During World War II, Nazi Germany repurposed a triple 28 cm (11-inch) SK C/34 naval gun turret from the battleship Gneisenau for land-based defense at Austrått Fort in Ørland, Norway. Known as Dora I, this coastal artillery installation was built in 1942–1943 to protect the Trondheimsfjord, a key German naval base, as part of the Atlantic Wall. The turret, originally damaged in a 1942 British air raid, was installed in a 25-meter-deep rock shaft, with 360 mm armored faces and a 360° firing range, capable of hurling 330 kg shells up to 40 km.
The fortress, operational by late 1943, included underground magazines, barracks for over 200 personnel, and radar-directed fire control but saw no combat, as Allied forces focused elsewhere. Post-war, Norwegian forces maintained it until 1968. Today, Austrått Fort is a preserved museum, showcasing this rare naval-to-land adaptation, with its intact underground complex open to visitors under the Norwegian Fortress Association’s management.
German Triple-Barreled Naval Turret During WW2 (Austrått Fort in Norway)
