3"/21 caliber field gun

3 Inch / 21 Caliber Field Gun
Type
Place of origin United States
Service history
Used by
Production history
Designed 1874
Produced 1875 –
Specifications
Weight 384 pounds (174 kg)
Length 69.6 inches (1.77 m)
Barrel length 64.3 inches (1.63 m) bore (21 calibres)
Shell 13 pounds (5.9 kg) (projectile)
Caliber 3-inch (76 mm)
Breech Fletcher breech mechanism
Recoil hydraulic recoil piston
Carriage Wheeled
Rate of fire 8 – 9 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity 1,150 feet per second (350 m/s)
Effective firing range 5,000 yards (4,600 m) at 19.5° elevation

The 3"/21 caliber gun (spoken "three-inch-twenty-one-caliber") was a field gun for United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. They were a simple horse-drawn artillery gun that were mostly used by the Marines. The guns have also been described as Boat Guns but information on type of mounts has not been found.[1]

Description

The Mark 1 was intended as a support gun for landing operations. It was of simple monobloc construction with a Fletcher breech mechanism with down swinging carrier, and used an hydraulic recoil piston that was screwed onto the gun directly. It most likely used bagged ammunition with a 13 pounds (5.9 kg) projectile at a velocity of 1,150 feet per second (350 m/s). Range was 5,000 yards (4,600 m) at 19.5 degree s of elevation.[1]

Surviving pieces

Guns No. 5 and 6, built in 1875, had been restored and were located in St. Clair, Pennsylvania as of 2004.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "United States of America 3"/21 Field Guns 3"/21 (7.62 cm) Mark 1". Navweaps. 3 December 2006. Retrieved 25 May 2016.


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