PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J.. - A M1897 Quick Firing Field Gun, with more than a century of service, has been placed in possession of Picatinny Arsenal officials for the first time in more than 20 years.
The 75mm cannon first appeared at Picatinny during the World War I era where it was emplaced on the East side of Picatinny Lake and used for Lot Acceptance Tests. The M1897 was the most advanced artillery weapon of its day. It weighs 1700 pounds and fired a 16-pound shell.
When the U.S. entered the war, many of these guns were acquired from the French. This particular gun is a hybrid of parts from several sources. The carriage is French built in 1916. Although differing in detail, the two wheels were made in France in 1913, but one shows markings that indicate it was rebuilt at Rock Island Arsenal in 1919. From the trunnions up, the cannon was built in the U.S.
In 1929, the cannon was used during Field Marshall Ferdinand Foch's memorial. Foch distinguished himself as Supreme Allied Commander on the Western Front in 1918. Picatinny officials conducted a 21-gun salute through the hills of the Arsenal in tribute to Foch on the same day he was laid to rest in Paris, France. Following the 21-gun salute, a salute was fired every 30 minutes until sunset.
In 1946, the gun was rolled out for a visit from Maj. Gen. Everett S. Hughes, Chief of Ordnance. During Hughes' tenure, the normal peacetime activities, including research, development, storage, maintenance, and training, continued at higher levels than had existed prior to World War II.
The Center of Military History (CMH) logged the cannon into their property book when Picatinny Arsenal's Museum was shut down in 2003, claiming ownership of the gun at that point.
This year, the CMH officially turned over ownership to U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Armaments Center with ownership residing at Picatinny once again.
The cannon now sits outside Armaments University which specializes in enhancing the professional development of engineers and scientists through in-house technical classes and special on-the-job training.
Armaments University officials will utilize the cannon in engineering courses on ballistics. Students will be required to take physical measurements of the gun and perform calculations to predict the ballistic performance.
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