14-inch M1920 railway gun
Encyclopedia
The 14-inch M1920 railway gun was the last large caliber railway gun
to be deployed by the U.S. Army. It was an upgrade of the Navy 14"/50 caliber railway gun
.
, the US Army wanted to incorporate the lessons learned from other railway gun mounts and fulfill coastal artillery requirements for hitting a moving target. An effort to design a more universal mount for the Navy's Mk. IV 14"/50 caliber gun was undertaken.
The primary difference from the earlier Navy versions lies in the M1920 carriage, which could be raised and lowered. Prepositioned fixed mounts were installed at the forts, and the gun's rail trucks could be taken out from under the frame. After the removal of the rail trucks, the gun was lowered and bolted onto a pivot point for 360 degree movement. The M1920 carriage made the gun much more flexible. It allowed for the standard practice of using a curved piece of rail to traverse the gun, and it enabled the gun to be used in a fixed position.
Two guns were deployed to Fort MacArthur
. The remaining two guns were deployed to Fort Grant
and Fort Randolph
in the Panama Canal Zone
. The two guns deployed to the Panama Canal Zone could be moved to either coast on the Panama Canal Railway.
Railway gun
A railway gun, also called a railroad gun, is a large artillery piece, often surplus naval ordnance, mounted on, transported by, and fired from a specially designed railway wagon. Many countries have built railway guns, but the best known are the large Krupp-built pieces used by Germany in World...
to be deployed by the U.S. Army. It was an upgrade of the Navy 14"/50 caliber railway gun
14"/50 caliber railway gun
The 14"/50 caliber railway guns were spare US Navy Mk 4 14 inch/50 caliber guns mounted on railway cars and operated by US Navy crews in France in the closing months of World War I.-Background:...
.
History
After the close of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the US Army wanted to incorporate the lessons learned from other railway gun mounts and fulfill coastal artillery requirements for hitting a moving target. An effort to design a more universal mount for the Navy's Mk. IV 14"/50 caliber gun was undertaken.
The primary difference from the earlier Navy versions lies in the M1920 carriage, which could be raised and lowered. Prepositioned fixed mounts were installed at the forts, and the gun's rail trucks could be taken out from under the frame. After the removal of the rail trucks, the gun was lowered and bolted onto a pivot point for 360 degree movement. The M1920 carriage made the gun much more flexible. It allowed for the standard practice of using a curved piece of rail to traverse the gun, and it enabled the gun to be used in a fixed position.
Two guns were deployed to Fort MacArthur
Fort MacArthur
Fort MacArthur is a former United States Army installation in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California . The fort is named in honor of Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur...
. The remaining two guns were deployed to Fort Grant
Fort Amador
Fort Amador and Fort Grant were former United States Army bases protecting the Pacific end of the Panama Canal at the Panama Bay. Amador was the primary on-land site, lying below the Bridge of the Americas. Grant consisted of a series of islands lying just offshore, some connected to Amador via a...
and Fort Randolph
Fort Randolph (Panama)
Fort Randolph was a Coast Artillery Corps fort built to defend the northern end of the Panama canal in conjunction with Fort Sherman.-History:...
in the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
. The two guns deployed to the Panama Canal Zone could be moved to either coast on the Panama Canal Railway.
Models
The Mk.IV gun was manufactured in two models:- M1920MI Centerline of breechblock mechanism canted 16 degrees counterclockwise to fit recoil band
- M1920MII Breech mechanism is set straight in relation to axis of tube.
Sighting and fire control equipment
The following sighting equipment was used with the gun:- M1 fire adjustment board
- M1 plotting and relocating board
- M1A1 Range correction board
- M7 spotting board
- M1912A1 clinometer
- M1A1 height finder
- M1910 Azimuth Instrument
- M8 Helium filling kit
- M1 Gunners quadrant
- M1918 Aiming rule
- M1 prediction scale
- bore sight
- firing tables- 14-m-1, 14-e-3, 14-g-2.
- M1917MI Panoramic telescope
- M1922 Panoramic telescope
- M1 generating unit (mounted on the forward railway truck)
See also
- 14"/50 caliber railway gun14"/50 caliber railway gunThe 14"/50 caliber railway guns were spare US Navy Mk 4 14 inch/50 caliber guns mounted on railway cars and operated by US Navy crews in France in the closing months of World War I.-Background:...
US WWI predecessor - List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designation
- Railway gunRailway gunA railway gun, also called a railroad gun, is a large artillery piece, often surplus naval ordnance, mounted on, transported by, and fired from a specially designed railway wagon. Many countries have built railway guns, but the best known are the large Krupp-built pieces used by Germany in World...
- Indirect fireIndirect fireIndirect fire means aiming and firing a projectile in a high trajectory without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire...
- Gun layingGun layingGun laying is the process of aiming an artillery piece, such as a gun, howitzer or mortar on land or at sea against surface or air targets. It may be laying for direct fire, where the gun is aimed similarly to a rifle, or indirect fire, where firing data is calculated and applied to the sights...
- Coincidence rangefinderCoincidence rangefinderA coincidence rangefinder is a type of rangefinder that uses mechanical and optical principles to allow an operator to determine the distance to a visible object....
- Sound rangingSound rangingIn land warfare, sound ranging is a method of determining the coordinates of a hostile artillery battery using data derived from the sound of its guns firing...
- Coast Artillery fire control systemCoast Artillery fire control systemIn the U.S. Coast Artillery, the term fire control system was used to refer to the personnel, facilities, technology and procedures that were used to observe designated targets, estimate their positions, calculate firing data for guns directed to hit those targets, and assess the effectiveness of...
- Angular milAngular milAn angular mil, also mil, is a unit of angle. All versions of the angular mil are approximately the same size as a trigonometric milliradian.-History:The milliradian was first identified in the mid nineteenth Century...
External Links
- http://books.google.com/books?id=yt8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA844&dq=Popular+Science+1935+plane+%22Popular+Mechanics%22&hl=en&ei=gdhATrWrH8qhsQLUgbXcCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD0Q6AEwBDgU#v=onepage&q=Popular%20Science%201935%20plane%20%22Popular%20Mechanics%22&f=true"Gun Train Guards Ends of Panama Canal -- Rolling Fort Crosses Isthmus in Two Hours" Popular Mechanics, December 1934 pp.844-845] excellent drawings in article