Finding a need for long range weaponry, the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps ordered a 16-inch (406 mm) gun, the construction of which began in 1895 at the Watervliet Arsenal in Watervliet, New York. The massive artillery piece was designated the M1895 and was completed in 1902; only one was built. At it weighed more than any gun that had ever been created up to that point. The 32-wheel train car alone weighed . The long gun could launch a shell .
