47 Millimeter Hotchkiss Gun
NMUSN-5312: 47 millimeter Hotchkiss gun, 2023. This artifact was located in the Spanish-American War exhibit area at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy and is now at the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Curator Branch, Collection Management Facility, at Richmond, Virginia. This photo shows it being moved for packing and shipment from a storage area within Building 76. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
The 47-millimeter Hotchkiss gun, originally developed as an army weapon, was used by many navies as a defense against high-speed torpedo boats. Externally, it is similar to a Gatling gun, but its operating mechanism is quite different and it fires a larger, explosive shell rather than solid shot. Its designer, Benjamin Hotchkiss, was born in Connecticut and worked as master mechanic in Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Company. Hotchkiss felt that he was not getting the recognition he deserved for his gun designs so he moved to Paris and established his own company in 1867. Four years later, he had perfected a revolving cannon which was used by navies worldwide in the late 19th and 20th centuries. This example was manufactured in 1898 for the U.S. Navy. This artifact was on display in the Spanish-American War exhibit. The gun is now at the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Curator Branch, Collection Management Facility, at Richmond, Virginia.
NMUSN-5313: 47 millimeter Hotchkiss gun, 2023. This artifact was located in the Spanish-American War exhibit area at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy and is now at the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Curator Branch, Collection Management Facility, at Richmond, Virginia. This photo shows it being moved for packing and shipment from a storage area within Building 76. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
NMUSN-5311: 47 millimeter Hotchkiss gun, 2023. This artifact was located in the Spanish-American War exhibit area at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy and is now at the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Curator Branch, Collection Management Facility, at Richmond, Virginia. This photo shows it being moved for packing and shipment from a storage area within Building 76. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
NMUSN-1461: 47 mm Hotchkiss gun, 1970s. Gun on display. Display at the Navy Memorial Museum, now National Museum of the U.S. Navy. Original is a camera film strip. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
NMUSN-3745: Spanish-American War Exhibit, 1990s. Front of exhibit showing the Hotchkiss Gun. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
NMUSN-5314: 47 millimeter Hotchkiss gun, 2023. This artifact was located in the Spanish-American War exhibit area at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy and is now at the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Curator Branch, Collection Management Facility, at Richmond, Virginia. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection.
