Italian artillery of World War II
Tank guns	Breda Model 35 Cannone da 37/40 Cannone da 47/32 Cannone da 47/40 Cannone da 75/34
Anti-tank guns	Solothurn S-18/1000 Cannone da 47/32 Obice da 75/18 modello 35 Cannone da 75/46 C.A. modello 34 Cannone da 90/53 Cannone da 105/25
Infantry and Mountain guns	Cannone da 37/10 modello 15 Cannone da 47/32 Cannone da 65/17 modello 13 Cannone da 70/15 Obice da 75/18 modello 34
Field, Medium and Heavy guns	Cannone da 75/27 modello 06 Cannone da 75/27 modello 12 Cannone da 75/27 modello 11 Obice da 75/18 modello 35 Cannone da 75/32 modello 37 Cannone da 76/17 S modello 12 Obice da 100/17 modello 14 Obice da 105/14 Cannone da 105/28 Cannone da 105/32 Obice da 149/12 Cannone da 149/28 Cannone da 149/35 A Cannone da 149/40 modello 35 Obice da 149/19 modello 37 Cannone da 152/45 Obice da 210/22
Superheavy and Siege artillery	Mortaio da 210/8 D.S. Mortaio da 260/9 Modello 16 Obice da 280 Obice da 305/17
Railroad artillery	Cannone navale da 381/40
Anti-aircraft guns	Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 (Scotti) Breda Model 35 Cannone-Mitragliera da 37/54 (Breda) Cannone da 75/27 A.V. Cannone da 75/46 C.A. modello 34 Cannone da 75/49 Cannone da 90/53