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Civil War 9” Mortar shell


hink441
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I recently obtained this mortar shell. I believe it is a 9 mortar shell. It has a 28 circumference and weighs around 70 pounds. I am unsure of the two holes for two fuses?? Anyone know why there are two holes?

 

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Never seen one like that before. Both holes seem to have matching "patina", so maybe period modification rather than a disarming/flushing hole. Could be a naval time-fuzed shell modified to accept a Schenkl-type percussion fuze component as a backup?

It's got me scratching my head...

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I think it might be a shell for a 9 Dahlgren Naval gun. Seems to match from the info I have found on the Dahlgren guns. Still have not found one with a double fuse. I have seen the triple fuse used on the larger Navy guns.

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Yes I believe the powder was filled through the bigger hole and a fuse was then inserted. This one has an extra smaller hole that I cant figure out.

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illinigander

There was no nine-inch mortar round in US CW service. If you put your finger into the fuze hole, the large one , you will feel the case wall is quite thick compared to a mortar round. I wonder if the second is not some later addition?

Illinigander

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There was no nine-inch mortar round in US CW service. If you put your finger into the fuze hole, the large one , you will feel the case wall is quite thick compared to a mortar round. I wonder if the second is not some later addition?

Illinigander

Yes I agree. I have learned that the 9 inch shell was probably a Dahlgren gun. The wall thickness is very close to two inches.

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9" Federal Dahlgren smoothbore shell. I checked with my copy of Dickey and George's Field Artillery Projectiles of the Civil War and found this. Note the threaded 5/8" hole for powder loading. Nice shell!

 

 

 

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Apparently this is a somewhat rarer shell. According to Jake Bell’s book he lists less than ten known to exist. 
 

 

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