All the brass was then gold washed/gold plated. In any event the hilt is standard heavily sculpted brass with Ray skin grip secured with brass wire. Maybe the father had purchased a used sword inexpensively before WW2 during the 1930's and pressed it into service having this modification done himself to save money. We are not sure of the actual age of the sword, in that the leather on the steel scabbard is now absent and the steel scabbard tube beneath where the leather had been has been blackened, so one can not easily tell. The slim blade is fully etched and nickel plated, and is only marked MADE / U. The brass mounts on the scabbard and around the bottom show Sea monsters and twisted rope knots, as is required for this Pattern.

on the blade, as well as on the hand guard. The Sword is the official United States Navy Model 1852 Pattern and is marked U.S.N. That was his only experience of possible combat, for which he was eternally grateful. He was involved with a landing on one of the Japanese occupied islands and said he was truly terrified until he discovered the enemy had abandoned the island just days before.

The sword was his father's who had served in the Pacific. This came to us from a neighbor of Company Director Christian Cranmer, who recently retired and moved South for the warmer weather.

Civil war navy officer sword