Description
TM 9-3025 Change 4 - 155mm M46/T80 Gun, 8-Inch M47/T89 Howitzer and M86/T58 Mount - October 1963
Item Overview
This October 1963 Change 4 supplement updates TM 9-3025 for the 155mm M46/T80 gun, 8-inch M47/T89 howitzer, and shared M86/T58 mount. It is intended for use with the original manual issued on September 24, 1957. This numbered update adds a dated revision to a reference set covering early Cold War self-propelled artillery armament.
Identification and Features
Key details identify this supplement and the equipment covered:
- Technical manual: TM 9-3025
- Revision: Change 4
- Change date: October 1963
- Original manual date: September 24, 1957
- Gun: 155mm M46, formerly designated T80
- Howitzer: 8-inch M47, formerly designated T89
- Mount: M86/T58, used with both the gun and howitzer
- Publication type: Technical manual update supplement
Update Function
Change 4 amends technical material in the base publication. The parent TM covers ordnance field and depot maintenance of the cannons and their mounting equipment. Keeping the change with the original manual preserves its revision record and helps researchers compare maintenance references from different dates.
Documented End-Item Application
The 155mm M46/T80 gun was the main armament of the M53 self-propelled gun. The 8-inch M47/T89 howitzer armed the related M55 self-propelled howitzer. Both installations used the M86/T58 mount, linking this publication to two tracked artillery vehicles with different cannon types.
Publication History
The September 1957 base edition belongs to the Army's postwar field and depot maintenance literature. An entry for that publication survives in the Springfield Armory records catalog. Issued more than six years later, the October 1963 Change 4 marks a later stage in the same manual's revision history.
Equipment History
The T80, T89, and T58 development designations became the M46, M47, and M86 service designations. The shared mount connected the two cannon programs through common supporting equipment. Its cradle and recoil assemblies formed part of the armament installations for both the 155mm gun and 8-inch howitzer.
Parent Weapon-System Background
The M53 and M55 were developed during the postwar move toward protected, mobile heavy artillery. Their chassis drew on Patton tank components, with the engine at the front and an enclosed fighting compartment at the rear. Pacific Car and Foundry manufactured the M55. The vehicles combined tracked movement with heavy fire support for ground formations.
History of Use
The M55 served Army artillery units during the 1950s and early 1960s, including deployments in NATO areas. Both the M53 and M55 later served with Marine force artillery in Vietnam. Official Marine Corps history records the replacement of the M55 by the M110 during 1967. These service records connect the covered armament to Cold War deployments and combat use.
Ideal For
This supplement adds a dated update to a TM 9-3025 collection. It also suits restoration archives and museum libraries that track the technical support of M53 and M55 artillery. The paired development and service names help researchers compare period publications with equipment markings.
- Collectors assembling TM 9-3025 changes
- M53 and M55 restoration researchers
- M46 gun and M47 howitzer historians
- M86 mount researchers
- Cold War artillery museum libraries
Approx length 6", Approx width 9", Approx height .15", Approx weight .2lbs.
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