✅ SOLVED Artillery Shell, Hoping for date/ ID

[steelheadwill]

SOLVED! Artillery Shell, NAVY 6 PDR AP 1880+

Hi All,
Dug this from a site that yeilded pre 1925 Marines EGA cap pin, and

4th Battallion Artillery cap pin.

It measures approx 56 MM X 7 inches ,

showing view of the 'Base Fuse'

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks for looking, Herbie.

 

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[Retired Sarge]

Seems the American Ordnance Company ceased to exist prior to WWI, can't find a lot on them.

Latest date for the Am. Ord. Co.?

Mike

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

It appears to be a 57mm (caliber) Armor-Piercing shell for the US Navy 57mm QF (Quick-Firing) cannon. That specific type of 57mm cannon was in service from 1884 through World War One.

The US Army also had a 57mm shell (for the 57mm Anti-Tank cannon), but the Army's version of that 57mm shell had three grooves encircling the copper/brass band (called a sabot or rotating-band) on its body. That difference indicates you found the Navy 57mm version.

I said "appears to be" because of something else I may be seeing in your photo. It kinda-sorta looks like there is another brass area on your shell, at the top of the cylindrical sides, just below the curved nose. Is that just an optical illusion, or is there some brass in that area?

Most (but not all) of the Navy 57mm Quick-Firing cannon's projectiles had the navy Odnance Inspector's mark (a small anchor flanked by the letters "U" and "S"). I'll include a photo showing what I think your shell is, and the markings on the projectile's copper/brass band. (The "AP" mark stands for Armor-Piercing.)

Please examine the copper/brass band on your shell very closely for ID-stampings, and let us know if you find any and what the markings say.

If you are interested, you can learn more about your projectile and the cannon it was made for, at: USA 6-pdr (2.72 kg) [2.244" (57 mm)] Marks 1 through 13

 

[NOLA_Ken]

I'm just really curious about that tag, I was thinking it looked more like a collectors label than something I'd expect to find on the base of a projectile.

 

[steelheadwill]

Thanks all!
ffuries, that narrows the date range,
CBG, I think you have Ided the Item.
No marks remain on the band or iron base, and no band near the nose, (though the 37 hotchkiss had this)
the view on the right side of your pic
show the base with fuse removed I believe.

Strange that only the projectile was found...

I'm sure no artillery was fired in the urban area where it was found.
I now have some concern about the shell as the link states some were charged with a mix
of black powder and HE, I wonder if HE could still be live after long submersion..

My 37 Hotchkiss was complete with casing, it was a discarded misfire with firing pin dent in primer.

very interesting that these two shells are both featured on the link you included.

Ken, the pic of 'Base fuse' is decieving, the fuse protrudes far out from the iron,

at some point I will attempt to remove it, I dissasembled the Hotchkiss, it's impact fuse

was still functional and intact, simple effective design, not to mention the beauty of the weapon itself,

similar to a Gatlin gun, Handcranked autocannon, 6 barrels, the weapon was all brass construction.

Thanks again! HH All! Herbie.