4.7 inch Gun M1906
| 4.7in Field Gun M1906 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Field gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1906 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 8,780 lb (3,980 kg) |
| Barrel length |
Bore : 129.22 inches (3.282 m) L/27.5 Total : 134.92 inches (3.427 m) |
|
| |
| Shell | 60 lb (27 kg) |
| Caliber | 4.7 in (120 mm) |
| Carriage | box trail |
| Elevation | -5° to +15° |
| Traverse | 8° |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,700 ft/s (520 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 7,270 yd (6,650 m) |
The 4.7in Field Gun M1906 was designed and issued by the US Army Ordnance Department in 1906.
Design
The design was orthodox for its time with a box trail and hydro spring recoil system. When the United States entered World War I 60 had been produced and issued to the army. Once the US entered WWI the US Army came under pressure to adopt French artillery systems and the 4.7in Field Gun was rechambered to fire French 120mm ammunition. The switch to French 120mm ammunition eased logistical problems due to the availability of French ammunition. However the decision to change ammunition upset production and only 16 new pieces were finished before the end of the war.
Ammunition
Ammunition included a base-fuzed common steel shell containing 3.36 pounds (1.52 kg) of TNT, and a shrapnel shell containing 711 230-grain (15 g) balls with a 31-second combination fuze and optional tracer.
Surviving examples
- Fort Sill
- Black Earth, Wisconsin: Veterans Memorial Park, Park St. & Mills St.
- Camp Douglas, Wisconsin: Volk Field, Wisc. National Guard Museum
- : Institute of Military Technology, Titusville, Florida
- Fort Howard (Maryland): Battery Harris Undergoing restoration, fall 2015. [5]
- Golden, Colorado: by Camp George West, Studebaker carriage No. 661 dated 1918
- South Park (Pittsburgh): Allegheny County Park, Park Entrance on Corrigan Drive
- North Park (Pittsburgh): Allegheny County Park, Pittsburgh, PA
- Fort Collins, Colorado: City Park, Playground Area. No. 340
- Newport News, Virginia: Virginia War Memorial Museum, Huntington Park
- Rogers, Arkansas: Barrel No. 583; undergoing restoration. To be displayed at Veterans Park.
- Muskegon, Michigan: Veterans Memorial Park (M-120 causeway), pair
- Fork Union, Virginia: Fork Union Military Academy
- Geneva, Illinois: Wheeler Park, pair next to senior center
- Bolton Landing, New York: Bolton Veterans Memorial, on Lake Shore Drive near Rogers Park
See also
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
- QF 4.7 inch Gun Mk I–IV British naval gun of same calibre, deployed as a field gun
References
- Hogg, Ian Twentieth-Century Artillery. New York: Barnes & Nobles, 2000 ISBN 0-7607-1994-2.
- SNL c-22
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to 4.7 inch Gun Model 1906. |
- Handbook of the 4.7-inch gun matériel, model of 1906 : with instructions for its care, November 19, 1910, revised September 15, 1917
- 4.7-inch gun detail photo page at PrimePortal.net
- "Fort Howard's Cannons Get Makeover," Baltimore Sun, December 26, 2015
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