Hastings in Adams County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Submarine Deck Gun/Deck Gun Schematics

Submarine Deck Gun Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jason Voigt, October 28, 2025

1. Submarine Deck Gun Marker

Inscription.
Submarine Deck Gun
You are looking at a 5-inch, 51 caliber, Mark 18 submarine deck gun. This type of deck gun was mounted on three famous submarines: Bass, Barracuda, and Bonita. Known as a "wet" gun because of it's ability to function while wet, these guns were used for self defense and offensive action against craft too small for a torpedo target.

The gun before you was one of the three large guns that were placed at the Naval Ammunition Depot, known as the NAD, for ornamentation in 1945. They were manufactured in 1942 by the Naval Gun Factory in the Washington, DC Naval Yards. This gun was never fired. On April 27, 1966, this deck gun was placed at the museum as part of the phasing out process at the NAD, a second gun was moved to the city park in Sutton, NE. The Navy officially left the area two months later.

Deck Gun Schematics
The 5-inch, 51 caliber, Mark 18 submarine deck gun weighs approximately 24,000 pounds - that's roughly the weight of two elephants. The maximum range of this gun is more than 10 miles with a velocity of over 2,000 miles per hour. The typical projectile weighed 50-55 lbs.

Erected by Hastings

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Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is April 27, 1966.

Location. 40° 35.969′ N, 98° 23.467′ W. Marker is in Hastings, Nebraska, in Adams County. It can be reached from the intersection of North Burlington Avenue (U.S. 281) and West 14th Street. Marker is on the grounds of Hastings Museum, in the parking lot area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1330 N Burlington Ave, Hastings NE 68901, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Smoky Hills

and in Eastern Nebraska. It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and on the prairies.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Civil War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); The Kool-Aid Man Was Here! (within shouting distance of this marker); The Martin Brothers "A Narrow Escape"

Submarine Deck Gun/Deck Gun Schematics Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jason Voigt, October 28, 2025

2. Submarine Deck Gun/Deck Gun Schematics Marker

Near the entrance of Hastings Museum

(within shouting distance of this marker); The Martin Brothers/Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly (within shouting distance of this marker); Highland Park Cemetery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Medicinal Prairie Plants (about 300 feet away); Replica of the Statue of Liberty (approx. 0.2 miles away); Central Hastings Historic District (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hastings.

Also see . . . Hastings Museum (official website). (Submitted on November 3, 2025, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 3, 2025, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 75 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 3, 2025, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.