Davidson Automobile Battery Armoured Car

Self propelled armoured vehicles had created quite a stir in the late nineteenth century. Many experiments were being carried out in various countries to use automobiles as military vehicles, but none of the designs created had been approved by the Army. The actual development of automobiles as a military weapon did not take place until World War I (1914-1918). With World War I, the demand for armoured cars increased enormously. The global conflict had facilitated the innovation of the latest automotive technologies that would change the world forever!

Though the actual development of armoured vehicles did not take place until World War I, by the late nineteenth century, it had become very clear that mechanised warfare in the form of armoured cars would soon replace Cavalry Units.

Davidson-Duryea Gun Carriage

The Davidson-Duryea Gun Carriage  of 1898, discussed by us in the earlier article, was one development in the field of mechanized warfare. It paved the way for the future mechanized vehicles and the invention had made Royal Page Davidson (1870-1943) a pioneer of the armoured cars in the U.S. military history.

Davidson-Duryea Gun Carriage was a milestone in the American history of armoured vehicles but sadly, as was the case with many other vehicles created during that time, it was not approved by the Army. Though the vehicle was not adopted by the US Army, it did show to the world the importance of Mechanized Vehicles. 

In 1901 Royal Page Davidson created Davidson Battery Armoured Car which was an enhanced version of the earlier design Davidson Gun Carriage.

In this article, we will discuss the Davidson Automobile Battery Armored Car, the follow-up design of the Davidson-Duryea Gun Carriage. 

Davidson Automobile Battery Armored Car

The vehicle was designed by Royal Page Davidson in 1901. It was built by Davidson along with  the cadets of the Northwestern Military and Naval Academy in Highland Park, Illinois. 

The earlier design, Davidson-Duryea Gun Carriage was a simple three or four wheeled vehicle that had a seating capacity of up to four members, and was armed with a Colt Browning Machine Gun. The vehicle was fitted with a large metal shield and was powered by a gasoline engine.

Creation of the new vehicle was headed by Davidson Page along with the Military cadets from Northwestern Military and Naval Academy of Highland Park, Illinois. Two Vehicles were completed by the year 1901 and 1902. The vehicles created were named Number 1 and Number 2. These light armoured military vehicles were created by Davidson at the Academy campus in Highland Park, Illinois. The vehicle Number 2 is at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, at present.

Davidson's armoured military vehicles were manufactured by Peoria Rubber and Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Company in Peoria, Illinois. The vehicles were built from the patent specifications of Charles Duryea, the co-founder of the Duryea Motor Wagon Company.

Steam power

The power output of the gasoline engine used in gun carriage was poor and so Davidson installed a Steam-Based Boiler in its place in the enhanced version.  A further development of the gun-carriage that used gasoline, Davidson Armoured car used steam power. The vehicles were powered by a tubular steam boiler and the level of water would change while going up the hill. The front steam boiler of the Automobile Battery armoured vehicle was connected to a six-horsepower, three-cylinder steam engine from Duryea Motor Wagon Company.

Wheel Configuration

It carried forward the 4x2 wheel configuration like the earlier vehicle and had a similar seating arrangement which could accommodate four members.

Machine Gun

The cadets of Davidson added the Colt automatic machine gun as a part of the School's Manual Training Department's Program. The Colt machine gun was mounted on top of the front body and could be used by the passenger, while the driver drove the military vehicle. The machine gun was fitted ahead of the front passenger and the armour plating was optional as it could be detached. There was a bulletproof shield in the front for the protection of the driver and the shield was detachable. There was a vertical opening in the metal shield surrounding the machine gun. 480 shots could be fired in a minute from the machine guns. The guns could rotate 180 degrees and they had a firing range of 2000 yards. 

Protection for the Crew

The passengers in the rear seats sat facing backwards. Protection was through the inherent armour scheme and the 0.30 machine gun which gave the operator 180 degree of fire to either side. There was a bulletproof removable metal shield in the front to provide  protection to the passengers.

Cargo

The armoured vehicle had cargo space underneath the vehicle. There was an option to carry cargo in place of passengers, in the armoured car. 

Fuel Tank

The fuel tank and the engine of the Davidson Automobile Battery armoured vehicle’s fuel tank and engine were covered with armour. 

Fate of Davidson Automotive Battery Armored Car

The military vehicle was created with the thought that it would be used as a Scout Car. Though the car had outstanding features, the Davidson Automotive Battery Armored Vehicle was never adopted by the US Army. No orders were placed for the units and the prototypes that Davidson and his cadets manufactured were never produced commercially. 

Though it was very different from the armoured cars that we see today and provided little protection to the crew from enemy fire, it paved the way for armoured cars and armoured tanks of the modern world and is considered as the forerunner of today's anti-aircraft gun carriers.

Davidson- Cadillac Armoured Car

The Davidson Automobile Battery Car was a partially armoured vehicle and was further developed to the first fully armoured vehicle in the U.S. It was in the year 1915, prior to the American involvement in the World War, that Page and his cadets created Davidson- Cadillac Armoured Car, the first armoured car in the United States, which will be covered in the upcoming articles. 

Through this article, we have shared the story of Davidson Automobile Battery Armoured Car designed by Royal Page Davidson in 1901. Our article series on ‘Evolution of Military Vehicles’, is our endeavour to bring out such unique and interesting stories from the military automotive world. To find out more about our latest stories, keep checking our website. In case of any query, feel free to contact us.