305 mm/45 model 1906-10 (305 mm)

Two types of the 305 mm/45 model 1906-10 (305 mm) turrets

Description

The French naval gun 305 mm/45 Modèle 1910 was designed from the French Courbet-class as a gun derived from the earlier Modèle 1906 of the Danton-class pre-dreadnoughts. Characterised by a complex design typical of French heavy naval guns of the era, the Modèle 1910 featured a number of minor constructional improvements over its predecessor, notably a stronger breech, an interrupted-thread breech block with a Farçot mechanism operable both electrically and manually, and the removal of four spare rounds previously stored in the turrets, which increased the safety of ammunition-handling procedures. Towards the end of the First World War, six surplus guns were converted into railway artillery, designated Canon de 305 modèle 1906/10 à glissement, which saw combat during the Second World War.

The 305 mm/45 model 1906-10 is a relatively challenging weapon to handle. Much like other World War One-era guns, it has a long reload time, wide spread and a very slow turret rotation speed. For the AP shells, on the balance between penetration and explosive filler, this gun goes all the way into explosive power, making these shells have some of the highest potential damage per minute among all contemporary 305 mm AP rounds but also one of the worst penetration characteristics. On the other hand, the HE shells have an outstanding muzzle velocity for the time, requiring less lead and giving lower spread than contemporaries, but also having a surprisingly low explosive filler, only 35% higher than that of the AP shells, often making it less beneficial to switch from AP to HE than one might expect.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• Courbet
• Paris

General info

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Available ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		1,000 m	2,500 m	5,000 m	7,500 m	10,000 m	15,000 m
OEA Mle 1927 HE	HE	66	66	66	66	66	66
OPF Mle 1910 APC	APC	460	410	341	286	243	190

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
OEA Mle 1927 HE	HE	905	308	0	0.1	27.72	79°	80°	81°
OPF Mle 1910 APC	APC	798	428.35	0.03	17	18.11	48°	63°	71°

Comparison with analogues

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Usage in battles

Paris firing its main guns

Much like other main guns from World War One, it's best to use AP shells against enemy battleships. Heavy cruisers generally should be targeted with APC shells as well, but light cruisers and other vessels are best targeted with HE rounds or secondary guns. The long reload time of the guns makes it essential to think ahead and predict where the next broadside is going to fly.

Armour-piercing shells are more comparable to some of the SAP shells of other vessels, with their very large explosive filler but comparatively limited penetration. Still, while they're unlikely to make it directly into the magazines, especially of vessels in BR 8.7 or higher, the secondary shrapnel from the explosion itself is very likely to still deliver lethal damage, especially on magazines that have already suffered some damage.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very large explosive filler for the AP shells
• Excellent velocity of the HE rounds

Cons:

• Very low penetration and below-average muzzle velocity of the AP shells, significantly affecting the performance of those shells, even despite their large explosive filler
• Comparatively small explosive filler of the HE rounds.
• Slow turret rotation speed

History

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Media

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See also

• 340 mm/45 model 1912 (successor)

External links

• [Wikipedia] 305mm/45 Modèle 1906 gun
• [NavWeaps] France 30 cm/45 (12") Model 1906 and Model 1906-1910
• Naval Weapons of World War One by Norman Friedman

France naval cannons
37 mm	37 mm/50 model 1925 · 37 mm/50 model 1933
47 mm	3 pdr QF Hotchkiss
57 mm	57 mm/60 ACAD Mle 1951
75 mm	75 mm/50 Canet model 1891 · 75 mm/50 model 1922
90 mm	90 mm/50 model 1926
130 mm	130 mm/40 model 1919
138.6 mm	138.6 mm/55 model 1910 · 138.6 mm/40 model 1927 · 138.6 mm/50 model 1929 · 138.6 mm/50 model 1934 R1938
152 mm	152 mm/55 model 1930
155 mm	155 mm/50 model 1920
203 mm	203 mm/50 model 1924
305 mm	305 mm/45 model 1906-10
340 mm	340 mm/45 model 1912
	Foreign:
20 mm	2 cm/65 C/38 (Germany) · 2 cm/65 Flakvierling 38 (Germany) · 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (USA/Britain)
40 mm	2pdr QF Mk.IIc (Britain) · 2pdr QF Mk.VIII (Britain) · Bofors L/60 Mark 2 (USA) · Bofors L/60 Mark 3 (USA)
87.6 mm	Ordnance QF 25pdr (87.6 mm) (Britain)
102 mm	4 in QF Mark V (Britain) · 4 inch/45 Mark XVI (Britain)
105 mm	SK C/33 AA (Germany)
128 mm	12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 (Germany)
150 mm	15 cm/48 KC/36 (Germany)