# Do any of you know what this is??



## Master Dan (Jun 3, 2012)

Found this in a pile of old electronics from our Dojang fishing vesel last week. A 30 year vet in munitions and no one else here can figure out what it was possibly practice bomb or marine sonar device but it has USS markings and weighs about 25 pounds solid brass.


----------



## Sukerkin (Jun 3, 2012)

Does it have any identifying marks, Dan?  Something like a model number or a makers mark?  Any attachment points or signs that some bits are missing?


----------



## Ken Morgan (Jun 3, 2012)

Looks almost like one of those things ships use to drag behind themselves when they wanted to calculate their speed, but I've never been to sea Billy, so what do i know!


----------



## Sukerkin (Jun 3, 2012)

I thought that it had the look of a log too, Ken; but I've not heard of a brass one before.  After all, they are supposed to float .


----------



## Master Dan (Jun 3, 2012)

Sukerkin said:


> Does it have any identifying marks, Dan?  Something like a model number or a makers mark?  Any attachment points or signs that some bits are missing?



The right tail fin has a circular stamp with QMA WN. counter clock wise then a USS clock wise but can't make out letters or numbers before that? It has a rectangular hole less than half way down from the nose about 3/16" wide by one inch and 3/16 long and about 2/3 down from top same location a round hole completly through the sloted hole about 3/8 inch diameter. Some say this could have been for a bullistic release from the plane or to atach some how?

The nose seems way to heavy to tow behind boat for speed youd have to do 60 to keep it level?

View attachment $Brenna and Duke 009.jpg


----------



## Tgace (Jun 3, 2012)

If it was on a fishing boat, Id think its a down-rigger weight. Is there a threaded hole on the body for an eye-bolt attachment?


----------



## Master Dan (Jun 3, 2012)

Tell you this its a great conversation piece at the resturaunt breakfast table we have table just for the local men called the BS table all subjects and language at best colorful at times. View attachment $Brenna and Duke 017.jpg

Went hiking with my 7 year old daughter a little gold prospecting alot of bears this time of season so I am choosing what fire arm to carry? The rifles 4570 Marlon with 500 grain load is just alot to carry all day. The S&W 500 pistol with 500 grain loads is good but my senior student lent me his S&W 460 with 400 grain loads. It was just to heavy to strap on my hip all day finally just slung it over head and shoulder very comfortable easy to pull out if needed. Both guns are a bit brutal to carry and shoot but if needed they really destroy the skull or gut the whole animal if you need to stop them.


----------



## Master Dan (Jun 3, 2012)

Tgace said:


> If it was on a fishing boat, Id think its a down-rigger weight. Is there a threaded hole on the body for an eye-bolt attachment?



The hole is smooth no threads?


----------



## Sukerkin (Jun 3, 2012)

A good way to be able to read the stamp more clearly is to do a charcoal rubbing of it - a soft pencil with some quality stiff paper will do.

Not having much luck with my web fu at preset - and I may well end up with an official knock at the door if I keep trying such strings that involve the word "bomb" and the "USS" TLA :lol:


----------



## Carol (Jun 3, 2012)

Sukerkin said:


> A good way to be able to read the stamp more clearly is to do a charcoal rubbing of it - a soft pencil with some quality stiff paper will do.
> 
> Not having much luck with my web fu at preset - and I may well end up with an official knock at the door if I keep trying such strings that involve the word "bomb" and the "USS" TLA :lol:



Even better than a rubbing would be a tight close up of the logo with a digital camera....especially if you can place the camera on something solid (tripod? Box? Stack of books? ) while photographing the logo.

Once that photo is taken, the image can be run through a number of photo programs to try and enhance what is there....I'd be happy to do this gratis if such photo can be taken....I'm curious too! 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


----------



## Sukerkin (Jun 3, 2012)

:chuckles:  I didn't want to suggest a 'better' shot in case it sounded rude :lol:.  You'd be surprised how much detail you can get with the 'old ways' tho' - I've used it to pull details out of incised markings on many artefacts in my curatorial past.


----------



## Carol (Jun 3, 2012)

Sukerkin said:


> :chuckles:  I didn't want to suggest a 'better' shot in case it sounded rude :lol:.  You'd be surprised how much detail you can get with the 'old ways' tho' - I've used it to pull details out of incised markings on many artefacts in my curatorial past.



That's amazing! I have to admit I have not done something like that quite so seriously....I defaulted to what I know.

(off topic). Very glad you mentioned a curator past, Suke....you just reminded me of something that I will post in the locker room 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


----------



## Master Dan (Jun 3, 2012)

Carol said:


> Even better than a rubbing would be a tight close up of the logo with a digital camera....especially if you can place the camera on something solid (tripod? Box? Stack of books? ) while photographing the logo.
> 
> Once that photo is taken, the image can be run through a number of photo programs to try and enhance what is there....I'd be happy to do this gratis if such photo can be taken....I'm curious too!
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD



Just happens to be on my computer desk this morning my wife came out and said you didn't dig that up with the gold detector yesterday did you??? I said no I think I may have slowed down a bit uncovering this shape?


View attachment $Bomb Stamp 001.jpg


----------



## Master Dan (Jun 3, 2012)

Sukerkin said:


> :chuckles:  I didn't want to suggest a 'better' shot in case it sounded rude :lol:.  You'd be surprised how much detail you can get with the 'old ways' tho' - I've used it to pull details out of incised markings on many artefacts in my curatorial past.



Grave rubbings from old headstones using parchment paper are really nice from historical or other artistic reasons. The cemetary in Neworleans or other civil war era cemetaries are very nice.


----------



## Josh Oakley (Jun 3, 2012)

My guess is the QMA stands for QuarterMaster's Association.

CO. Would stand for Company.

I don't think it's Naval. I think it is Army or Marines.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Carol (Jun 3, 2012)

This is interesting.  

That's actually not "QMA", its "OMA".  The "O" just has a surface artifact to it that makes it look like a Q.

OMA WN.

"WN." dates back to before state abbreviations were standardized by the U.S. Postal Service.  "WN." was an old way of abbreviating Washington state.

So...


##########OMA WN.  We're looking at something from Tacoma, Washington.


Digging further....


----------



## Sukerkin (Jun 3, 2012)

We might be wrong but I can confirm that your observations and investigations match mine, Carol.  Took a bit of digging on the WN abbreviation, tho' it was the second area to occur to me after Wisconsin :lol: .

I still reckon a careful charcoal rub will give us more details on the stamp - if only I could fly over and do it myself ... {looks around for people to make offers to pay the air fare ... :lol:}.  The top arc is likely to be a company name I reckon - the "co." at the end rather suggests that to be the case at any rate.


----------



## Sukerkin (Jun 3, 2012)

From the features of the artefact, it certainly looks as if it was mean to be mounted in some way, either to a rack with several others or solitary flush with some flat surface.  It does look like a small practise round for ballistic drops from aircraft but the very smallness of it, suggestive of World War One hand dropped bombs, mitigates against that.


----------



## Carol (Jun 3, 2012)

Sukerkin said:


> From the features of the artefact, it certainly looks as if it was mean to be mounted in some way, either to a rack with several others or solitary flush with some flat surface.  It does look like a small practise round for ballistic drops from aircraft but the very smallness of it, suggestive of World War One hand dropped bombs, mitigates against that.



This was decorative. We are a wealthy country, yes, but I can't think of a time when we could spare the expense for a brass dummy ballistics.


----------



## jks9199 (Jun 3, 2012)

That's definitely a manufacturer's mark.  I'm guessing from a company in WN, which I believe is Wisconsin.


----------



## jks9199 (Jun 3, 2012)

Sukerkin said:


> We might be wrong but I can confirm that your observations and investigations match mine, Carol.  Took a bit of digging on the WN abbreviation, tho' it was the second area to occur to me after Wisconsin :lol: .
> 
> I still reckon a careful charcoal rub will give us more details on the stamp - if only I could fly over and do it myself ... {looks around for people to make offers to pay the air fare ... :lol:}.  The top arc is likely to be a company name I reckon - the "co." at the end rather suggests that to be the case at any rate.




I agree; I'd guess the company name ends in "uss", as well... though I wonder if that "uss" could be "***" as in "brass"?


----------



## Carol (Jun 3, 2012)

The word before "CO." is "brass"

###### BRASS CO.
TAHOMA WN.


----------



## jks9199 (Jun 3, 2012)

Sukerkin said:


> From the features of the artefact, it certainly looks as if it was mean to be mounted in some way, either to a rack with several others or solitary flush with some flat surface.  It does look like a small practise round for ballistic drops from aircraft but the very smallness of it, suggestive of World War One hand dropped bombs, mitigates against that.



Doesn't look banged up enough to have been dropped.  But I don't think it was decorative, either.  The design isn't "nice" enough for decoration; it's definitely got a functional feel to me.  Those mounting holes, for lack of a better name... how big and deep are they?

Just had a thought...  could it have been attached at the base of a dagger board or similar element on a boat (I know there's a better name, I'm thinking on a fairly large boat or ship...), to assist in stability?


----------



## Carol (Jun 3, 2012)

jks9199 said:


> Doesn't look banged up enough to have been dropped.  But I don't think it was decorative, either.  The design isn't "nice" enough for decoration; it's definitely got a functional feel to me.  Those mounting holes, for lack of a better name... how big and deep are they?
> 
> Just had a thought...  could it have been attached at the base of a dagger board or similar element on a boat (I know there's a better name, I'm thinking on a fairly large boat or ship...), to assist in stability?



Good point.  It does look like something made for a boat -- and THAT would explain the brass.  Brass stands up very well to seawater and salt air corrosion, especially if it is alloyed with an arsenide - which would have been more common in that era.  It is soft metal, comparably speaking.  It wouldn't make a good knife blade...but that's clearly not intended to be a sharp object.


----------



## Master Dan (Jun 3, 2012)

Sukerkin said:


> From the features of the artefact, it certainly looks as if it was mean to be mounted in some way, either to a rack with several others or solitary flush with some flat surface.  It does look like a small practise round for ballistic drops from aircraft but the very smallness of it, suggestive of World War One hand dropped bombs, mitigates against that.



The munitions expert here said it had the weight of a ballistic drop from aircraft to simulate a 500 pounder but they were always blue yes all the holes are smooth no threading of anykind. My dog half pit bull thinks its his new chew toy I have to get a picture of that he chews through fire hose in about 5 minutes.


----------



## Josh Oakley (Jun 5, 2012)

Tahoma?  Then I think we are definitely talking about Washington State. Tahoma was the original form of the word "Tacoma". The city of Tacoma was named after Mount Tahoma..... now called Mount Rainier.

There is a brass company that from 1913 until its recent move to Kent was in Tacoma, Washington:

Alaskan Copper &amp; Brass Co.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## chinto (Jun 7, 2012)

might it be a lead for gauging depth?..


----------



## Sukerkin (Jun 7, 2012)

A good thought but don't such things usually have a pit at the 'head' for collecting a sample of the bottom?


----------



## Master Dan (Jun 7, 2012)

Sukerkin said:


> A good thought but don't such things usually have a pit at the 'head' for collecting a sample of the bottom?


 Brass is very expensive its likely to have a marine purpose i am emailing the pictures to my Airforce Munitions expert this evening it would be nice to know what and when it was used.

To add to all of this our area was famous for the refueling base for all the aircraft in WWII that was sent to Rusia on the lend lease act. in the hills above Nome there were gun implacements and many quansit huts. Why I do not know but at the end of WWII metal containers were buried under ground with Roles Royce fight plain engines hermetically sealed supposed to be worth close to $4 million dollars today. My personal friend a famous bush pilot here died two years ago it was his father that was there when they buried them. He offered to show the Gold company where they were when they were needing funds but they declined he took the info to his grave but it would seem Dicovery Channel do so much here would be interested in finding them? also we had the last Sweet Alice sight to watch over the horizon radar from Russia during the cold war. I am going to post some pictures of the sites I am talking about for you.


----------



## chinto (Jun 13, 2012)

Good point... no pit... but it was a thought.


----------

