Item Number: A01842

Item Title: Very neat shell recovered from US ship sunk by Confederates in FL

Price: $440

Shipping: Not included

Provenance: US

Type: Parrott

Size: 20 Pounder Parrott (3.67

Sabot: Brass Ring Type III

Fuse: West Point Time

Book:
Dickey and George (1993 Edition) page 232
Melton and Pawl (Paperback Editon) page 66 A-96

Location Recovered: USS Columbine Sunk Near Jacksonville, FL 1864

Description:
In one of the few times that CS land forces sunk a US Navy ship, the USS Columbine has an interesting story. Alerted by a female spy, a detachment of CS Florida Calvary borrowed a cannon and sun the ship as it patrolled the St John's river. They set up an ambush along the river bank and succeeded in sinking the ship.

More info at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Columbine_(1862)

This shell is in very nice shape having been recovered from the sinking site in fresh water. The iron is very good. There is a shallow scaling around the fuse I suspect form where the powder was seeping out of the fuse and reacted with the iron but it is not much. For a battlefield recovered shell, the West Point time fuse is pretty good with both spanner holes evident. I can't tell if there is a "W" embossed on the fuse lip. The sabot is quite good other than a dent on one side where it is pushed in. This is likely due to an explosion on the ship that caused an impact. The brass has a nice aged brass look that contrasts nicely with the dark iron.

This shell is from the incredible California collection amassed by the late Bill Tracy.

Shell is inert, cleaned and coated.