8-inch gun M1888
| 8-inch M1888MIA1 railway gun | |
|---|---|
8-inch M1888MIA1 railway gun | |
| Type | Coast defense gun or Railway gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1898–1946 |
| Used by | United States |
| Wars | World War I, World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1888 |
| Manufacturer | gun: usually Watervliet Arsenal, carriage: various, most designed by Watertown Arsenal |
| No. built | At least 96 with about 75 deployed; 9 in fixed barbette emplacements, about 64 in disappearing emplacements, 37 or 47 on railway carriages (guns removed from fixed emplacements or storage) |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 33,700 lb (15,300 kg) |
| Length | railcar: 40 ft 6 in (12.34 m) |
| Shell | separate loading, 260 pounds (120 kg) AP, 323 pounds (147 kg) AP shot & shell, 200 pounds (91 kg) HE |
| Caliber | 8 inches (203 mm) |
| Breech | Interrupted screw, De Bange type |
| Recoil | Hydro-spring |
| Carriage | M1892 barbette, M1894 and M1896 disappearing, M1918 barbette, M1918MI railway |
| Elevation | disappearing: 12 degrees, railway: 42 degrees |
| Traverse | disappearing: 120 degrees, railway: 360 degrees |
| Maximum firing range | disappearing: 14,200 yards (13,000 m), railway: 23,900 yards (21,900 m) |
| Feed system | hand |
The 8-inch gun M1888 (203 mm) was a U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps gun, initially deployed 1898–1908 in about 75 fixed emplacements, usually on a disappearing carriage. During World War I, 37 or 47 of these weapons (references vary) were removed from fixed emplacements or from storage to create a railway gun version, the 8-inch Gun M1888MIA1, Barbette carriage M1918 on railway car M1918MI, converted from the fixed coast defense mountings and used during World War I and World War II.