M-1910 14in (356mm) disappearing gun

At the beginning of the 20th century, the chance of having coastal guns protected from counter-battery fire was studied. The idea was to install guns that could “disappear” after firing. The United Kingdom developed some models of medium caliber, but it was in the United States where development reached higher levels. The inventors of the system in America were Buffington-Crozier, reason why this type of guns was well-known. There were guns of 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 inches and they were distributed throughout the American coast and some islands like Hawaii. A counterweight was installed in a pit under the central area of the gun that was activated with the energy from the gun’s recoil after firing. This allowed to lower the barrel and climb the counterweight, making the barrel “disappear” under the parapet. Then, the barrel was reloaded and the triggers that kept the counterweight in high position were released. Finally, the counterweight went down and the barrel was raised again to the firing position.

M-1910 14in (356mm) gun gallery and more info

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Country of origin

United States

Builder

Watervliet Arsenal

Type

Coastal defence gun

Entered service

1910

Combat weight

Total: 305,000 kg (61,600 kg gun barrel)

Dimensions (length x width x height)

14.98 meters (length overall) – 14.24 meters (barrel length)

Armament

1 x 356/40mm gun

Shell weight

763 kg

Shell range

20.50 km

Muzzle velocity

716 m/s

Production

8