Navy -- WWII issue??

[SammyT]

Can anyone tell me if this Navy survival kit is WWII issue? I don't see any dates on it or the instruction paper. Thanks.

Also, any idea of what a value might be on something like this? Thanks.

 

SammyT

[SammyT]

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[SammyT]

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[SammyT]

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[pzjgr]

Can't tell you exactly the age, but it looks to be WWII issue, or at least WWII made, don't forget they would keep these in survival kits for years afterwards too...

 

I can tell you its for a pilots survival kit by the BUAER designation....

 

ETA There you go I posted before your instruction sheet...its from an Air Droppable kit, so it would be part of a larger kit that would be dropped from rescue planes to survivors in the water...if you had the whole kit of course it would be worht a lot more...

[SammyT]

thanks for the info and the lesson pzjgr.

 

sammyt.

[Survival]

The gray can is a USN WW2 era solar still for distilling drinking water from salt water. That model is not commonly seen. The instruction sheet is actually for a different kit. I am just going from memory but as I recall its a small kit in a yellow canvas container. It contained a pair of wooden blocks. In between them were sandwiched the components on the list. They were all tied together with string and there was a jacknife attached to cut he string to access the components. I don't remember if that solar still was part of that kit or not. The desalter kits listed on the inventory were chemical desalter kits. There was a complete kit on E Bay a couple years back. Don't remember what it closed at. If I can dig up the info will update the post.....

[Survival]

Just found the info. That is the correct Solar Still for the ADR 1 kit. I believe this kit was carried in the crew compartment of the larger Navy aircraft. They just threw it out over the survivors as they flew by. The wooden blocks were to insure it would float......

[Bob Hudson]

That contract number would date it to perhaps 1945, certainly after 1944.

[pararaftanr2]

Here are some photos from the previously mentioned ebay listing. The contract number on your still is definitely of WWII vintage. The desalinization kits in the photos were dated July 1945. Best regards, Paul

 

 

 

 

[SammyT]

thanks everybody for the great and helpful info. It certainly is appreciated.

 

sammyt.

[mikie]

I picked up one of these gray sealed solar stills this weekend for $20.00. It is exactly like the one in the first post above. I didn't know exactly what it was until saw this here. I thought it was a cool item and an interesting addition to my collection. Even though this is an old post, it still came in handy. Unless there is new info that has surfaced since then, this was a late war/early postwar era item. Thanks for the info 8 years later!

Mikie

[SammyT]

Mikie, glad to see that this post was able to help you as it did me. That's one of the many great things about this forum is that there is always new info to be found... no matter how old the posting.

 

 

Sammy T.