3-inch M1902 field gun

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This article is about a towed field gun. For the contemporary series of seacoast guns, see 3-inch M1902 seacoast gun.
3-inch Gun, Model of 1902, 1904, and 1905
M1905HowitzerB&W.jpg
M1905 model
TypeLight field gun
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1902–1920s
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

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.

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[]

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 Mexican Punitive Expedition 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 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[]

3-inch Gun, Model of M1904

  • New breech mechanism.

3-inch Gun, Model of M1905

  • 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.

Surviving examples[]

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[]

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era[]

Notes[]

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

References[]

External links[]

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