130mm B-13 Pattern 1936 - General Megathread for the 18th of April

The 130mm B-13 Pattern 1936 was a weapons sytem mounted on Soviet destroyers. The weapon had excellent ballistic performance and was probably one of the best destroyer guns in service among the Great Powers in terms of surface combat. This high performance came at a logistical cost however. These guns had enormous barrel pressure and initial models had a barrel life of as little as 130 rounds. Some destroyers, the Project 1 leaders and Project 7/7Us, would need barrel changes before emptying their magazines. Deeper grooves solved this issue – the original had 1mm, and initial change to 1.95mm, and then a final change to 2.7mm. Whilst this solved the issue, this introduced a new logistical headache as range tables and ammunition were incompatible between the groove types. By 1941 however, the majority of the 378 guns in service were using the deepest groove. The 130mm B13 remained in production until 1954, with 1,199 mounts produced. Several were used as coastal battery mounts.

A project was in progress to lengthen the barrel to 55 calibres, called B2U, U standing for universal. The project was cancelled due to the start of the war, and were intended to be used on the next generation of destroyers.

The last series of destroyers this gun was used on was the Skory class, the first series designed and laid down after WW2. Several were exported to Egypt, Poland and Indonesia.

QUICK STATISTICS

Projectile Weight: SAP 33.5 kg, HE 34.17 kg

Muzzle Velocity: 870 mps

Barrel Life: Shallow, 130. Deep, 1100

Rate of Fire: 12 RPM

Traverse Speed: 9.85 degrees per second Vertical, 9.7 Horizontal

Range: 25.6 km

If you ever want to make your own megathread, you can go here to reserve a spot! :xinternet:

Resources for Organizing your workplace/community :sabo:

Resources for Palestine :palestine-heart:

Buy coffee and learn more about the Zapatistas in Chiapas here :EZLN:

Here are some resources on Prison Abolition :brick-police: