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View Full Version : M1911A1s aboard the USS North Carolina during WWII



Shooter5
12-06-2013, 06:03
The battleship curator stated its permissible to post the results of their record search: A quick glance appears to have 1937 manufacture, assorted mid 1940s and at least one 1945 production.
(There was some other information about other types of small arms, it will be posted in the M1903 section)

If there is a 1945 manufactured pistol on this list, that seems to indicate an inventory done late in the war years. Therefore, what is posted here might be different from the 1941 records card which showed 200 were assigned to the ship; there could be a difference from 1941 to 1945 both in terms of numbers still aboard and/or serial numbers assuming some pistols were switched out.
The curator's research thus far has revealed this list posted below but it only has about 120 serial numbers on it. So, there might be more numbers that turn up if the other 80 or pistols from the May 1941 were still aboard in 1945. Hopefully, the remainder turn up with additional research. Someone with some free time could look in the online archives as well.

Enclosed in the email was:

"Custody Record Cards –
45 cal. Model 1911 Colt automatic pistols, received 200 on 5/16/1941 (See attached for serial numbers)"

Much thanks to the staff of the battleship for their efforts to research this request. Please cite this information as “Courtesy Battleship NORTH CAROLINA." In addition, the curator stated many of their archives are available online. (Link below)

http://battleshipnc.pastperfect-online.com/31022cgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=DC662F14-F70C-4FE1-BF3C-986200832513;type=301

Our thanks to:

Mary Ames Booker
Curator
Battleship NORTH CAROLINA
curator@battleshipnc.com
mary.booker@ncdcr.gov
910-251-5797 ext. 3026
E-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law "NCGS.Ch.132" and may be disclosed to third parties by an authorized state official.

http://www.battleshipnc.com/

M1911A1 inventory
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r50/joesmith_05/scan0002_zpse5423c9d.jpg (http://s141.photobucket.com/user/joesmith_05/media/scan0002_zpse5423c9d.jpg.html)

Tuna
12-06-2013, 07:59
120 1911 A1 pistols with lots of Remington-Rands and the rest Colts. That would be a nice assortment to see for sure.

mpd1978
12-07-2013, 12:14
Well I can account for one of the pistols on the list, half of it anyway. I've got 711699's slide in the parts bin.
Neat, thanks for posting!
http://i578.photobucket.com/albums/ss228/mpd1978/4bf3707c0fd9425c8b04b89f9dfa9882_zps1b42ee78.jpg

glindes
12-07-2013, 06:23
Almost... I have 1378780... Thanks!

Shooter5
12-07-2013, 07:02
MDP: if yours served the whole war, it earned 15 Battle Stars!

mpd1978
12-07-2013, 07:18
I wish I had the bottom half, it would be really something special to have a pistol assigned to that ship. I would love to see the rest of the1911 numbers assigned to the ship.
Thanks

Shooter5
12-07-2013, 07:38
True…but at least your glass is HALF full!! Ha, what a piece of history.

Duane Hansen
12-08-2013, 12:15
Well I can account for one of the pistols on the list, half of it anyway. I've got 711699's slide in the parts bin.
Neat, thanks for posting!
http://i578.photobucket.com/albums/ss228/mpd1978/4bf3707c0fd9425c8b04b89f9dfa9882_zps1b42ee78.jpg

Nice, 1937 Navy range, too bad you don't have the complete pistol.....

mpd1978
12-08-2013, 01:59
I'd like to find he bottom half of this one too...
http://i578.photobucket.com/albums/ss228/mpd1978/7e8732f72d075f3d551652b8ea04541b_zpsc4253fc7.jpg

Scott Gahimer
12-10-2013, 12:31
120 1911 A1 pistols with lots of Remington-Rands and the rest Colts. That would be a nice assortment to see for sure.

(118) M1911A1 pistols. 1 number is repeated, another is incorrect. The fun is in figuring out which 2 numbers to skip. :)

Shooter5
12-10-2013, 06:27
(118) M1911A1 pistols. 1 number is repeated, another is incorrect. The fun is in figuring out which 2 numbers to skip. :)
Interesting...an possible example of cooking the books for a bring back or two?! Or, could it be that its a case of serial number overlap with manufacturers?

Scott Gahimer
12-10-2013, 09:13
Probably just mistakes. The one is not in any duplicate serial range. The other?...There weren't any pistols in the 96 million serial range.

Shooter5
12-11-2013, 04:59
The other?...There weren't any pistols in the 96 million serial range.
LOL!!

Shooter5
12-23-2013, 07:29
Got in a quick tour over the weekend. A picture from the arms room shows a board made to hold pistols. Another from the archival collections appears to show the same board.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r50/joesmith_05/downsized_1020131402_zpsa050c62a.jpg (http://s141.photobucket.com/user/joesmith_05/media/downsized_1020131402_zpsa050c62a.jpg.html)
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r50/joesmith_05/downsized_1222131330_zps1ee61ce4.jpg (http://s141.photobucket.com/user/joesmith_05/media/downsized_1222131330_zps1ee61ce4.jpg.html)
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r50/joesmith_05/downsized_1222131330a_zps08fb1512.jpg (http://s141.photobucket.com/user/joesmith_05/media/downsized_1222131330a_zps08fb1512.jpg.html)
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r50/joesmith_05/20050010047_zps3eecf278.jpg (http://s141.photobucket.com/user/joesmith_05/media/20050010047_zps3eecf278.jpg.html)

Johnny P
12-23-2013, 08:59
The other?...There weren't any pistols in the 96 million serial range.

But there is one in the 9 million serial number range. A local called me up to tell me about his new Ithaca, and wanted me to look at it. One look and it was obvious the pistol was a total fake, as all the slide and receiver markings had been pantographed. Only after I made pictures I noticed that what I thought was a serial number in the low 900,000 range was actually in the 9 million range. The pantograph operator had put one too many digits in the serial number, making it a really unique fake.

Shooter5
12-25-2013, 05:53
But there is one in the 9 million serial number range. A local called me up to tell me about his new Ithaca, and wanted me to look at it. One look and it was obvious the pistol was a total fake, as all the slide and receiver markings had been pantographed. Only after I made pictures I noticed that what I thought was a serial number in the low 900,000 range was actually in the 9 million range. The pantograph operator had put one too many digits in the serial number, making it a really unique fake.
Yes, the little known Colt/RemRand/Ithaca/Singer/USS&S "post-war" production run from 3 mil into the 9 mil range! Which is apparently still on-going - I wonder if those company CEO's know there is still a factory floor team building them?, Haha!

Doug Douglass
12-25-2013, 07:06
Well I can account for one of the pistols on the list, half of it anyway. I've got 711699's slide in the parts bin.
Neat, thanks for posting!
http://i578.photobucket.com/albums/ss228/mpd1978/4bf3707c0fd9425c8b04b89f9dfa9882_zps1b42ee78.jpg

You just may find the other half.

A couple of years ago a guy found his grandfathers WWII issued Ithaca 1911A1 that he sold in the 90's for rent money. He found it Googling a CSP discussion about Ithaca's where the serial number was listed. The rest of the story is I was the present owner of that Ithaca, the grandson e-mailed me through CSP and now it is back in his gun safe in CA.

You never know.