The 3.2-inch gun M1897 (81 mm), with its predecessors the M1885 and M1890, was the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
's first steel,
rifled,
breech loading
A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition (cartridge or shell) via the rear (breech) end of its barrel, as opposed to a muzzleloader, which loads ammunition via the front ( muzzle).
Modern firearms are generally bre ...
field gun
A field gun is a field artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances ( field artille ...
. It was the Army's primary
field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement.
Until the early 20t ...
piece in the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
,
Philippine–American War
The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
, and
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...
from 1898 to 1902.
[
]
Design
This series of weapons was designed to provide a modern alternative to breech loading conversions of the Civil War-era 3-inch Ordnance rifle. It was constructed of steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
and was of built-up construction with a central rifled tube, and reinforcing hoops
Hoop or Hoops may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* Hoops (TV series), ''Hoops'' (TV series), an American animated series
Music
* Hoops (band), an American indie pop band
* Hoops (album), ''Hoops'' (album), a 2015 albu ...
from the trunnions
A trunnion (from Old French "''trognon''", trunk) is a cylindrical protrusion used as a mounting or pivoting point. First associated with cannons, they are an important military development.
Alternatively, a trunnion is a shaft that positions a ...
to the breech. Its steel was stronger than the wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...
of preceding weapons. The guns had an interrupted screw
Breech from Russian 122 mm M1910 howitzer, modified and combined with 105 mm H37 howitzer barrel
An interrupted screw or interrupted thread is a mechanical device typically used in the breech of artillery guns. It is believed to have be ...
breech with either a de Bange
Charles Ragon de Bange (17 October 1833 – 9 July 1914) was a French artillery officer and Polytechnician. He invented the first effective obturator system for breech-loading artillery, which remains in use. He also designed a system of field g ...
plastic obturator or (on the earlier modifications) a conceptually similar design by Spaniard Luis Freyre y Góngora with a metallic ring, and fired separate-loading, bagged charges and projectiles. The projectiles weighed approximately and common
Common may refer to:
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts
* Clapham Common, originally com ...
, shrapnel
Shrapnel may refer to:
Military
* Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use
* Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material
Popular culture
* ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics)
* ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam C ...
, or canister types available. The M1885 and M1890 used black powder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...
when first introduced, but the M1897 was redesigned for smokeless powder
Finnish smokeless powderSmokeless powder is a type of propellant used in firearms and artillery that produces less smoke and less fouling when fired compared to gunpowder ("black powder"). The combustion products are mainly gaseous, compared to a ...
; the M1890 weapons were then modified for smokeless powder and re-designated M1897s.[Ordnance, p. 7] In the Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
, difficulties were encountered in ramping up production of smokeless powder, so the M1885 and M1890 weapons were deployed to use the available black powder. The M1890 was a simplification of the M1885, with the barrel made from two forgings instead of eight. The guns had a box trail carriage built from bolted steel plates with two large wooden spoked wheels. The guns did not have a recoil mechanism or a gun shield but the carriage's wheel brakes provided some recoil absorption. Due to its low angle of elevation +20° it was a direct fire
Direct fire or line-of-sight fire refers to firing of a ranged weapon whose projectile is launched directly at a target within the line-of-sight of the user. The firing weapon must have a sighting device and an unobstructed view to the target, w ...
weapon. For transport, the gun was attached to a limber for towing by a horse team and there were seats attached to the axle of the carriage for the crew. The limber also had seats for crew members plus ammunition and supplies.
Service history
This weapon was the workhorse light artillery piece of the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American War
The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
from 1898 to 1902. At least 16 were deployed to Cuba in the former conflict. It was also used in the China Relief Expedition in 1900.[ Beginning in 1902 the 3.2-inch gun was largely replaced in combat units by the ]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.
Design
During the second half of 1890s the so-call ...
. However, 3.2-inch guns lingered in reserve and training roles. During World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Army primarily used the French 75 mm gun instead of its own designs, which were mostly kept in the United States for training. The 3.2-inch guns were declared obsolete and almost all were scrapped beginning in 1919.[
]
Surviving examples
At least 38 of these weapons survive, six in private hands.[
* Two M1897 at Fort Stevens State Park, Hammond, Oregon
* One M1885 at ]Rock Island Arsenal
The Rock Island Arsenal comprises , located on Arsenal Island, originally known as Rock Island, on the Mississippi River between the cities of Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. It lies within the state of Illinois. Rock Island ...
, Illinois
* One M1897 in Abilene, Texas
* One M1885, Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colorado
* One M1885 at Memorial Triangle Park in Brookhaven, New York
* One M1897 in Burlington, Wisconsin
* One M1885 in Waterford, Wisconsin
* One M1897 in Veterans' Memorial Park, Hull, Massachusetts
* One M1890, Main Street, Flemington, New JerseyPage on 3.2-inch gun in Flemington, NJ at Barking-Moonbat.com
/ref>
* One M1897 in Montgomery, Illinois
* Three M1897 at San Juan Hill, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
* One M1897 #225 with clean bore, Casper municipal cemetery, Casper, WY
Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, the state capital, is larger. Casper is nic ...
in Veterans section. Limber & ammunition carriages located at Fort Caspar
Fort Caspar was a military post of the United States Army in present-day Wyoming, named after 2nd Lieutenant Caspar Collins, a U.S. Army officer who was killed in the 1865 Battle of the Platte Bridge Station against the Lakota and Cheyenne. Found ...
entrance, Casper Wyoming.
See also
* List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designation
This is a historic (index) list of United States Army weapons and materiel, by their Standard Nomenclature List (SNL) group and individual designations — an alpha-numeric nomenclature system used in the United States Army Ordnance Corps Supply ...
SNL C-24
* List of field guns
Field guns are one of two primary types of field artillery. Guns fire a heavy shell on a relatively level trajectory from a longer barrel, allowing for very high muzzle velocity and good range performance. Guns are most adequate for providing l ...
Gallery
File:Cannons being loaded on transport preparing to sail to Cuba for the Spanish-American war- Tampa, Florida (3465709198).jpg, 3.2-inch guns being loaded at Tampa FL during the Spanish–American War.
File:WHI.2014.65 (13967806952).jpg, 3.2-inch guns of the 6th US Artillery in the Spanish–American War.
File:Manila646 1899.jpg, 3.2-inch guns in the Philippines.
References
*
*
External links
Description of the use of 3.2-inch guns in the Philippines, US War Department report for fiscal year ended June 30, 1900, pp. 357–359
{{DEFAULTSORT:3.2-Inch Gun M1897
World War I artillery of the United States
Artillery of the United States
Field guns
81 mm artillery