[Niner]

This was the only artillery piece that ever fired nukes. It was at Ft. Sill the only time I saw it back in 1969.

The first artillery test was on May 25, 1953 at the Nevada Test Site. Fired as part of Operation Upshot-Knothole and codenamed Shot GRABLE, a 280 mm (11 inch) shell with a gun-type fission warhead was fired 10,000 m (6.2 miles) and detonated 160 m (525 feet) above the ground with an estimated yield of 15 kilotons. This was the only nuclear artillery shell ever actually fired in the US test program. The shell was 1384 mm (4.5 feet) long and weighed 365 kg (805 lb); it was fired from a special artillery piece, nicknamed "Atomic Annie", built by the Artillery Test Unit of Fort Sill, Oklahoma

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_artillery

 

[tuco In Memoriam]

Thanks for sharing. Interesting item for sure.

looks almost like the old German WW1 railroad guns.

 

[Clyde]

Actually looks more like a WWII GErman Railroad gun. To wit, a 28cm K5(e) ("Kanone 5 in Eisenbahn Lafette", meaning "11 inch Cannon model 5 in Railroad carriage") - like "Leopold", captured in Italy where it was part of the "Anzio Annie" pair. Brought back for test and evaluation, one was scrapped, the other remained at Aberdeen. Where it sits right across the street from an example of "Atomic Annie".

One of the unique things about the K5(e) was its "dual recoil" system that included a moving upper carriage, which was borrowed for our 280mm.

 

[limpetmine]

There is another in Albuquerque, New Mexico

one of the "Atomic Annies" at the Atomic History Museum, "The National Atomic Museum is located in the heart of Old Town Albuquerque, along Museum Corridor."
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I guess they have moved since I was there, but it is well worth the trip. They have the atomic bomb casings that were lost off of Spain in the late 1960's, and a number of interesting displays. I can't speak for their displays now, but they were any thing but politically correct when I was there!
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http://www.atomicmuseum.com/
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http://www.atomicmuseum.com/index.cfm

 

[munrod]

it's been 25 years since I've been there but there is (or was) one on the hillside across the interstate opposite the Fort Riley KS main post.
Don

 

[Clyde]

That (a 280) would be an interesting gate-guard.

 

[Sarge]

The gun at Ft Riley is still there along with an M114 and another field gun - and seems like something else? It is Not an atomic cannon, I think it is a 175mm Howitzer, towed. Actually it is over looking the airfield.
To bad they don't have the gun at Ft Sill still with the towing tractors, they used to, but that was maby 25 years ago. I suppose they are setting somewhere out of sight - hopefully in a building!
Can't remember, but seems like the gun at Aberdeen also had the tractors, but again that has ben 15 or 20 years ago.
Sarge

 

[Clyde]

The gun at Aberdeen didn't have the Trucks, Gun-lifting, Heavy when I was there 40 years ago, but they did get some later and it has them now (or did).

 

[ssmandavid]

here's the link to aberdeen U.S. Army Ordnance Mu.
http://www.ordmusfound.org/index.htm
cool site, a little slow though.

Dave

 

[Rockcrusher]

Was at APG about 2 or 3 years ago and the wheeled
tractors were attached. Brought back memories of
Germany in the 50's (5th Gr in Kaiserlautern and
6th Gr in Heidelberg). Whenever they took them out
of the Kaserns for maneuvers, they would usually
knock off a corner of a bldg in a German town. Then
the inves and paperwork for damage.
Am curious about the How at Ft. Riley. Could it be
a 240MM Towed How from WWII ? If so, would like to
see some pics if possible. Thought the only one re-
maining was at Ft. Sill, OK. Museum ?
There is a 8" Towed Cannon at APG. The 36 Ton HI
Speed Tractor (Allis-Chalmers) is not there. Only
one remaining, might be in Belgium. Owned at one
time by Chet Krause (Krause Pub.) Both the 240 and
the 8" were towed on the same carraige and then lifted
by crane to fire on another firing carraige. The
Germans had bigger RR Cannons in WWII (the huge
siege cannon used in Russia- Dora ?) believe we
beat them in size with the 240MM HOW for road
transported.
Have always wondered if the wheeled tractors used at
both ends of the Atomic Cannon were the "Dragon Wagons"
from WWII built by PACCAR

 

[Clyde]

No. The vehicles used with the 280s were special, new design, new build. Known as "Truck, Gun Lifting, Heavy", and in two varirants (Front and rear). They had the same engine as the M-41 tank and M42 twin 40mm "Duster" and the other members of the "Light Fire Team" - the AO-895 air-cooled, horizontally opposed six (think of a giant Corvair engine, that used a lot of common parts with the AV-1790 air-cooled V-12s used in M-46, M-47 and M-48 as well as M-88 VTR).

 

[johnnv]

Giessen, West Germany 1960 I was a artillery surveyor for our cannons and was temporarily assigned to Special Weapons section for 6 months. It was in special weapons I was trained to assemble the atomic round for the 280 cannon. A assembly team consisted of two people. I assembled the front of the shell containing the arming fuses and detonating system and my buddy installed the radioactive components at the rear. We used a dummy round for this while the real atomic rounds were locked up and guarded 24 hrs a day. Our live fire training was always in Graffenwoer and typically with a charge 2 powder (2 bundles of powder). Only once I saw the gun fired with a charge 4 and for that we had to move the cannon miles away from the usual firing position so as not to overshoot the impact area.

 

[srinde]

Very neat. Thanks for sharing those photos.

 

[NeoConShooter]

After we shot our Nuc shell, I think the Ruskis had to try one too. Theirs was a 420 MM Self Propelled "Mortar" with the longest BBL I ever saw. IIRC, it out ranged our gun with a bigger yield too.
See; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2A3_Kondensator_2P
There are more pictures if you use Google images.
Also this Nuclear gun is even more interesting, and the test fired is Nuc shell too;
See; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device)
See also Google images about this bit of ordinance! The thing about the Davy Crockett was that they had a 76 pound conventional shell to use for practice and semi-soft targets like buildings! I actually got to see them shoot one of those way back when and it was a hoot! Think of it! Over 40 pounds of HBX blowing up a cinder block building! And close enough to feel the concussion too!

 

[tacfoley2]

When I was kid, way back, I remember building the Renwal plastic kit of this gun....I still have the barrel somewhere, I'm sure.

tac

 

[Clyde]

The gun at Ft Riley is still there along with an M114 and another field gun - and seems like something else? It is Not an atomic cannon, I think it is a 175mm Howitzer, towed. Actually it is over looking the airfield.
To bad they don't have the gun at Ft Sill still with the towing tractors, they used to, but that was maby 25 years ago. I suppose they are setting somewhere out of sight - hopefully in a building!
Can't remember, but seems like the gun at Aberdeen also had the tractors, but again that has ben 15 or 20 years ago.
Sarge

Late with this comment, but we never had towed versions of the 175. it was strictly an SP (the M-107), on the same carriage and breech ring (and recoil mechanism) as the 8" (M-110) SP Howitzer. Which also came in a towed version. The commonest long gun seen in towed form in US service was the 155mm "Long Tom". The big 240mms were - quite the artillery piece, road mobile if in partially disassembled form with a crane as part of the battery equipment. The went out of service quickly after WWII. EDIT - turns out they actually lasted until the late 50s in US service, until we had shot up remaining ammo stocks according to the article in Wiki (which i have found usually fairly accurate on this sort of thing, at least where sources are shown)

 

[oneshooter]

Is this the one you speak of? Taiwan still has some as fixed batteries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/240_mm_howitzer_M1#/media/File:240mmHowitzerM1FortSillRear2005.jpg

 

[1886lebel]

You can see the gun at The National Atomic Museum from Eubank Blvd. driving by ... it is outside on the South Side of the museum.

Patrick

 

[Clyde]

Is this the one you speak of? Taiwan still has some as fixed batteries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/240_mm_howitzer_M1#/media/File:240mmHowitzerM1FortSillRear2005.jpg

Yep, that's the big girl all right.

 

[John Sukey]

Still not as big as the "Paris gun" 75 mile range, hitting Paris from the German front lines. But considering the damage it did, a waste of time and money.