3-inch gun M1903

The M1898 was the first of the new 3-inch guns developed. It was manufactured by Driggs-Seabury and was on an M1898 "masking parapet" retractable carriage. This was a proprietary term Driggs-Seabury coined to distinguish their carriage from the similar "balanced pillar" carriage of the 5-inch gun M1897, built by other manufacturers. Unlike the disappearing carriages of most larger weapons, the carriage could only be retracted when the gun was at a particular traverse angle (in most installations 90° off the emplacement axis), thus it provided no concealment when in action.[5] Approximately 120 of these were built between 1899 and 1903, and at least 111 of these weapons were emplaced between 1899 and 1905.[5] The gun's elevation was from -5° to +12°; at first it was traversed by pushing on a shoulder bar, and in 1904 was modified with a wheel-and-gear traversing system. Open illuminated night sights were initially issued; in 1899 the Warner and Swasey M1899 Type A 3.5× telescopic sight was provided.[6]

Official correspondence between Major Louis R. Burgess, commander of the Artillery District of Mobile (Alabama), and senior Ordnance Corps officers began in December 1912. This brought up several deficiencies in the M1898 weapon, including the necessity of clamping the elevation and traverse changing the gun's elevation and interfering with tracking a moving target. The rubber eyepiece on the telescopic sight did not fully protect against injury when the weapon was fired; an injury to Sgt. Payne of the 164th Company was noted, with the remark "the lateral kick and vibration of the carriage upon recoil is destructive to the morale of the gun pointer". The lights provided for night firing also tended to become unscrewed, and the lamps for the sight's deflection scale were overly bright, apparently interfering with observation of the target. Major Burgess recommended switching to the barbette carriage M1903 and its firing lever system (as used on the 3-inch gun M1903), or modifying the masking parapet carriage with traverse and elevation gearing. In March 1913 the ordnance officers considered disabling the carriage in the up position by partially filling it with concrete. This had already been tested at Sandy Hook Proving Ground, and was gradually implemented for most M1898 carriages as the M1898MI carriage through mid-1917,[7] though some were still unmodified in March 1919.[8] The disabling of carriages had little negative impact; the weapon was small enough that the risk of observation from the sea was minimal.[9]

Also in 1917, another serious deficiency appeared in the M1898: the piston rod (unclear if this was the recoil piston rod or the carriage raising piston) sometimes broke when fired, presenting a hazard to the gun crew and taking the gun out of service until repaired. The secretary of war recommended the use of a longer lanyard to fire the gun. Also, a new dual-purpose mount to allow antiaircraft fire was considered but never developed.[10]

In March 1920 the ordnance and coast artillery leadership determined that the M1898 should be declared obsolete and removed from service. All of the M1898 guns and carriages were removed from service in 1920, with the carriages being scrapped.[11] Except in a few cases, they were not directly replaced at the forts.[12] In November 1931 the guns were declared obsolete, with many being donated to communities as war memorials and the rest scrapped.[11] A number of these were presumably further donated to World War II scrap drives. At least 18 M1898 weapons survive as of 2016, along with four carriages under conservation.[13][14]

An unusual emplacement for the M1898 guns was at Fort Mott, New Jersey, near Fort Delaware. Two guns were in a massive casemated emplacement named Battery Edwards, converted from an 1870s magazine. At this location it was determined that the minefields needed maximum protection.[15][16]

The M1902 was functionally similar to the M1898, but was manufactured by Bethlehem Steel and was on a non-retractable pedestal carriage. 60 of these weapons were built and emplaced 1903–1910.[17] It was not the same weapon as the 3-inch M1902 field gun.

The M1903 was a slight improvement on the M1902 with the bore lengthened from 50 calibers to 55 calibers for increased range. References vary as to whether the bore was lengthened or not, but the increase in overall length supports that it was. The weapon was manufactured by Watervliet Arsenal and was on a non-retractable pedestal carriage. 101 of these weapons were emplaced 1904–1917.[18]

The 3-inch gun M1917 was a World War I-era US-made anti-aircraft gun based on the 3-inch gun M1903. It was designed for a fixed mounting and remained in service, primarily at Coast Artillery installations, through World War II. It was determined that the weapon was too heavy and had too much recoil for mobile mountings, so a new weapon based on the barrel of the lighter and less powerful 3-inch gun M1898 was developed, designated the 3-inch gun M1918. This was the standard US anti-aircraft gun until partially replaced by the 3-inch gun M3 in 1930; some M1918 guns saw action in early World War II. There is some controversy as to whether any seacoast guns were actually converted into anti-aircraft guns in the development of these weapons.[19][20]

As part of an across-the-board modernization, all types of 3-inch seacoast guns (with some exceptions, usually as examination batteries) were replaced by the 90 mm gun M1 in 1940–44 during World War II, usually in new locations. The new weapons were called Anti Motor Torpedo Boat (AMTB) guns. As they were replaced, most of the 3-inch guns were scrapped, along with almost all older Coast Artillery weapons. Almost all remaining weapons, including the new 90 mm guns, were scrapped shortly after the war ended in 1945–48.

The gun barrel is of the built-up type. The jacket fits over the rear end of the tube and projects beyond it. The breech bushing is screwed into the end of the jacket and the breech mechanism is assembled into the bushing. The breech bushing bears interrupted threads for the breechblock.[3]

The function of the breech mechanism is to close the breech, and thereby hold the cartridge case in place. The breechblock is the main part of the mechanism. It closes the breech and is hinged so that it can be swung open for loading. It is moved by an operating lever. The lever and breechblock are connected by an operating bar, operating in a T-slot in the breechblock carrier. Thus connected, complete motion of the operating lever to the right will cause the breechblock to rotate and to be swung clear of the breech recess. Swinging the operating lever fully to the right engages cam surfaces of the breechblock carrier and extractor, causing the extractor to eject the empty cartridge case.[3]

The firing mechanism is known as the continuous pull, percussion type; that is, no cocking of the firing pin is required other than a pull on the lanyard or trigger shaft.[3]

The gun carriage consists of a pedestal, bolted rigidly to the concrete emplacement, and of a gun-supporting structure, which rests on the pedestal and is capable of traversing upon it. The pedestal is the foundation piece of the gun carriage. On the M1903 carriage the pivot yoke is mounted in the pedestal and rests upon a ring of ball bearings on the base of the pedestal. The entire weight of the gun and top part of the carriage rests upon this ring of ball bearings. The bushings for the pivot yoke form two supports against the thrust of firing. At the upper end of the pivot yoke, on either side, trunnion bearings are provided for the cradle trunnions. The shield and shield supports are bolted to the pivot yoke. The opening for the gun in the shield is prolonged underneath to allow for the removal of the piston and springs from the recoil cylinder.[3]

The carriage consists of recoil and counterrecoil mechanism, elevation mechanism and traversing mechanism. In addition, the M1903 carriage has a range drum.[3]

A recoil cylinder checks the recoil of the gun, and a spring inside the recoil cylinder returns the gun to battery.[3]

On the M1903 carriage a friction band is provided and is adjusted so as to allow a certain amount of friction between itself and the traversing rack.[3]

• War Department TM 9-421 3-Inch Seacoast Gun Materiel
• War Department FM 4–90 Seacoast Artillery: service of the piece, 3-inch rapid-fire gun
• Berhow, Mark A., ed. (2015). American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide, Third Edition. McLean, Virginia: CDSG Press. ISBN 978-0-9748167-3-9.
• McGovern, Terrance and Smith, Bolling W., American Coastal Defences 1885–1950 (Fortress series, Book 44), Osprey Publishing 2006, ISBN 1-8417692-2-3
• Cressman, Robert J. (2013). A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1-4823914-1-1.
• Smith, Bolling W. (Fall 2019). "The Driggs-Seabury 15-pounder (3-inch) Masking-Parapet Carriage". Coast Defense Journal. Vol. 33, no. 4. Mclean, Virginia: CDSG Press.