| 12 inch Coastal Defense Gun M1895 | |
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12 in M1895 Coastal Defense Gun being fired by lanyard |
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| Type | Coastal Artillery |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1895—1945 |
| Used by | United States Army |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Watervliet Arsenal |
| Designed | 1895 |
| Manufacturer | Watervliet Arsenal |
| Variants | M1895MI, M1895MII |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 115,000 pounds (52,163 kilograms) |
| Length | 442.56 inches (11.241 meters) |
| Barrel length | 35 calibers (442.56 inches; 11.241 meters) |
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| Caliber | 12 in (305 mm) |
| Carriage | M1896, M1897 or M1901 Disappearing Carriage; later customized barbettes |
| Traverse | 170° (varied with emplacement) |
| Effective range | 26,800 yards (24,505 meters) for M1895MII |
The 12 inch Coastal Defense Gun M1895 was a large artillery piece installed to defend major American seaports between 1895 and 1945.
Contents |
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 coast-line. Coast Artillery fortifications built between 1885 and 1905 are often referred to as Endicott Period fortifications. The Watervliet Arsenal designed the gun and built the barrels. The guns were mounted on either a M1897 or M1901 disappearing carriage designed by Bethlehem Steel; when the gun was fired, it dropped behind a concrete and/or earthen wall for protection from Counter-battery fire. Bethlehem later built barrels as well. After the Spanish-American War, the government wanted to protect American seaports in the event of war, and also protect newly gained territory, such as the Philippines and Cuba, from enemy attack. A new Board of Fortifications, under President Theodore Roosevelt's Secretary of War William Taft, was convened in 1905. The Taft recommended technical changes, such as more searchlights, electrification, and in some cases less guns in particular fortifications. The seacoast forts were funded under the Spooner Act of 1902 and construction began within a few years and lasted into the 1920s.[1]
Additional batteries were located around the United States and its possessions.[2]
The M1895MI weighed 52 tons and the M1901 carriage weighed 251 tons. The projectile weight for all M1895 guns was 1,046 pounds. Each shell used 318 pounds of powder, but this was varied depending on range. The projectile achieved a muzzle velocity of 2,250 feet per second. The M1901 Disappearing Carriage could elevate 15 degrees maximum elevation; earlier models couldn't elevate that much until the rear mounting bracket was changed from a centerline to an upper position in the M1901. The M1901 could traverse 170 degrees, but some M1895MII emplacements could traverse 210 degrees. The M1895MII had a range of over 29,000 yards (26 kilometers).[3]
1. One 12-inch Gun M1895MIA4 (#1 Watervliet) on Barbette Carriage M1917 (#31 Eng. Machine) Battery Smith, Fort Mills, Corregidor Island, Philippines
2. One 12-inch Gun M1895MIA4 (#6 Watervliet) on Barbette Carriage M1917 (#30 Eng. Machine) Battery Hearn, Fort Mills, Corregidor Island, Philippines
3. One 12-inch Gun M1895MIA4 (#8 Watervliet) (spare gun) Battery Hearn, Fort Mills, Corregidor Island, Philippines
4. Two 12-inch Guns M1895 (#13 Bethlehem & #27 Watervliet) on Disappearing Carriages M1901 (#14 & #15 Watertown) Battery Crockett, Fort Mills, Corregidor Island, Philippines
5. One 12-inch Gun M1895 (#8 Bethlehem) (spare gun) Battery Crockett, Fort Mills, Corregidor Island, Philippines
6. Two 12-inch Guns M1895 (#37 & #12 Watervliet) on Disappearing Carriages M1901 (#16 & #17 Watertown) Battery Cheney, Fort Mills, Corregidor Island, Philippines
7. One 12-inch Gun M1895 (#16 Watervliet) (may be spare gun for Battery Cheney) Bottomside Area, Fort Mills, Corregidor Island, Philippines
8. One 12-inch Gun M1895 (#36 Watervliet) (remains of disappearing carriage in front of the parapet) Battery Wheeler, Fort Mills, Corregidor Island, Philippines
9. One 12-inch Gun M1895 (#7 Bethlehem) on Disappearing Carriage M1901 (#2 Watertown) Battery Wheeler, Fort Mills, Corregidor Island, Philippines
10. One 12-inch Gun M1895 (#10 Bethlehem) (spare gun) Battery Wheeler, Fort Mills, Corregidor Island, Philippines
11. One 12-inch Gun M1895MIA1 (#19) on Railway Mount M1918 (#9 Marion Steam Shovel) Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, VA[4]
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