Photography

mnhtnbb

(31,399 posts) Tue Oct 20, 2015, 10:05 AM Oct 2015

My view just now while watching the prelims

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

My husband and I are at the beach. It's beautiful here in October. Although the last couple of days have
been cooler than normal, the temp is supposed to get back in the 70's the rest of this week. Ocean temp
is still 70ish.

We are also listening the the sounds of artillery practice--probably from Camp Lejeune--about 20 miles from here.

9 replies

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Highlight:

My view just now while watching the prelims (Original Post) mnhtnbb Oct 2015 OP

Artillery practice Adsos Letter Oct 2015 #1

I used to make the gun powder for the 155mm. Scary job. alfredo Oct 2015 #2

I imagine it would be. Adsos Letter Oct 2015 #3

The nitrocellulose was scary. alfredo Oct 2015 #4

I remember the ether. Adsos Letter Oct 2015 #5

When I was in I sat by a R390A and a telegrapher mill. alfredo Oct 2015 #6

Manual morse position? jmowreader Oct 2015 #7

Morse intercept, O5h20 alfredo Nov 2015 #8

I'm a 98C20. I know all about you Hogs. jmowreader Nov 2015 #9

Adsos Letter

(19,459 posts)

1. Artillery practice

Reply to mnhtnbb (Original post)

Tue Oct 20, 2015, 02:07 PM

Oct 2015

I spent three years in the Field Artillery, 155mm's.

It can get loud.

Looks like lovely weather.

alfredo

(60,075 posts)

2. I used to make the gun powder for the 155mm. Scary job.

Reply to Adsos Letter (Reply #1)

Tue Oct 20, 2015, 03:06 PM

Oct 2015

Adsos Letter

(19,459 posts)

3. I imagine it would be.

Reply to alfredo (Reply #2)

Tue Oct 20, 2015, 04:51 PM

Oct 2015

Green Bag and White Bag. Used to pull the charges out of the canister and subtract increments, depending on the fire mission. Up to 5 for Green Bag, 8 for white bag.

What a blast.

alfredo

(60,075 posts)

4. The nitrocellulose was scary.

Reply to Adsos Letter (Reply #3)

Tue Oct 20, 2015, 10:50 PM

Oct 2015

We had these big presses that formed the nitrocellulose into blocks. Every now and then one would explode and threw the press through the roof. They can never predict where it would land.

I worked in the mixing building. All along the building on both sides there were doors. There were more doors than walls. That was so if there was an explosion, it would blow out the doors.

One night lightning struck a telephone pole outside our building. That was the fastest I've ever ran. Those doors open easily when you are in a panic.

It wasn't all bad. The ether proved to be a real boredom relief.

Much of the powder for the howitzer had chewing tobacco juice mixed in. You couldn't spit on the floor, but the mixing barrels proved an easy alternative to walking outside to spit.

Adsos Letter

(19,459 posts)

5. I remember the ether.

Reply to alfredo (Reply #4)

Tue Oct 20, 2015, 11:19 PM

Oct 2015

When you popped open one of the powder canisters the first thing you got was a big whiff of ether (if you had your face directly over the tube when the lid came off...not an uncommon occurrence...).

This was the gun type I was trained on and served up at Ft. Lewis, the old M114. It had "Rock Island Arsenal, 1944" stamped into one of the trails:

[URL=https://imageshack.com/i/p5ssSjWgj][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

When I went overseas I served one of these, the M109A1, the first of the 109 series to have the long tube. Much easier to go in and out of battery on that track; no manhandling the gun around, just back up onto the spades:

[URL=https://imageshack.com/i/pb4Gto7Vj][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

EDIT: I think this is a later variant than the A1; the muzzle brake looks a bit different, and there is something rounded poking up on top of the turret which I don't recognize.

Ah, to be young again, but not necessarily doing that.