need help identifying this piece

**cornishboy** · 07-15-2009, 07:44 PM

Hi, can you possibly help me to identify this object? It was found a couple of years ago on a beach at the foot of cliffs at Longues-sur-mer, Normandy,France.
I approached museums in the area, but couldnt get anyone to identify it or to take it off my hands, so im trying to satisfy my curriosity.
I have contacted a few aviation groups as well as archeological groups since getting home and have so far been told that it could be the nose cone from a drop tank or maybe a bomb, but would either of these been riveted so heavily?
I have included some scale to the picture, which isnt the best of quality below.
The slabs on wich the picture has been taken ive measured to be 550mm
Starting at the front of the cone, the depressed circle at the very end has a 40mm diameter. Each of the raised paterns around this are 50mm wide.
Each rivet is 15mm diameter, there are 19 rivets in total. The radius of the cone behind the rivet line is 625mm.
The diameter across the rear is an estimated 720mm, as only one side has survived.
Finally from nose to tail measures 680mm
I will try and get some better pictures if it would help?

**cornishboy** · 07-18-2009, 04:46 PM

i hope i havent stumped you????

**DonB** · 07-18-2009, 11:39 PM

At a glance, I would tentatively say that this is the nose of a drop-tank.
From memory, I know of no bombs that were riveted in that fashion... I could be wrong though!

The "40mm depressed circle" - Does it have a screw thread?
Any numbers/ stamps on it?

Could you please post some close-ups of the rivets and the depressed circle?

TIA,

Don

**cornishboy** · 07-21-2009, 08:18 PM

Hi Don thanks for your help! As far as i know there arent any markings stamped or otherwise.The depressed circle is just that.There arent any holes or threads either.
I have tried to look at drop tanks of that era and im not finding anything like what iv got.
I did wonder if it might be a propeller cone,but its probably steel and thats unlikely im imagining?
Thanks again

**cornishboy** · 08-20-2009, 08:46 PM

anybody please, what is this thing!!??

**Steve T** · 08-21-2009, 06:23 PM

cornishboy

There is a fair chance, given the lack of replies to your post that the object is nothing to do with the war itself.

I myself have found a number of items on Normandy beaches that, at first glance look like the remains of fuse tips or such like, but turn out to be nothing more than modern junk either washed up, or dumped by the local population.

That isn't to say it's not from WW2.......but chances are that, given the huge number of people on this site that could identify a piece of rusting metal like this from 500yards IF it was WW2, it is probably modernish junk.

Let us know if you ever do identify it !

Steve T

OKW · 08-21-2009, 07:39 PM

It was certainly made to keep fluid in or out. The closeness of the rivets, 2 diameters of the rivet apart, indicates this. You'd normally see this for aircraft structure made of aluminium alloy. This item being made of steel you wonder why they didn't just weld it to get the same effect. I haven't heard of a steel drop tank, i would have thought corrosion and the bits that produces would have interferred with the fuel system. I have heard of drop tanks made of aluminium and papermache, this being light and the tank being expendable wasn't much of a drain on the war effort. I believe that aluminium drop tanks were done away with to a certain extent as it was almost like delivering a high quality source of scarce war materials each time they were dropped.

**GasMasksUK** · 08-21-2009, 09:44 PM

I think its the cone of the top of a shipping lane marker, it looks a little bit like the top (Well under the light frame) of the ones in the River Tay which I have been moored up to on several occasions so I've had a pretty close look at them, I think the tops can be removed for a battery? but recently some have been fitted with solar pannels.
Thanks

Danny