5-inch gun M1900
| 5-inch gun M1897 | |
|---|---|
5-inch gun M1897 on balanced pillar mount M1896
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| Type | Coastal artillery, Field gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1897–1920 |
| Used by | United States Army |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Watervliet Arsenal |
| Designed | 1897 |
| Manufacturer | |
| No. built |
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| Variants | M1897, M1900 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight |
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| Barrel length |
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| Shell | bag charge, separate loading, 59 lb (27 kg) shell, 22.25 lb (10.09 kg) powder |
| Caliber | 5 inch (127 mm) |
| Breech | Interrupted screw, De Bange type |
| Recoil | Hydrospring |
| Carriage |
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| Elevation | 40° (field carriage) |
| Traverse |
balanced pillar: 360° (varied with emplacement) |
| Maximum firing range | M1900: 12,918 yards (11,812 m) |
| Feed system | hand |
balanced pillar: 360° (varied with emplacement)
The 5-inch gun M1897 (127 mm) and its variant the M1900 were coastal artillery pieces installed to defend major American seaports between 1897 and 1920. For most of their history they were operated by the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps. They were installed on balanced pillar (a form of disappearing carriage) or pedestal (aka barbette) mountings; generally the M1897 was on the balanced pillar mounting and the M1900 was on the pedestal mounting. All of these weapons were scrapped within a few years after World War I.
In 1885, William C. Endicott, President Grover Cleveland's Secretary of War, was tasked with creating the Board of Fortifications to review seacoast defenses. The findings of the board illustrated a grim picture of existing defenses in its 1886 report and recommended a massive $127 million construction program of breech-loading cannons, mortars, floating batteries, and submarine mines for some 29 locations on the US coastline. Most of the Board's recommendations were implemented. US coast artillery fortifications built between 1885 and 1905 are often referred to as Endicott Period fortifications. The 5-inch caliber was chosen, as in many applications, for combining a relatively heavy shell with rapid hand loading. In the overall system, it was an intermediate caliber between the heavy 8-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch weapons and the small 3-inch guns intended to defend minefields against minesweepers. The 5-inch gun appears to have been developed shortly before the more widely deployed 6-inch gun M1897 and its variants; many harbor defenses included both weapons. The Watervliet Arsenal designed the guns and built the barrels. Initially, most of the guns were mounted on balanced pillar carriages; the gun was kept in a retracted position except while firing. Unlike the concurrent disappearing carriages for 6-inch and larger guns, the gun could only be retracted at one train angle. This meant that it was visible throughout any period of firing. Within a few years, it was realized that the balanced pillar carriage provided no real advantage, and the M1903 low-profile pedestal mount was designed while most balanced pillar mounts were replaced with pedestals. A one-pounder single-shot subcaliber weapon was provided for training with the 5-inch gun.
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Wikipedia