Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: DavieTait on November 02, 2012, 11:43:57 pm
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(http://www.trawlerphotos.co.uk/gallery/data/635/medium/shell_a.jpg)
(http://www.trawlerphotos.co.uk/gallery/data/635/medium/shell_c.jpg)
(http://www.trawlerphotos.co.uk/gallery/data/635/medium/shell_e.jpg)
(http://www.trawlerphotos.co.uk/gallery/data/642/medium/shell_f.jpg)
"nice little" WW2 shell caught by an Irish trawler in the Southern Irish Sea / St Georges Channel area last month. From info I've got from a historian it looks like its a German 11'' naval shell probably been in a ship post WW2 scuttled to get rid of munitions ( they were close to a few wrecks when they picked it up )
Safely dumped back into the sea over another wreck
The fishing boats still take live torpedoes , mines ( both contact and magnetic ) , bombs and shells every year so unfortunately this will continue to be a hazard of the job for the fishermen
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Dear Davie,
Surprisingly clean isn't it. Thankfully the timer or impact is not present! Load could well be though!
Two years ago, someone proudly presented/gave me something saying that "they knew I would be interested". It turned out that it was a 6" artillery shell from France brought back by his Gradfather in 1945. It had been fired, so G O D knows how it was come by! Timer mech. in place, and in VGC, and all the ID numbers on it, but I didn't quite like the 'white' at the timer/casing joint... any hoo, took it, wrapped it carefully in a spare jacket, and bunged it in the back of the L/R, and placed it safely in a remote corner of one of the fields until the Bomb Disposal bods were back in the area! (A WW2 experimental range is not very far away, and the Spring tides have a habit of turning 'things' up every year! - together with some impressive 'bangs' when got rid of!). They were quite surprised when I presented the item to them, and were most admiring of it... "that's nice", one said!!! So I left them with it/to it, and was glad to get rid of it!
Regards, Bernard
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Will any UXBs trawled up in future,have to have the new tag system attached,so we will know where and when it was caught? lol :-))
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... and maybe then sent direct to the EU Fisheries Commission.......!!!LOL!!! B.
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as far as I know they coated these shells in heavy gun grease to prevent corrosion both ashore and on ship meaning they had to be cleaned before use , the fuse wasn't in the nose of the shell so the only danger would be if the had allowed it to dry out as cordite at this age is very sensitive to knocks once it starts to dry out
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Dear Davie, Expls. used to be a forte of mine, but out of the loop these days apart from occasional rock matters. However, Cordite, being only a touch above black powder, it is not too bad a compound really with regards sensitivity. During WW1, ranks discovered that chewing a bit from catridges increased heart rate and it was a sure fire way to get leave... & I don't blame them one bit (my Grandfather told me this and he went through it all). Wikepedia will tell you all about this partic. expl.. Regards, Bernard