8-inch M1888

The 8-inch Gun M1888MIA1 Barbette carriage M1918 on railway car M1918MI was a U.S. Army coast artillery gun, used during World War I, and World War II.

History
The M1888 8 in gun was a coastal artillery gun mounted on a barbette carriage. At the start of World War I, the United States and its allies needed a medium range heavy artillery piece that could be transported easily. The quick solution was to take the existing coast artillery guns and mount them on a drop bed rail car. This was done with a number of different weapons, like the 10 in, and 12 in guns, as well as mortars.

Sighting and fire control equipment
The following sighting equipment was used with the gun.
 * M1 fire adjustment board
 * M1A1 Range correction board
 * M3 Spotting board
 * M1912 Clinometer
 * M1 Percentage corrector
 * M1A1 Height finder, or M2A1
 * M8 Helium filling kit
 * M1 Gunners quadrant
 * M1818 Aiming rule
 * M1 prediction scale
 * Bore site
 * Firing table, 8-G-2
 * M1923 Telescope
 * M1922 Panoramic telescope

Support cars

 * M1918 fire control car
 * Ammunition car (modified box car)

Surviving examples
Henry B. Plant Museum, Tampa, FL (gun formerly at Battery Bowyer, Fort Morgan, AL)
 * One 8-inch Gun M1888MIA1 (#32 Watervliet) on Barbette Carriage M1918MI (#9 Morgan Eng.)
 * Bottomside, Fort Mills, Corregidor Island, Philippines (gun thought to be formerly at Bty RJ-43, Fort Mills)