Federal Navy 15-Inch Shell Fragment
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Item: Federal Navy 15-Inch Shell Fragment
Gun: 15-inch Dahlgren smoothbore.
Construction: Cast iron.
Fuzing: Navy watercap.
Approximate size: Weight: 32.6 pounds. (complete shell weighs 331 pounds)
Condition: Solid, excavated, overall light surface pitting. The threads of the fuze hole are clearly visible. It has been treated with electrolysis and believed to be lightly clear coated.
Recovered: Unknown
Reference: A complete example is pictured in the following reference book:
- "Civil War Heavy Explosive Ordnance", by Jack Bell on page 87.
See above page in additional images.
Comments: There are two additional images which demonstrate the enormous size of this fragment. One image has it pictured with a complete 12-pounder shell measuring approximately 4.5 inches in diameter and the other with a .69 caliber bullet measuring approximately 1-inch tall, neither of which are included with the purchase. This huge fragment was acquired directly from the family of the digger who hunted Civil War trails, campsites, and battle sites throughout central Virginia for several decades. It will be an excellent addition to any excavated Civil War artillery or general relic collection.
Additional Information: According to the above-mentioned reference book under comments on page 87:
"15-inch navy shells and case shot are much rarer than the army wood-fuzed shells. Less than three dozen single-fuzed shells are known to survive. Navy watercap-fuzed projectiles could be either shells or case shot. Few have been weighed or carefully inspected to determine which. In a January 1864 inventory report, Monitor gunboats had both on board. No battlefield recoveries of 15-inch navy case shot are known."
- Product Code:
- PC9516
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