Historic ships bell from WWI- era 4-stacker ex-USS Robinson (DD-88), lka, HMS Newcastle, sells for $3,700 on 4/12/26.

3,275 · April 12

Beautiful, honest, aged patina, nickel plated 75 pounder destroyer bell from the Wickes class destroyer, USS Robinson (DD-88), later transferred to Great Britain prior to US entry into WW2. USS Robinson (DD-88) was constructed by the Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California, the same shipyard that launched cruiser USS Olympia (C-3) in 1892. Laid down on October 31, 1917, and launched on March 28, 1918, the Wickes-class destroyer was later commissioned at the Mare Island Navy Yard on October 19, 1918. The bell is officially chiseled "USS Robinson 1918" on one side, and "HMS Newcastle" with black paint enhancement, on the other. The US transferred 50 WWI-era destroyers to Britain in 1940 through the "Destroyers-for-Bases" agreement, rather than a direct cash sale or gift to maintain technical neutrality. The September 2, 1940 deal that FDR did by executive order and bypassed Congress, traded 50 older "flush-deck", mostly moth-balled destroyers for long terms leases to establish bases in areas like Newfoundland, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. These were to secure a defensive perimeter against Axis expansion and bolster the Royal Navy against German U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic. Robinson was scrapped at Wales by Britain in 1945.

Confidence is high for the private ownership of named WW2 and earlier USN Ship's Bells as the robust final hammer price shows. These are phenomenally historic items for USN collectors, and there is no bell sound like special-alloy USN brass used in these bells, as anyone knows who's heard them. They are cast from a high-copper bronze alloy, designed to withstand saltwater corrosion while creating a bright, resonant peal that carries through fog or across decks. The different sizes are tuned to different pitches . For example, the plentiful, unnamed, 20 pound "small boat bells" are tuned to A flat, while a 75 pound destroyer bell is tuned to B natural.

CONGRATS TO the lucky stiff that ended up with this hefty beauty. A tremendous item to add to a military collection during the 250th anniversary year of the USA. It's safe to surf and you can ring your bell. The photo of USS Robinson at the bottom was taken at Gitmo in 1920.