Mounted Coast Guard sabre
 

i couldn't let it lie. as an ex USCG Ossifer i couldn't let it get away...

UK Mounted Coast Guard Sabre. Napoleonic era, early 19c.
75cm(29.5”) curved blade with flat back, single edged except for the last 8” with a hatchet point. looks much like the 1796 LC blade.

Brass knuckle guard with additional side guard and a circumferentially grooved grip shaped to the hand. The browned grip is made out of cast iron. complete with scabbard, brass fittings (needs some TLC).

i gather it's fairly rare. should arrive later this week, will update with any markings then.

Would the mounted CG also be referred to as the Sea Fencibles?

probably not.

the GB mounted coast guards, or riding officers, like their american counterparts were formed to guard the coast against smuggling from the continent, life saving was added as a duty later. in the USA it was the 'revenue cutter service'. the british had a mounted section. as did the USA, the british one was recommended for disbandment in in 1783, but became the UK coast guard formed in 1822 from a merger of the Revenue Cruisers, the Riding Officers and the Preventative Water Guard. there were at their peak only 291 riding officers to guard the whole UK.

the american one finished their last mounted patrols in 1944, returning 3000 horses to the army, after the threat from the japanese and german navies landing troops or spies subsided. the US Coast guard remains one of the american military forces, as well as a federal law enforcement agency. the UK version is unarmed, not military and not a law enforcement agency.

the riding officers carried a cutlass and a carbine and supplied their own horses.

the fensibles also had an american counterpart, they were an early naval reserve and they were probably the (UK & USA) smugglers the coast guard was on the look out for. they were formed from the local port's fishermen, and sailors. a kind of local naval militia.

one of the USCG's mounted troops of the beach patrol. note the saddle mounted rifles, no sabres, and each had a dog. i see dobermans, german shepherds, boxers. :) they also could carry submachine guns, pistols and a 43 lb. 'portable' radio for comms.

Great find! You don't see many of these around.

I have the sea version - very similar looking hilt and guard and curved blade but only 25" long and with only a narrow fuller.
Interesting info as well - thanks.

CC

interesting, the sea version is about 4 in. shorter than the mounted version, which is about 4 in. shorter than the 1796 lc sabre used by the cavalry. a fairly std. progression it seems, navy afloat likes the shorter hangers for tight shipboard use, infantry like a length that is less likely to hit the ground when swung (that's coincidentally 29in. for me - my uscg dress sword is a 29 incher, and cavalry like the longer ones so they can hit infantry closer to the ground and don't have the restrictions of the others. i put the riding officers in that infantry category as they were more likely to be dismounted when the used theirs, bit like police of the time.

it just arrived. :)

stats:
Length Over All=35in. in scabbard, 34.5 out.
grip is 4.25 in.,29 in. blade, 1 3/8 in. wide at guard, 1 1/4 further along until hatchet point. 5/16 in. thick at guard, distal tapers down to a quite thin tip of about 1/16 in. blade is in excellent condition, a few black spots but no active rust or pitting., no markings on blade or guard. peened pommel end.

weight of sword only is 919 grams (32.4 oz or 2.02 lb.), scabbard is 506 grams, 1.1 lb.), POB is 5in. in front of the guard.

and now the fun part. the guard is brass, not cast iron, and so is the blackened and ribbed grip, black is wearing off the raised part & brass shows thru.

the scabbard is actually steel, appears to have been covered in a thin cloth (silk?) and lacquered black, patches where this has come off are red rusty, but unholed. i will get rid of the active rust & stabilise. scabbard fittings are brass.

a cool sword overall, will add to my favourites list. :)

adjusted photo i just took of the left side. the blade is bright, the reddish color is a photo artefact. this side has smaller patches missing on the scabbard, and emphasises the brass ribbed grip, the brass looks darker in real light.