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The Army’s last remaining cannon manufacture has a great history
of rising and then falling in stature after every military conflict
since the War of 1812. But interestingly, it was not the wars at
home or those overseas that have safeguarded the Watervliet
Arsenal’s 203 years of continuous operation ... it was a revolution.
When people think about revolutions, they might visualize images
of the fighting in the American or the French Revolutions in the
late 1700s. But after the American Civil War, there was another type
of revolution. And unlike the death and destruction of a typical
revolution, this revolution actually saved lives and improved the
quality of life of every American.
A few years after the
American Civil War, America entered into what was then called the
Great Depression, only to be followed by another Great Depression in
the 1930s.
As with any depression, there were significant worldwide economic
challenges and extreme shortages of basic goods, except for one area
... there were no shortages of tinkerers, designers, and discovers
who led what would become known as the Second Industrial Revolution.
During this revolution, which many say ran from the 1870s to the
start of World War I, significant scientific discoveries that would
effect the lives of everyday Americans were brought out of dusty
research labs and into businesses and homes. One such discovery,
generating power from magnetic grids, allowed manufacturing centers
to move toward mass production by powering machine tools with a
phenomenon called electricity. With electricity, manufacturers could
move away from machines powered by animals, water, and steam. During
this same time, a new invention called the incandescent light bulb
would provide consistent, safe lighting to manufacturing production
floors and offices.
The Revolution also drove growth in the
field of metallurgy, which greatly benefited the Arsenal, too.
G. Peter O’hara, a retired Army mechanical engineer from the
Arsenal, said that advancements in metallurgy in the 1870s allowed
for the mass production of a hardened allow called steel.
Steel had an immediate effect on the quality of life of every
American as it allowed for a massive expansion of railway systems by
replacing iron rails, which were easily damaged and could not
withstand the weight of larger locomotives, with cheaper, stronger
steel. This technology allowed for the rapid migration of people and
products throughout the country and is still in use today.
O’Hara added the Revolution’s advancement in metallurgy also drove
significant advancements in weapons technology.
“As nations
began to mechanize their defense industrial base after the American
Civil War, advancements in weapons technology was just a logical
expansion of the science of the time,” O’Hara said. “Four key
advancements made in large caliber production led to the
transformation of the Watervliet Arsenal from a maker of saddles to
a maker of cannons.”
First, the “ball” projectile was
replaced by a more aerodynamic spherical munition. This new round,
when combined with an inner-bore technology called “rifling,”
greatly increased the range and accuracy of artillery and naval-gun
systems, O’Hara said. The third new technology involved replacing
cast-iron guns with steel guns, which improved the durability and
accuracy of the gun tubes. And finally, the introduction of breech
loading greatly reduced reloading time, while improving the safety
of artillerymen.
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In the late 1880s, the Watervliet Arsenal began a transformation
from a maker of saddles to a maker of cannons. This August 1, 1900
post card depicts the first 16-inch gun being manufactured at the
Watervliet Arsenal. The gun was finished in 1902. (U.S. Army
Watervliet Arsenal historical photo enhanced by USA Patriotism!)
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By the early 1880s, the United States was becoming a
world super power, but it lacked the ability to produce
large modern cannon guns for its army and navy. The bottom
line is that U.S. weapon systems of that period were
overmatched by foreign militaries.
“Oceans had once provided a barrier against foreign armies,
albeit not impregnable, for centuries,” O’Hara said. “Nevertheless,
by the 1880s, foreign militaries had amassed large naval platforms
that could deliver devastating fires onto coastal communities from a
large standoff distance.”
Given that U.S. harbor
fortifications were sadly inadequate, President Glover Cleveland
appointed a Board on Fortifications or Other Defenses, also known as
the Endicott Board, to determine the best locations to manufacture
cannon, siege, and seacoast guns.
The president and Congress
agreed to fund the startup of two cannon manufacturing centers. One
for the Navy at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., and
one for the Army at Watervliet, N.Y.
And so, with the
relocation of several machines from the Watertown Arsenal and about
$700,000 from Congress in 1887, the Arsenal began the transformation
from a maker of saddles to a maker of cannons in what has become
known here as the “Big Gun Shop.”
By 1890, the Arsenal had
produced its first large caliber gun, an 8-inch cannon. By 1893, the
Arsenal was manufacturing 8-, 10-, and 12-inch guns and mortar
systems. By 1902, the Arsenal manufactured its first 16-inch cannon.
In the years that followed, the Big Gun Shop grew from the
original 166 feet in length to approximately 1,300 feet by World War
I. Some of the gun systems manufactured in this building included
8-, 10-, and 12-inch guns; 12-inch breech loaded mortars; 12- and
14-inch coast defense guns; and 16-inch guns for coast defense and
for battleships.
Today, the Big Gun Shop remains in operation
housing such activities as composite wrap manufacturing, painting
and preservation, welding, and scientific research.
The
Watervliet Arsenal is an Army-owned-and-operated manufacturing
facility and is the oldest, continuously active arsenal in the
United States having begun operations during the War of 1812. It
celebrated its 200th anniversary on July 14, 2013, and is widely
considered "America's Arsenal."
Today's Arsenal is relied
upon by U.S. and foreign militaries to produce the most advanced,
high-tech, high-powered weaponry for cannon, howitzer, and mortar
systems. This National Historic Registered Landmark had revenue in
fiscal year 2016 that exceeded $126 million and provides an annual
economic benefit to the local community in excess of $90 million.
By U.S. Army John Snyder, Watervliet Arsenal
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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