Shell case

[newsman]

Ok guys, I admit to be a land animal so to speak.

I have found a WWII shell case that is about 27 inches long at a paw shop and had to have it.

I can not figure out what the MMC stamping means. I think it is the manufacturer.

I do know it is heavy, inert, and is a mark V 38 cal made in 1943.

Any help?

 

[Otter]

Sounds like US dual purpose 5" / 38 naval gun. Not sure what the manufacturer casing stamp is.

 

[newsman]

Sounds like US dual purpose 5" / 38 naval gun. Not sure what the manufacturer casing stamp is.

Otter that's pretty much what I have. From what I've been able to find there were quite a few places that made shells. Given this is a Mark V it should have come from a bigger ship.

Other than that...it's a mystery!

 

[Stearmen]

5"/38 caliber guns were used on everything from battleships and aircraft carriers, to fleet submarines and merchant ships. They were over kill on the Gato boats, the warhead would go clean through the Japanese Maru's with out detonating!

 

[Otter]

Just a thought, it is definitely marked as BL , blind load, as those were the inert drill rounds.

 

[Stearmen]

Ok guys, I admit to be a land animal so to speak.

I have found a WWII shell case that is about 27 inches long at a paw shop and had to have it.

I can not figure out what the MMC stamping means. I think it is the manufacturer.

I do know it is heavy, inert, and is a mark V 38 cal made in 1943.

Any help?

How about a couple of photos!

 

[Otter]

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/Gun_Data_USN_Ammunition.htm

Might help you a bit with the headcodes.

 

[newsman]

Fellers I had a stroke of luck today after talking with a retired US Navy Captain and guru collector of these things. He could not remember the answer either. But his comments were the clue to finding this....and this is interesting because I couldn't find it on a not of website devoted to the topic.

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The Minneapolis-Moline Company (MMC) was a large tractor and machinery producer based in Minnesota. It was the product of a merger among three companies in 1929: Minneapolis Steel & Machinery (MSM), the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company (MTMC), and the Moline Plow Company (MPC). Headquartered in Hopkins, Minnesota, production sites included Minneapolis's Lake Street and Como Avenue plants and Moline, Illinois.

And this is what I found.

http://www.placeography.org/index.p...ha_Avenue,_Minneapolis,_Minnesota_(1902-1962)

The Minneapolis Moline factory visually dominated the Lake Street landscape, and served an important purpose, both for the neighborhood and the entire country, during times of need. The factory was a valuable source of income for the neighborhood’s residents, and during wartime, the factory produced shells, warheads, and jeeps. Minneapolis Moline was also the site of numerous labor struggles. One strike in 1946, resulted in a demonstration that cut off all Lake Street traffic for 45 minutes, and shut down the factory for two months.