3-inch M1902 field gun

The 3-inch Gun, Model of 1902 was the U.S. Army’s first nickel steel, quick-firing field gun with a recoil mechanism. Like its predecessor the 3.2-inch gun M1897, it was a rifled breechloader.

3-inch Gun, Model of 1902, 1904, and 1905
M1905 model
TypeLight field gun
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1902–1919
Used byUS Army
WarsWorld War I
Production history
DesignerWatervliet Arsenal
Designed1902
Produced1902–1917
No. built
  • M1902: 182
  • M1904: 40
  • M1905: 441
VariantsM1902, M1904, M1905
Specifications
Massgun & breech : 835 lb (379 kg) (1902 & 1904)
788 lb (357 kg) (1905);
2,520 lb (1,140 kg)
gun & carriage total.
Length180 in (460 cm) From trail to muzzle
Barrel length28 calibers, 7 feet (2.1 m) (bore)
Width76 in (190 cm)
Height63 in (160 cm)
Crew5

ShellFixed QF 76.2 x 273mm R[1]
Shell weight15 lb (6.8 kg)
Calibre3-inch (76.2 mm)
BreechInterrupted screw, De Bange type
Recoilhydro-spring, 45 inches (1.14 m)
Carriagewheeled
Elevation-5° to +15°
Rate of fire15 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity1,700 ft/s (520 m/s)
Effective firing range6,000 yd (5,500 m)
at 15° elevation
Maximum firing range8,500 yd (7,800 m) approx.
Feed systemhand

Design

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During the second half of 1890s the so-called "quick-firing revolution" was underway, and many countries from Russia and Germany to the Transvaal Republic started to adopt guns with some recoil systems, but the Army adopted an outdated 3.2-inch gun M1897 instead. Quickly realizing the mistake, the Ordnance Department alongside the M1897 production started development of what was termed an "accelerated-fire gun", and Captain Charles B. Wheeler designed a 3-inch gun which allowed more shots to be made faster but still required to relay the gun after each shoot. However by 1900, when its procurement was underway, first concrete information about the revolutionary French Canon de 75 modèle 1897 was declassified and new true quick-firing designs with a long recoil by private manufacturers emerged in Europe, and the Commanding General of the United States Army Nelson A. Miles lobbied Secretary of War Elihu Root to block the process. In 1901 long-recoil guns were tested and deemed superior, so in 1902 the Ordnance Department combined Wheeler's piece and an Ehrhardt piece (probably similar to the Norwegian M1901[citation needed]) in one design.

The features of rifling, breech loading with fixed ammunition, and a hydraulic-spring system to absorb the gun's recoil and quickly return it to the firing position combined to improve the range, accuracy, and rate of fire of the gun compared with previous weapons, allowing it to be used more effectively in operations with infantry. These new capabilities allowed the gun to provide accurate indirect fire on targets not in a direct line of sight, which provided crucial firepower for infantry attacks. It was also one of the first US artillery guns with an armored shield to protect the crew from small arms fire. The gun fired 3 inches (76 mm) steel, shrapnel, or explosive shells that weighed 15 pounds (6.8 kg).[2] The use of nickel steel construction meant that the M1902 could fire a heavier shell at a higher muzzle velocity and greater accuracy (due to tighter rifling) than any other field gun of American origin to that point.[3] It had a muzzle velocity of 1,700 ft/s (520 m/s) with an effective range of 6,500 yards (5,900 m), and a maximum range of 8,500 yards (7,800 m). The maximum rate of fire was 15 rounds per minute.

Service history

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This weapon replaced the 3.2-inch gun M1897 in most combat units, but both weapons remained in service until after World War I. General John J. Pershing brought several of the guns with him during the "Punitive Expedition" against Mexican forces in 1916–17, but they were not fired in combat.[3]

The M1902 was in service from 1902 through 1919. During World War I, the Army primarily used the French 75 mm 1897 gun instead of the M1902s, which were mostly kept in the United States for training. Although this weapon appears in World War I-era tables of organization and equipment,[4] very few of the M1902s were used in combat in Europe. They were gradually phased out of active service in the 1920s.

Variants

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A cutaway from a 3.8-inch gun manual, showing the internal design very similar to the 3-inch gun

3-inch Gun, Model of 1904

New breech mechanism.

3-inch Gun, Model of 1905

Similar to the Model of 1904, except made about 50 lb (23 kg) lighter by reduction of the outside diameters of the gun and modification of the clip hoop that secures the barrel to the guide rails on the cradle near the muzzle. Different rifling twist.

3.8-inch Gun, Models of 1904 and 1907

Similar to the 3-inch gun, but scaled up with a significantly longer barrel - 111.25 inches (2.826 m) overall gun body length instead of 87.8 inches (2.23 m) - in a larger caliber, with a lengthened recoil - 58.5 inches (1.49 m) instead of 45 inches (1.1 m) - as well as with a different extractor. Weighed 3,875 pounds (1,758 kg) and fired a 30 pounds (14 kg) shell up to 8,000 yards (7,300 m).[5]

Surviving examples

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M1902 field gun at the First Division Museum tank park at Cantigny Park.
 
A 3-inch M1902 field gun exhibited at the Texas Military Forces Museum, Austin, Texas.
 
A 3-inch M1902 field gun exhibited at the American Legion Hall Post 41, Eustis, Florida.

See also

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Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

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Notes

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  1. ^ "77-77 MM CALIBRE CARTRIDGES". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-01-17. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  2. ^ a b M1902 3 Inch Field Gun, 1st Division Museum, Cantigny
  3. ^ a b Williford, pages 22-25
  4. ^ Rinaldi, page 204
  5. ^ "Handbook of the 3.8-inch Gun Matériel ...: January 19, 1917". 1917.
  6. ^ 3-inch gun, Westminster, Massachusetts at Waymarking.com
  7. ^ 3-inch gun, New London, MO at Waymarking.com
  8. ^ Photos of weapon formerly at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
  9. ^ M1905 field gun at Historical Marker Database
  10. ^ 3-inch gun, Oklahoma City, OK at Waymarking.com
  11. ^ "45th Division Museum". Archived from the original on 2007-10-27. Retrieved 2019-09-11.

References

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