A 19th century naval boarding ax

M ELEY · 26th December 2020, 02:38 AM

Thank you, my friend! Yes, you get it exactly!

Jim McDougall · 26th December 2020, 10:13 PM

Cap'n, thank you so much for showing this boarding axe, and for the excellent information regarding these tool/weapons. While I have not studied these in any depth, your great presentation has totally piqued my interest (you'd think you were a writer or something!

.

The resources you have cited are of course ideal for information on these, but I thought to consult one other, as these once off the vessels, often found their way into trade stations and in degree into American Indian tribal context.
That is "American Indian Tomahawks", Harold Peterson, 1965 (p.140, #312) which is a French boarding axe (as you have described) M1833. Though these were often diffused into the Indian trade, apparently the influence remained present for continued production of such axes for American naval use into the Civil War.

It is so interesting to see the actual utility use in which these were employed, and that the spike was used to dig out 'hot shot' imbedded in the wood of the ship as an incendiary. While I can understand the use of the blade to chop through rigging and broken wood, that dynamic I had not thought of.

M ELEY · 27th December 2020, 04:24 AM

Thank you, Jim, for your input on this piece. Yes, I had forgotten Peterson's amazing tome on the subject of spike axes/tomahawks. I have wanted a copy of this volume for years, but they are long out of print and I can't afford, like, $800 for a copy!! Thanks for posting a pic of the m1833 French model, which features the bearded blade and front/rear langets like my specimen. That's the interesting thing about naval items; there were 'official' patterns issued to seamen (after 1790's, that is) and there were 'private purchase' items for the merchant class and privateers. Private purchase axes/cutlass/pikes could literally be anything from contemporary surplus items, older stock items from decades before, or primitive blacksmith items/put-together pieces made in small batches custom for what that ship's captain wanted or wished to spend. You rarely see this kind of mishmash of items with the exception of Spanish colonial, American Revolutionary War pieces and CW Confederate items. I understand some collectors shy away from these types, but I for one love them for that exact reason. They are one-off, unique in a sense and many seriously border on the level of folk-art!

bvieira · 28th December 2020, 11:06 AM

Hello,

I disagree with that being a 19th naval axe, either the design or the even the stick seems old enough, for me is clearly a 20th century axe, it can be a fireman's or something else, it's not something new so I will consider before 1950.

Sorry but this is my honest opinion.

Regards,

Bruno

M ELEY · 28th December 2020, 03:19 PM

It's OK, Bruno. As I said myself, I 'believed it to be' a boarding ax. This particular area of collecting is dicey at best and I'll take your opinion under consideration. Hoping to get a few more in before making a decision to keep her. I've owned it for a long time, so it is not a big deal either way. Thanks for your input-

Jim McDougall · 28th December 2020, 07:21 PM

I think distinguishing a weapon which is essentially also a tool with basic similarities which might enable its use in varied contexts, to one specific area is pretty much impossible without exacting provenance.

It is in a way like trying to identify a Civil War weapon as Confederate, when weapons of same types and makers were used universally by both sides. Usually weapons of rougher or cruder character are considered Confederate with the thinking that they had little industrial or supply capacity. Obviously this is not a necessarily adequate observation.

The boarding axe is similarly a dilemma in identification as most of them do have a similarity to the fireman's axe. However it must be considered that in function, they are primarily the same with a pike at the back of the head opposing the curved blade. The pike at the back was to dig out molten shot in ship fires, and to dig out burning embers in burning wood in general.
So basically, their primary function was the same, in fact the axes on ships were often termed firemens axes. These were kept typically near gun ports and a fireman was the job of one gunner, who also kept water bucket at hand. Accidental explosion of powder, burning wadding etc. were perils at hand in addition to enemy shot.

Gilkerson in "Boarders Away" (1991, p.25),
"... weapon and tool, the axe was carried to sea by sailors in time before memory, and there it has remained into the present as the ships FIRE AXE, still looking very much like its direct parent, the boarding axe".

p.29:
"...it should be observed that for specialized purposes men of war also carried other kinds of axes such as various kinds of carpenters axes as well as larger broad axes which were sometimes issued to boat parties when it was anticipated that they would have to cut heavy anchor cable. Boats also carried hand hatchets for cutting of all lines".

p.30
"...the private ships carried the entire panoply of battle gear including boarding axes, which were generally unmarked copies of naval styles".

p.31:
"...the boarding axe was a thing of the sea, and it was unhappy and useless ashore except when fighting fires".

It seems that the well known fire brigades of the 19th century and early 20th were more small community groups which may well have relied on the local tool suppliers much in the manner of those charged with supply of private vessels.
It would not seem unlikely that a tool with such commonality as a fire axe (aka boarding axe) might not have seen use in either of these contexts, nor if one transcended use in one area into the other.

Without specific markings or provenance we cannot unequivocably say this axe is one or the other, but safely that it is distinctly of a form that was used in both an axe on vessels as well as in fire fighting ashore.

M ELEY · 28th December 2020, 10:51 PM

Excellently put, Jim! And I appreciate those quotes as well as I haven't looked at my copy in awhile. i was just about to make this very same statement, but not nearly as eloquently as you have! I understand Bruno's concerns with it appearing less aged. The problem with this, however, is that many of these axes never saw action and sat in a rack (or a barrel, as they did in Age of Fighting Sail where they literally 'rolled out the barrel' during a boarding). Likewise, there are many examples of known boarding axes that appear ever more 'minty' than mine. The front/rear langets on mine are seen on French boarding axes, but also on fire axes, military trench tools, etc. But the difference is, most of the fire axes with said langets have a square eye, like the French boarding axes. My example has a round eye, like the Brit and (some) American patterns. I can't remember seeing a fire ax with front/rear langets and a round eye. Likewise, most fire axes were machine-made pieces coming out mid-19th and later. The langets on mine are definitely made by hand, uneven, with the prongs (for lack of a better word) that extend over the eye being primitive and again hand-made. Finally, the haft is made on a lathe, which seems odd for something coming out of the Industrial Age and in large batches. The head also appears to have minor smithing flaws, pointing to it not being cast...

26th December 2020, 10:13 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	Cap'n, thank you so much for showing this boarding axe, and for the excellent information regarding these tool/weapons. While I have not studied these in any depth, your great presentation has totally piqued my interest (you'd think you were a writer or something! . The resources you have cited are of course ideal for information on these, but I thought to consult one other, as these once off the vessels, often found their way into trade stations and in degree into American Indian tribal context. That is "American Indian Tomahawks", Harold Peterson, 1965 (p.140, #312) which is a French boarding axe (as you have described) M1833. Though these were often diffused into the Indian trade, apparently the influence remained present for continued production of such axes for American naval use into the Civil War. It is so interesting to see the actual utility use in which these were employed, and that the spike was used to dig out 'hot shot' imbedded in the wood of the ship as an incendiary. While I can understand the use of the blade to chop through rigging and broken wood, that dynamic I had not thought of. Attached Images

26th December 2020, 02:38 AM	#1
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,158	Thank you, my friend! Yes, you get it exactly!

27th December 2020, 04:24 AM	#3
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,158	Thank you, Jim, for your input on this piece. Yes, I had forgotten Peterson's amazing tome on the subject of spike axes/tomahawks. I have wanted a copy of this volume for years, but they are long out of print and I can't afford, like, $800 for a copy!! Thanks for posting a pic of the m1833 French model, which features the bearded blade and front/rear langets like my specimen. That's the interesting thing about naval items; there were 'official' patterns issued to seamen (after 1790's, that is) and there were 'private purchase' items for the merchant class and privateers. Private purchase axes/cutlass/pikes could literally be anything from contemporary surplus items, older stock items from decades before, or primitive blacksmith items/put-together pieces made in small batches custom for what that ship's captain wanted or wished to spend. You rarely see this kind of mishmash of items with the exception of Spanish colonial, American Revolutionary War pieces and CW Confederate items. I understand some collectors shy away from these types, but I for one love them for that exact reason. They are one-off, unique in a sense and many seriously border on the level of folk-art!

28th December 2020, 11:06 AM	#4
bvieira Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Posts: 108	Hello, I disagree with that being a 19th naval axe, either the design or the even the stick seems old enough, for me is clearly a 20th century axe, it can be a fireman's or something else, it's not something new so I will consider before 1950. Sorry but this is my honest opinion. Regards, Bruno

28th December 2020, 03:19 PM	#5
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,158	It's OK, Bruno. As I said myself, I 'believed it to be' a boarding ax. This particular area of collecting is dicey at best and I'll take your opinion under consideration. Hoping to get a few more in before making a decision to keep her. I've owned it for a long time, so it is not a big deal either way. Thanks for your input-

28th December 2020, 07:21 PM	#6
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	I think distinguishing a weapon which is essentially also a tool with basic similarities which might enable its use in varied contexts, to one specific area is pretty much impossible without exacting provenance. It is in a way like trying to identify a Civil War weapon as Confederate, when weapons of same types and makers were used universally by both sides. Usually weapons of rougher or cruder character are considered Confederate with the thinking that they had little industrial or supply capacity. Obviously this is not a necessarily adequate observation. The boarding axe is similarly a dilemma in identification as most of them do have a similarity to the fireman's axe. However it must be considered that in function, they are primarily the same with a pike at the back of the head opposing the curved blade. The pike at the back was to dig out molten shot in ship fires, and to dig out burning embers in burning wood in general. So basically, their primary function was the same, in fact the axes on ships were often termed firemens axes. These were kept typically near gun ports and a fireman was the job of one gunner, who also kept water bucket at hand. Accidental explosion of powder, burning wadding etc. were perils at hand in addition to enemy shot. Gilkerson in "Boarders Away" (1991, p.25), "... weapon and tool, the axe was carried to sea by sailors in time before memory, and there it has remained into the present as the ships FIRE AXE, still looking very much like its direct parent, the boarding axe". p.29: "...it should be observed that for specialized purposes men of war also carried other kinds of axes such as various kinds of carpenters axes as well as larger broad axes which were sometimes issued to boat parties when it was anticipated that they would have to cut heavy anchor cable. Boats also carried hand hatchets for cutting of all lines". p.30 "...the private ships carried the entire panoply of battle gear including boarding axes, which were generally unmarked copies of naval styles". p.31: "...the boarding axe was a thing of the sea, and it was unhappy and useless ashore except when fighting fires". It seems that the well known fire brigades of the 19th century and early 20th were more small community groups which may well have relied on the local tool suppliers much in the manner of those charged with supply of private vessels. It would not seem unlikely that a tool with such commonality as a fire axe (aka boarding axe) might not have seen use in either of these contexts, nor if one transcended use in one area into the other. Without specific markings or provenance we cannot unequivocably say this axe is one or the other, but safely that it is distinctly of a form that was used in both an axe on vessels as well as in fire fighting ashore.

28th December 2020, 10:51 PM	#7
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,158	Excellently put, Jim! And I appreciate those quotes as well as I haven't looked at my copy in awhile. i was just about to make this very same statement, but not nearly as eloquently as you have! I understand Bruno's concerns with it appearing less aged. The problem with this, however, is that many of these axes never saw action and sat in a rack (or a barrel, as they did in Age of Fighting Sail where they literally 'rolled out the barrel' during a boarding). Likewise, there are many examples of known boarding axes that appear ever more 'minty' than mine. The front/rear langets on mine are seen on French boarding axes, but also on fire axes, military trench tools, etc. But the difference is, most of the fire axes with said langets have a square eye, like the French boarding axes. My example has a round eye, like the Brit and (some) American patterns. I can't remember seeing a fire ax with front/rear langets and a round eye. Likewise, most fire axes were machine-made pieces coming out mid-19th and later. The langets on mine are definitely made by hand, uneven, with the prongs (for lack of a better word) that extend over the eye being primitive and again hand-made. Finally, the haft is made on a lathe, which seems odd for something coming out of the Industrial Age and in large batches. The head also appears to have minor smithing flaws, pointing to it not being cast...