US 14 Inch Mk I Railway Gun Specifications:
US 14 inch naval shell and a 14 inch Naval Railway Gun at another Military Museums in the northeast |
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| A 14 Inch Naval Shell at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburgh, PA | A 14 Inch Naval Gun Barrel Muzzle at the Watervliet Arsenal Museum in Watervliet, NY |
Barrel Length: 75 Feet
Gun Carriage Length: 84 Feet 2 1/2 Inches
Gun Carriage Width: Railway car alone - 9 Feet 5 Inches, Car with side platforms - 14 Feet 4 1/2 Inches
Gun Carriage Height: 13 Feet 2 7/16 Inches
Weight: 535,000lbs
Crew: 39
Shell Weight: 1,400lbs
Shell Length: 56 1/4 Inches
Propellant: 4 bagged charges, 14 inches by 20 inches each, 470lbs total
Muzzle Velocity: 2,800fps
Range: 24 Miles
Entered Service: 1918
Where Built: Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, PA
I have to say these photos don't do the 14 Inch Naval Railway Gun justice. It's BIG and very impressive. However the trees have overgrown around the gun and in summer months you can't see the entire gun carriage from any angle. If you want to photograph it well you're best to come in the winter months when the leaves are gone from the trees. Five of these railway guns were shipped to Europe in WWI. Although land based they were manned by US Navy gun crews under Admiral Charles Plunkett. The design of these big railway guns was begun on December 28, 1917 and finished only sixty days later. Construction of these weapons was started February 13, 1918 and finished on April 26. The gun carriages were shipped overseas in June. Less than 240 days from their design inception, the US 14 inch railway guns were firing 1,400 pound high explosive shells against German targets.