Navy abolishes swords -

[Bob Hudson]

Found this interesting bit of US Navy trivia today:

 

42-857 - Swords-Abolished as Part of Uniform

 

JJ55-3/1510, 15 October 1942

 

ACTION: ALL SHIPS AND STATIONS

 

1.Officers of the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps, shall no longer be required to possess swords as part of their uniform equipment.

 

2.The various uniform regulations will be modified accordingly.

 

3.It is expected that a form of dirk will, in due course, be adopted as uniform equipment in lieu of the sword.

 

4.Due to the urgent need for metals, it is suggested that officers, who may so desire, turn in their swords for scrap.-SecNav. Frank Knox.

 

A dirk?

 

And you have to wonder how many pre-WWII swords were scrapped?

[PaulR]

Was any such dirk created, even in prototype form?

[Horseclover]

A good history here.

 

http://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/uniforms-and-personal-equipment/swords.html

 

 

Cheers

 

GC

[gunbarrel]

The current issue of Man at Arms (June 2015) has an excellent article by Peter Tuite on U.S. Naval dirks. It's titled "The Last Eagle Pommel Dirk." Daggers started appearing in the USN during the latter part of the 18th century. The last model was imported from Germany around 1902.

[topdcnut]

Somehow I think the dirk as a statement in time, (wartime) and very few swords were turned in .

[Horseclover]

The current issue of Man at Arms (June 2015) has an excellent article by Peter Tuite on U.S. Naval dirks. It's titled "The Last Eagle Pommel Dirk." Daggers started appearing in the USN during the latter part of the 18th century. The last model was imported from Germany around 1902.

Tuite kind of ended his book chapter with a lot of unanswered questions regarding regulation dirks but the 1869 midshipmen's dirk was the last regulation order mentioned. They surface occasionally and as far as I know, there is little information of the quantity produced from any maker/source. I have a small scimitar dirk size eagle but I believe it to be a fraternal sword for the Patriotic Sons of America.

 

There was an official pattern of eagle pommel saber from the 1830s up until the French style 1852 pattern that continues today, with blade width and profile changes over the centuries. The 1852 (afaik) is the longest lived regulation sword pattern the US has ever used. There were many eagle pommel naval blades in the first half of the 19th century that were broadly addressed in regulation but it was the 1830 pattern sketched and submitted by a captain that had the folding guards, feathered grip and quite large eagle heads, acorn finials (Tuite had a monster size bird at Hartford 2008).

 

The Widmann dirks seem to be the most often encountered and Horstmann did up a few in militia sword size from left over Widmann castings.

 

Cheers

 

GC

 

A Horstmann short sword