Collecting U.S. Navy Fighting Knives of World War II
My great uncle, William Chester Seibert (Torpedo man Second Class), a pre-war veteran who had already served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of the war, was lost at sea Jan. 24, 1942 onboard one of the first submarine casualties of World War II (his sub, the S-26 was the third loss of "The Silent Service.") I inherited his medals while still in grade school and became fascinated with submarines and all manner of WWII naval paraphernalia. So naturally I jumped at the opportunity when a close friend of mine recently offered to show me his collection of U.S. Nay fighting knives from WWII. Since then I've researched many of the blades in his collection.
USN Mark I and Related Knives
There are over 30 different variants of the USN Mark 1 knife as well as various knives, which resemble the Mark 1 in many of its features. Just about all the major knife makers made are so many variations by different makers that it is hard to determine which knives were actually Navy-issue blades, which ones were sold in the Navy Base Exchanges, and which blades were sold commercially during the war. Others may actually be post-war production. The Mark 1 was made by: Ka-Bar (Union Cutlery Company); Western States Cutlery Company; Camillus Cutlery Company; Schrade-Walden Cutlery Company; Imperial Knife Company (Providence, R.I.); H. Boker and Company; Robeson Cutlery Company (R.C.C.); Geneva Forge, Inc. (Ecko Products Company); and Colonial Cutlery Company.
The blade of the Mark 1 was 5-1/8 inches and was usually blued, though in some cases the blade was either parkerized or left unsubbdued in a "bright" or polished finish. The original Navy specifications and maker's blueprint from the Department of the Navy in 1943 called for a knife with a blade length of 5.125 inches, and a leather washer handle with colored fiber spacers at each end topped by an aluminum pommel attached by a threaded nut. The blade was supposed to be parkerized and marked "USN" on the reverse and "Mark 1" above the maker's name on the obverse.
Of all makers only "PAL" came close to following the Navy's specifications. This may be due to wartime restrictions and the scarcity of certain materials. Pommels or butts were made of the specified aluminum, as well as wood, plastic, iron, and steel. While blade length remained standard, some were flat-ground and others were either fluted or saber ground. Handles were all leather washer except for the Colonial Number 9, 10, and 11 which had handles of molded black rubber. The two most common sheaths found were either a molded gray plastic scabbard (the type with a rounded end much like a bayonet scabbard) with a gray webbing hanger, or a brown leather scabbard make by riveting a single fold or leather, though I have also seen double stitched leather sheaths.
I inspected five different Mark 1 knives recently. Two were Number 20 RH-35s by PAL, one with the wood butt and the other with an aluminum butt. Both of these variations of the Mark 1 were also made by Geneva Forge and Robeson "Shruedge." Western, a Boulder, Colorado knife maker, made a Mark 1 (Number 12) with steel butt and five-inch blued blade, which they called the "Seabee." The Number 11 Colonial, with its molded black rubber handles is, in my opinion, one of the better knives of the Mark 1 series.
The Number 18 type KA-BAR Mark 1 is unique. While it has the 5-1/28 inch blued blade, leather washer handle with black and red fiber spacers at the guard and butt, it has an aluminum pommel rather than the flat KA-BAR/Mark 2 type of flat iron butt found on the KA-BAR series of Mark 1 knives. I've been unable to find a reference on this particular knife, but the Number 18 KA-BAR illustrated in M. H. Cole's excellent reference, U. S. Military Knives, Bayonets, And Machetes Book III, is similar.
The USN Mark 2
Camillus made the first USN fighting knife. The knife had a heavy, threaded butt and because of minor design flaws was promptly returned to the factory. Camillus redesigned the knife, replacing the threaded nut with a steel pin. The new design was deemed acceptable, hence the designation "USN Fighting Knife, Mark 2." PAL, made these knives under contract during WWII. The USMC version made by KA-BAR of Olean, N.Y., became so well known that this style of knife is still called a "Kabar" by army and Marine Corps ground troops, even if it's a cheap "Made in Taiwan" copy.
After the war, the Mark 2 was made by Utica, Camillus, and Connetta. All told, at least 20 different types, (denoted by slight design differences and makers markings on the blade) of this design were manufactured under a Department of the Navy contract.
The USMC fighting utility knife (aka "Kabar") is the same as the USN Mark 2. KA-BAR (Union Cutlery Company of Olean, N.Y.) made around a million of the robust and versatile knives. Camillus Cutlery Company of Camillus, N.Y., is the other well-known manufacturer of the USMC fighting utility knife and continues to make this blade to its original specifications.
The Remington Cutlery Company was bought by the PAL Blade and Tool Company (Plattsburg, N.Y.) shortly before WWII. PAL continued with the Remington line, including marking the blade with the old Remington numbering identification - "RH" for Remington Hunting-followed by a model number. The RH-36 had a six-inch blade and the RH-37 had a seven-inch blade.
During WWII, PAL's entire production was military knives. Their USN Mark 1 was marked RH-35 and their USN Mark 2 was marked RH-37. The RH-36 is an interim type design with a 6-1/2 inch blade with a parkerized finish and a pinned aluminum butt cap. The handle is of the very common leather washer type and the knife's overall length is 11-1/24 inches. PAL also made their RH-37/USN Mark 2 with a USMC stamp as a fighting utility knife as well as producing the M-4 bayonet knife, the M-3 Trench knife, and M1 Garand rifle bayonets.
KA-BAR, besides making the famed fighting utility knife for the USMC (all blades of this type were called "Kabars" by the soldiers and marines who carried them and, as mentioned previously, the practice continues today) also made USN Mark 2s. One variation which was supposedly issued to the Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) has a seven inch unmarked bright finished blade without "blood groove" or blade handles rather than the normal segmented leather washer handles. The guard is marked "KA-BAR; USN/MK 2." This knife and another similar Mark 2 meant for underwater work were issued with the USN/MK2 scabbard with a gray molded plastic body and a gray webbing hanger.
Survival Kit Knife
The U.S. Navy survival kit knife, Colonial Number 2 manufactured by Colonial of Providence, R.I., is a nice, hefty two-bladed folder with a checkered black plastic handle. It frequently got lost from the survival kits and turned up in some sailor's pocket. The folding knife is six inches long when closed. The cutting blade is 4-5/8 inches and the saw-toothed blade is five inches. This knife was also produced for the Air Force as a survival knife after 1944. United Machine Tool Company of Grand Rapids, Mich., also made this knife.
Other "Swabbie" Blades
A popular knife among sailors was any of the variety of EGW knives. EGW knives were made by E.G. Waterman and Company of New York City. The EGW Number 1 had a 7-3/8 inch blade and a leather handle. The total length was 11-7/8 inches. The Number 2 had a grooved wood handle and bottle opener (a feature much appreciated by thirsty swabbies) on its 6-3/8 inch saw-toothed back blade. Its overall length was 10-7/8 inches. The Number 3 EGW knife had a leather washer handle with two red leather spacers and its saw-toothed-backed blade had a bottle opener as well. All EGW knives had a very useful 7/8-inch lanyard ring through the blade's tang at the butt. EGW knives were sold commercially during WWII (one as advertises the Number 2 for $4.95). I've examined three varieties of EGW knives and there are probably more.
Many sailors picked up working or fighting knives while on shore leave or liberty in various ports around the world. Blades of Chinese and Arab design were common as were knives and bayonets from various Allied forces, bought or bartered. German, Italian, and Japanese bayonets and knives occasionally found themselves in the hands of some sailors who bought them as war souvenirs from soldiers and marines. One example is the Number 2 New Zealand Fighting Knife made by N.Z. Cutlers Company of Auckland. This knife has a six-inch blade and cast aluminum handle complete with knuckle guard (the Number 1 was nearly identical except it lacked the knuckle guard.)
My friend, Gerald Leguire, has a mint condition USN diver's knife marked "Mfg'd by Morse Diving Equip, Co. Inc. Mass. USA" in his collection (the manufacturer's stamp seems to have left off the "Boston" between "Inc" and "Mass" due to excessive wear on the die). This precision-made knife has a 6-1/2 inch blade with very fine saw teeth on the top. The grips are wood with a brass butt or pommel. The knife screws into a brass scabbard (to prevent sparking.) Vince of Easton, Pa., and KA-BAR also made this knife.
Though thousands saw service with the Marines and the Navy, the Cattaraugus 225 Q (advertised as the "US Marine Cattaraugus Knife") was manufactured in Little Valley, N.Y., and "just up the road" from Olean's KA-BAR plant. The 225 Q never gained the same notoriety among the U.S. Marines as its competitor. The "Commando Knife" has a six-inch blade and a leather washer handle with a steel washer butt.
Western States Cutlery Company of Boulder, Colo., made several combat-type knives during WWII. Their best-known battle blade was their "Shark Knife." The "Shark Number 46-6" with its six-inch blade of "high carbon crucible chrome steel" was blued and intended to resist rust and salt-water corrosion while taking and holding an edge. The "Shark Knife" was 10 1/8 inches overall with a leather washer handle, aluminum butt, and came with a double-stitched and riveted leather sheath. According to a wartime ad, the "Shark Knife" was "...a fighter and a worker, ready to cut loose from wreckage, slice bread, open cans, trim toenails, kill Japs, or wrest a living from a desert isle." Me, personally, I think I would have passed on slicing bread with the same knife after I used it to trim my toenails.
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