Ship Part ?
 

Can anybody tell me what this is, it came off the British Splendour ship. The exact measurements of it is 3
3/8" tall, 2.5" long, and 1.25." A friend of mine found it scuba diving.


Thanks

Re: Ship Part ?
 

This looks like a weight of some kind. Is it made of copper?

Re: Ship Part ?
 

The lady that found it said, by soaking it in vinegar they were able to remove 66 years worth of corrosion and see that it was made of brass.
This was found at the resting place of the British Splendour.

Re: Ship Part ?
 

Torque spring of some kind? Probably not if it is brass...

Re: Ship Part ?
 

My opinion is that is a self-made weight, that it was being maybe attached in the end of a rope to measure the distance to the depth…or it was used as an anchor for something floating.His shape has no edges to stick on the rocks...

Re: Ship Part ?
 

Maybe it points to the origins of the phrase, "He's tightly wound." LOL

Richard :coffee:

Re: Ship Part ?
 

To me it looks like bronze and it looks like a spring. I did come across this web site for the HMS Splendour
http://www.nc-wreckdiving.com/WRECK...SH/BRITISH.HTML

Re: Ship Part ?
 

Hello all.Don I am also leaning towards this part being some sort of a spring.It may be broken,because I would think that there would be some sort of tab on the very inside of the coil......Is Bronze a very good metal to use for spring material? Another thing that is very noticable,is the bolt hole at the top of the part in question.....I would say that this points directly to the spring theorey.It would have to be fastened at this spot for the part to operate correctly.Cheers and Thanks Walter

Re: Ship Part ?
 

I'm tending in favor of the weight theory...

It's too tightly wound and of the wrong material to be a spring. I had considered the idea of a bushing of some sort, but the central hole isn't very round and dosn't seem to show any wear.

My suspicion, an informal weight, possibly for the hook on a crane or derrick used to manipulate the tankers loading pipes and hoses. The argument being that on a tanker, a brass or bronze weight would be less likely to strike a spark if it hit another peice of metal.

But this is only speculation based on shape and material. I admit to having no actual knowledge.

Regards to all my fellow speculators.

Jim

Re: Ship Part ?
 

Hmm...could this be a weight to drop a line into the pipe that checks the depth of the gasoline holds? Kinda like a "Dipstick"? It seems that a small line or rope was attached to it and that it was used as a weight of sorts. It is hand-made. It looks as though it was an object made for necessity and not a planned machine part. Brass (no sparks). No damage from being thrown or dragged across a rocky bottom.

Not certain but that would be my guess.

Re: Ship Part ?
 

The inner "circle" appears that it fit on a round object that had a flat ground into it giving it the possiblility of being a spring - the flat also looks worn. However, the top hook would be facing the wrong way for that type of spring. It actually looks to me to be a possible decorative object, attaching to something at both the hook and in the inner circle, and hence holding two things together.

Richard