3 Inch, 22 Caliber, Dual Purpose Gun
NMUSN-5347: Three-inch, 22 Caliber Dual Purpose Gun, October July 2023. Gun is being prepared for removal from the World War II exhibit, In Harm’s Way, at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
The Navy developed this gun just before entering the First World War. Between the wars it was one of the Navy’s principal heavy antiaircraft weapons but was largely displaced in larger warships during the Second World War by the 40mm gun. The Mark 22 3-inch, 50-caliber gun was used in smaller combatants, patrol craft, auxiliary vessels and armed merchant ships. Over 14,000 were mounted in 26 types of naval craft during the war. The Mark 22 mount was hand-powered in train and elevation; thus it had limited use in antiaircraft fire. Developments began on an automatic 3-inch, 50-caliber gun mount in 1944, but the gun did not enter the fleet until 1948. 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 | 2,700 feet per second |
| Maximum Range | 10,000 Yards |
NMUSN-5348: Three-inch, 22 Caliber Dual Purpose Gun, October July 2023. Gun is being prepared for removal from the World War II exhibit, In Harm’s Way, at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
NMUSN-5349: Three-inch, 22 Caliber Dual Purpose Gun, October July 2023. Gun is wrapped and prepared for removal from the World War II exhibit, In Harm’s Way, at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
NMUSN-5350: Three-inch, 22 Caliber Dual Purpose Gun, 2019. Gun is on display in the World War II exhibit, In Harm’s Way, at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
NMUSN-5351: Three-inch, 22 Caliber Dual Purpose Gun, 2019. Gun is on display in the World War II exhibit, In Harm’s Way, at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
