USS PANDEMUS ARL 18 5lb brass ashtray

[Coalcracker]

Hello all first let me say this site is awesome. I’m so glad I found it. Thanks for the add. I’m not sure if this was where I should post this. And if not point me in the right direction. TIA

I picked this up the other day for 20 bucks. I wasn’t going to, but now I’m very happy that I did. This ashtray why is at least 5 pounds and you can tell it had a lot of use. I didn’t clean it so this is how I got it. I researched the ship Pandemus a late WWIi vessel. It had an interesting life, and I believe it’s an artificial reef of the coast of one of the Carolinas after it was stripped at the Philadelphia naval shipping yards.. towed out and sink. But they stripped them at the Philadelphia shipping yards. And I don’t know why I thought they may have made this ashtray out of some of the brass because I don’t think they left the brass on the ship which there’s a lot of. And then I come to the realization AT this may have actually been used on the ship. That’s what makes the weight makes sense. But I don’t know. I’m the founder and president of my town historical society. So I only collect military items for our local historical Society, of which I’m founder and president but I’m a picker. I do the flea markets and love when I get the calls to find treasures. Anyway, what do you think? Should I give it a good polish? And because it’s not local, it’s one of those things. I just like to find somebody that would appreciate it more. Thanks, Bob.

[Salvage Sailor]

Aloha Bob and welcome to the forum,

 

You have an authentic USS PANDEMUS shipboard made wardroom ashtray in your possession (note the USN commissioned officers cap insignia in the center).  This would have been used in 'officers country' in their staterooms or in the wardroom mess on the green felt tablecloths.  They are made to be hefty so as to resist the constant rocking of the waves while underway.  The PANDEMUS, being a repair vessel, would have had the materials and tools in abundance to forge and turn this ashtray in their machine shops.  The PANDEMUS was a LST converted to a repair ship and the ash tray dates from her Cold War recommissioning service period (1951 to 1968).

 

There are more examples of these types of ashtrays on the forum here -->> US NAVY ASH TRAYS - Butt Kits, Ceramic, Cast, Shipboard, etc.

 

There ya go...

 

 

 

 

[Coalcracker]

Thx for the info I think I read it was converted to a minesweeper but that’s really cool. Should this be cleaned up or left the way it is? Had my fair share of brass polishing on a fast frigate.

[Salvage Sailor]

Not a minesweeper, she was the service craft supporting the Mine Force.

 

'PANDEMUS arrived at the U.S. Naval Minecraft Base, Charleston, her home port, on 30 March 1952 and began 16 1/2 years of service supporting minesweeping training operations along the Atlantic Coast from Newport, R.I. to Key West, Fla.; in the Caribbean; and in the Gulf of Mexico.'

[Edward C Bell]

On 2/14/2025 at 11:09 AM, Coalcracker said:

Thx for the info I think I read it was converted to a minesweeper but that’s really cool. Should this be cleaned up or left the way it is? Had my fair share of brass polishing on a fast frigate.

Left the way it is.