155mm ammuntion question

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Buggy Man
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155mm ammuntion question

Post by Buggy Man » Fri Jul 01, 2016 6:13 pm

I'm restoring an M548A1 cargo carrier which was a vehicle favorored by Arty units for transporting ammuntion. It's got me wondering as to what 155mm ammuntion looked like when transported. I know that kind of ammo is not "fixed" so you would have the primer, powder (bags?), projos & fuses all carried in separate containers. Were the projectiles transported in shipping tubes of some kind or were they maybe transported upright, palletized?

Matt


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Re: 155mm ammuntion question

Post by cmpman » Sat Jul 02, 2016 5:40 am

I can't speak to US service, but in Canadian service they were transported on special pallet blocks which held 8 projectiles (2 wide by 4 long). There was one pallet block for the bottom in which the rounds would stand straight up, then a top block which had the taper to hold the 8 rounds. I can snap a photo later in the week if you like....we have a few sets in the museum that I work in. A friend of mine has about a hundred sets of the blocks as well.

I was just driving the museum's M548A1 yesterday. What a hoot, and it sure grabbed people's attention.

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Re: 155mm ammuntion question

Post by DesertRick » Sat Jul 02, 2016 3:23 pm

Removed my comments as it wasn't relevant to the time period.
Last edited by DesertRick on Mon Jul 04, 2016 1:27 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: 155mm ammuntion question

Post by ida34 » Sat Jul 02, 2016 7:22 pm

I was on Paladin M109s when I was in Korea and we never used M548s. We used the M992 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicle or FAASV. This would back up behind the M109 and the ammo was all carried in the FAASV except for a couple of ready rounds. We never used any cardboard tubes for our powder. The powder came in metal cannisters and we even shot WWII ammo that came in the same containers. They may have been repackaged at some time but the powder would have come in the metal tubes and would be correct for the years the M548 was used but again, we never used and I never saw M548's used for artillery ammo. The projectiles were palletized until they were loaded into the FAASV. They were taken off the pallet before loading in the FAASV.

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Re: 155mm ammuntion question

Post by D W Lyles » Sun Jul 03, 2016 2:01 pm

I was in the ammo section for six years for towed 155mm. We hauled the ammo in 5 ton trucks. The rounds would be on wooden pallets in one truck. 96 rounds will fit in the back of a 5ton. The powder would be in metal tubes in another truck with the primer and fuses carried in 50 cal ammo cans in the storage/tool box under the passenger seat. 8)

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Re: 155mm ammuntion question

Post by 917601 » Wed Jul 06, 2016 8:05 pm

Just to add some pics, the projo's were palletized, the powder bags came in metal tubular cans, the fuzes in .50 cal sized ammo cans.....some pics from my collection...a 155mm cluster, 155mm nerve agent ( gold- used for demill program), 1969 powder can....
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Re: 155mm ammuntion question

Post by ida34 » Mon Jul 11, 2016 6:21 am

Our Ammo Section used HEMITTs for that back in the late 80's and early 90's. That was when I was on the M198 towed at Fort Campbell with the 101st.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_Exp ... ical_Truck

quote="D W Lyles"]I was in the ammo section for six years for towed 155mm. We hauled the ammo in 5 ton trucks. The rounds would be on wooden pallets in one truck. 96 rounds will fit in the back of a 5ton. The powder would be in metal tubes in another truck with the primer and fuses carried in 50 cal ammo cans in the storage/tool box under the passenger seat. 8)[/quote]

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Re: 155mm ammuntion question

Post by Buggy Man » Mon Jul 18, 2016 3:10 pm

Alright, first off, thank you to all who replied to my post. I thought that the projos would have been paletized but for some reason I thought that maybe they were packaged differently now-a-days. As for the 'we never used that' responses, thanks for missing the point of the thread and all I can say is the Vets who told me they did were on M109A1s (predates the Paladin) and that each M109A1 had it's own M548 to shlep ammo. Those guys were stationed in Germany (ironically, my M548A1 was in korea) so maybe that is the difference? Also I believe they were in back in the 1980s (or earlier?) As for the towed guys using 5ts I can see them not using '548s for simplicity of maint in keeping everything wheeled. It is impressive to me that a 5ton will tote 96 155mm projos. That'd make a pretty cool display at an MV ralley.

Matt

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Re: 155mm ammuntion question

Post by Zeeboo1947? » Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:25 pm

Hey Matt if you are looking to see or buy some 155 ammo they have some in HAWTHORN NEVADA.THEY HAVE a really cool ordinance museum right in the middle of town,and they sell some of it.I have some property there and I stop at the museum every time I go over.It is very interesting.

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Re: 155mm ammuntion question

Post by 917601 » Fri Sep 09, 2016 2:23 pm

Do you have a link to the museum?
Thanks.

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Re: 155mm ammuntion question

Post by GUNNUT in Iowa » Fri Sep 09, 2016 2:24 pm

Zeeboo1947? wrote:Hey Matt if you are looking to see or buy some 155 ammo they have some in HAWTHORN NEVADA.THEY HAVE a really cool ordinance museum right in the middle of town,and they sell some of it.I have some property there and I stop at the museum every time I go over.It is very interesting.
The museum looks like a neat place - but their website could use a "little" work. :wink:
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Re: 155mm ammuntion question

Post by Zeeboo1947? » Fri Sep 09, 2016 7:12 pm

Yeah they are low budget, all old guys volunteers,but really very interesting, and you get a private tour for free.Plus they sell some of the stuff.

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Re: 155mm ammuntion question

Post by Buggy Man » Sat Sep 10, 2016 4:01 pm

Zeeboo1947? wrote:Hey Matt if you are looking to see or buy some 155 ammo they have some in HAWTHORN NEVADA.THEY HAVE a really cool ordinance museum right in the middle of town,and they sell some of it.I have some property there and I stop at the museum every time I go over.It is very interesting.
Sounds like a cool place-sometimes small museums are the best 8) Friend of mine has one of the training projos someone where he used to work had left it next to the scrap bin! Right now, I'm concentrating on the m548A1 itself. Thanks for the reply, though.
Matt


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