South Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

M53 Self Propelled Gun

— Virginia War Museum —

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 10, 2022

1. M53 Self Propelled Gun Marker

Inscription. Developed in the early 1950's by the Pacific Car & Foundry Company to meet the military's request for a mechanized long-range fire support vehicle, the M53 was accepted for service near the end of the Korean War. Armed with a 155mm M46 gun the six man crew could fire one round per minute at a maximum firing range of 14.6 miles. The vehicle had a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour and a maximum range of 150 miles. As technology improved the Army upgraded to 8-inch howitzer barrels and designated the vehicle the M55. The Marines, however, kept the 155mm design and used it for long-range fire support in Vietnam.

(caption)
A disposable United States Army M53 T97 Self Propelled Gun being prepared for atomic testing at the Atomic Energy Commission's Nevada Test Site (Photo: United States Department of Energy)

Erected by Virginia War Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, Korean.

Location. 37° 1.184′ N, 76° 27.193′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in South Newport News. It can be reached from the intersection of Kanawha

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Circle and Hornet Circle, on the left when traveling south. Located on the Virginia War Museum grounds in the northeast section of Huntington Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9285 Warwick Blvd, Newport News VA 23607, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Hampton Roads,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Virginia War Museum (within shouting distance of this marker); 40mm/56 Quad Mount Bofors Anti-Aircraft Gun (within shouting distance of this marker); Ferguson Park (within shouting distance of

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 10, 2022

2. M53 Self Propelled Gun Marker

this marker); Pearl Harbor Survivors (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); 21 cm Mörser (about 300 feet away); Vietnam War Monument (about 400 feet away); U.S.S. Scorpion SSN 589 (about 400 feet away); Four Heroic Chaplains (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport News.

Also see . . .
1. M53 SPH 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer [ 1952 ]. (Submitted on June 13, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. Virginia War Museum. (Submitted on June 13, 2022.)

M53 Self Propelled Gun image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 10, 2022

3. M53 Self Propelled Gun

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 13, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 433 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 13, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.