Model 1917 155 mm GPF Cannon

Model 1917 155 mm GPF Cannon. . , This cannon is an original Model 1917A1 155 mm GPF, which was the standard long-range mobile field artillery piece for the US Army from 1917 through World War II. The 155 mm GPF was a direct copy of the French army's "Canon de 155 mm Grande Puissance Filloux (or GPF) modèle 1917” developed by French Lieutenant Colonel Louis J. F. Filloux. The US Army lacked a heavy field artillery piece when it entered World War I, and adopted the French 155 mm GPF in 1917, which it then produced afterward as its own Model 1918 (or M1918). The 155 mm GPF remained in service throughout much of World War II, although it was eventually replaced in the war by the 155 mm M1 "Long Tom" cannon., Harbor Defenses of Beaufort Inlet , At the beginning of World War II, mobile Coast Artillery battalions armed with the 155 mm GPF were deployed to defend against enemy naval vessels at various small harbors and strategic points along the coast of the United States, including Beaufort Inlet. Three batteries of 155 mm GPFs provided the main weapons of the Harbor Defenses of Beaufort Inlet throughout the height of German submarine operations against Allied shipping offshore during 1942. The original Fort Macon battery positions in World War II were one-quarter mile southwest., This original cannon barrel was made at the French state arsenal at Puteaux in 1919. Its US M1918A1 gun carriage retains its French-style recoil spades., Specifications for the 1917A1 155 mm GPF cannon:, o Approximate Weight: 26,000 pounds , o Elevation: 0 to 35 degrees , o Traverse: 30 degrees to each side , o Caliber: 155 mm (6.1-inch) , o Ammunition: High Explosive, Armor Piercing, Chemical, Shrapnel , o Weight of Projectile: 95 pounds , o Weight of Propellant Charge: 20 pounds smokeless powder, with 6-pound increment booster for maximum range , o Muzzle Velocity: 2410 feet per second , o Range: 11 miles , o Rate of Fire: 4 rounds per minute , o Personnel: 11 for gun squad, 7 for ammunition squad, This original cannon is part of the collection of the North Carolina National Guard. It has been graciously provided for public display by special arrangement with Fort Macon State Park.