Ocean Relic;

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Any Ideas?
    Found on the NC coast, the wooden body contain black powder, 3 inches diameter, 11 inches long, priming nipple under metal nose cap.
Regards,
John

[Pete George]

  I got an email about it this past week.  Charlie Harris correctly ID'ed it as a WW2-era US "Aircraft Pyrotechnic" ...specifically a signal/smoke-marker, dropped by aircraft for search-&-rescue.

Charlie Harris wrote:
> It is WWII.  Please study the photographs that I'm attaching to your email & forward them on to the finder.
> We had another similar item submitted to the American Digger a few months ago of a very similar item.
> I just recently found this one in an antique store for $95.00.  Jack Melton recently sold 3 of them for $50 each.
> It is a smoke bomb for search & rescue in the ocean, dropped by an airplane & evidently self-ignites when water gets into it.

  To me, it looks like item #21, "Signal, Drift, Night, AN-MK4 AND MODS" in the following .pdf of an original document from 1947.

http://www.bombfuzecollectorsnet.com/USERIMAGES/000367%20OP%20998%20Aircraft%20Pyrotechnics%20and%20Accessories.pdf

Regards,
Pete

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Thank you Pete.  You are right on top as usual.
I apologize for straying outside the ACW era but at the time we were not certain to the items I.D.
Regards,
John