| Cannone da 90/53 | |
|---|---|
 Cannone da 90/53 | |
| Type | TowedAnti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Service history | |
| Wars | World War II Croatian War of Independence[1] |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Ansaldo |
| Designed | 1939 |
| Manufacturer | Ansaldo |
| Produced | 1 June 1939 - 31 July 1943 |
| No. built | 539 |
| Specifications (Cannone da 90/53) | |
| Mass |
|
| Length | 5.039 m (16 ft 6.4 in) |
| Barrel length | 4.736 m (15 ft 6.5 in) L/53[2] |
| Crew | 6 |
| Shell | 90×679mmR |
| Shell weight | 10.3 kg (22.71 lb) |
| Caliber | 90 mm (3.54 in) |
| Carriage | Four wheel carriage |
| Elevation | -2° / +85° |
| Traverse | 360°[2] |
| Rate of fire | 19 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 850 m/s (2,790 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range |
|
| Maximum firing range | |
| Sights | Optical gun sight |
TheCannone da 90/53 was an Italian-designed cannon used both in ananti-aircraft role and as ananti-tank gun duringWorld War II. It was one of the most successful anti-aircraft guns to see service during the conflict. The naval version of the gun was mounted on Italian battleships of theLittorio-class and theAndrea Doria-class.
The designation "90/53" meant that the gun had a 90 mmcaliber and a barrel 53 caliber-lengths long.
In 1938, after a development period, theAnsaldo company produced a new heavy AA gun for theRegia Marina, to replace the obsolescentŠkoda 10 cm K10 and K11 used for that role on Italian warships; initially 48 calibers long, it was eventually brought to 50 calibers.
TheCannone da 90/50 Ansaldo Model 1938 andOTO Model 1939 had an autofretted monobloc barrel with a screwed-on breech ring containing the horizontalsliding breech block and seatings for the recoil and run-out cylinders. The most interesting part of the weapon was the single quadriaxial mounting designed for it: those were pre-stabilized, with a complex system controlled by 11 gyros, with two electric motors providing the necessary RPC; the whole complex was enclosed in an oval shielded turret, mainly to protect it from the blast effects from the battleship's main caliber guns. The turret weighed some 20 tons, and the practical rate of fire was 12 rounds per minute. After testing on thearmoured cruiserSan Giorgio, the 90/50 was fitted on the newLittorio-class battleships and the twoAndrea Doria-class battleships being rebuilt, for a respective total of 12 and 10 mountings.
This system has been described as too advanced and ahead of its day, and, while ballistically the gun had good performance, the mountings proved delicate. In theAndrea Doria-class battleships the electrical RPC motors were removed in 1942 because of water damage; on theLittorio-class battleships, where the mountings were placed higher, the RPC was retained. Early rounds tended to be flawed and fragment into very small pieces, reducing their effectiveness, although improved rounds were issued during the war.[4][5]
After the war, the twelve 90/53 guns from the Italian battleshipVittorio Veneto were assigned toYugoslavia as a part of war reparations. They were mounted on acoastal artillery battery on islandŽirje offŠibenik as a part of theCold War defense strategy. These guns saw action in September 1991 during theCroatian War of Independence, deterring the Yugoslav People's Armyassault on Šibenik and blocking 34 Yugoslav Navy's patrol boats and minesweepers which were later captured by Croatian forces in the inner harbor.[6][7]
The Cannone da 90/53, derived from the naval version,[8] was also designed byAnsaldo, with the first examples being produced in 1939. The original plan was for the gun to be manufactured in three variants:
Italian industry was not up to producing these quantities and by the end of production in July 1943 only 539 guns had been delivered, including 48 converted for use on theSemovente 90/53 heavy tank destroyer; some, owing to delays in producing the adequate mountings, were fitted on makeshift ones or on the flatbed of trucks like theLancia 3Ro and theBreda 52 and were designatedAutocannone da 90/53 su Breda 52.
Drawing upon the German experience with the comparable8.8 cm FlaK 18, the gun was also used asfield artillery in the indirect fire role or as an anti-tank gun. In the latter role its AP shell could penetrate 140 millimetres (5.5 in) of armour at 500 metres (550 yd), and 120 millimetres (4.7 in) at 1,000 metres (1,100 yd),[9] and possibly up to 206 millimetres (8.1 in),[10] thus being able to destroy any Allied tank it faced in North Africa and mainland italy.
After Italysurrendered, guns captured by Wehrmacht forces were designated9-cm Flak 309/1(i). Some of these guns were used for the air defence of Germany, while others were kept in service in Italy.
Media related toCannone da 90/53 at Wikimedia Commons
