3-Inch, 23 Caliber Gun
NMUSN-5337: Three-Inch, 23 Caliber Gun, July 2023. The gun is being prepared for removal from the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
Before World War I, the Navy used the three-inch, 23-caliber gun to arm small craft. Later it was installed on submarines and destroyers. The three-inch, 23-caliber could serve as antiaircraft weapon, but it produced poor results. By 1918 the gun was obsolete. The necessity of rapidly arming merchant ships brought the three-inch, 23-caliber out of retirement for the duration of World War II. The gun will be stored at the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Curator Branch, Collection Management Facility, at Richmond, Virginia.
| Projectile weight | 13 pounds |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,650 feet per second |
| Maximum range | 10,000 yards |
NMUSN-5338: Three-Inch, 23 Caliber Gun, July 2023. The gun is being prepared for removal from the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
NMUSN-5339: Three-Inch, 23 Caliber Gun, July 2023. The gun is being prepared for removal from the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
NMUSN-5340: Three-Inch, 23 Caliber Gun, 2019. The gun is shown while on display in the World War II exhibit “In Harm’s Way: Atlantic” at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
