WW2 British Naval Gunnery Shell Engraved, H.M.S. WarSpite. Dated 1941

[flash developer]

Hello Gentlemen. Moderators please feel free to move this as I'm not sure where to post this!

This is a WW2 British Naval shell casing, engraved and dated 1941(the shell is actually dated 1940). It reads:
"From
The Gunnery Staff
H.M.S. WARSPITE
1941"

What do I have here? I'm in the Pacific Northwest and the H.M.S. WarSpite was in the Puget Sound for repairs in 1941. I recently purchased a beautiful US Navy M1 helmet and liner(along with the same officer's visor cap) from a gentleman in Seattle(it was his father's) and he threw-in this engraved naval shell and a few other small items. The HMS WarSpite was a mighty battleship. Pretty cool! So any idea what this was?

[Ryan B]

Maybe a ceramonial shell of some sorts??

[big ned]

Courtesy of Wikipedia:-


8-barrelled "Chicago piano" on HMS Rodney, viewed from belowThe Royal Navy had identified the need for a rapid-firing, multi-barrelled close-range anti-aircraft weapon at an early stage. Design work for such a weapon began in 1923 based on the earlier Mark II, undoubtedly to utilise the enormous stocks of 2-pounder ammunition left over from World War I. Lack of funding led to a convoluted and drawn-out design and trials history, and it was not until 1930 that these weapons began to enter service. Known as the QF 2-pounder Mark VIII, it is usually referred to as the multiple pom-pom. The initial mounting was the 11.8 to 17.35 ton, eight-barrelled mounting Mark V (later Mark VI), suitable for ships of cruiser and aircraft carrier size upwards. From 1935 the quadruple mounting Mark VII, essentially half a Mark V or VI, entered service for ships of destroyer and cruiser size. These multiple gun mounts required four different guns and were nicknamed the "Chicago Piano". The mount had 2 rows each of 2 or 4 weapons. Guns were produced in both right and left hand and "inner" and "outer" so that the feed and ejector mechanisms matched. Single barrelled mounts, the Mark VIII (manual) and Mark XVI (power operated), were also widely used, mainly in small escorts (such as the 'Flower' Class corvettes) and coastal craft (especially early Fairmile 'D' motor gunboats). The Mark XVI mounting was related to the twin mounting Mark V for the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon and the "Boffin" mounting for the Bofors 40 mm gun. An interesting feature was the very large magazine, from 140 rounds per gun for the 8 barrelled mount, to 56 rounds for the single mounts. This large ammunition capacity gave the 8 barrelled mount the ability to fire continuously for 73 seconds without reloading.

Regards, Ned.

[big ned]

An interesting website about Warspite and her sister battlships.

HMS Warspite

Regards, Ned.

[flash developer]

Thank you rbemer207 and big ned! The WarSpite also supported the D-day invasions by shelling with their big guns. The shell is dated 1940 but the engraving is dated 1941 so maybe it was some kind of gift to US Navy after Pearl Harbor... just theorizing of course ;-)

[big ned]

Thank you rbemer207 and big ned! The WarSpite also supported the D-day invasions by shelling with their big guns. The shell is dated 1940 but the engraving is dated 1941 so maybe it was some kind of gift to US Navy after Pearl Harbor... just theorizing of course ;-)

The shell case probably arrived in the U.S. after this action. In the summer of 1940, Warspite was in the Mediterranean and took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan, the Battle of Calabria and the Battle of Crete, where she was badly damaged by German bombers.

In July 1941, Warspite sailed to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton in the USA for repairs which were completed in December. HMS Warspite then joined the Eastern Fleet as the flagship of Admiral Sir James Somerville, based in Ceylon and then Addu Atoll in the the Maldives.


Regards, Ned.