The one that got away...

[M ELEY]

Thanks, Hotspur. If I read your message right, you lost out on Dmitry's sword. Bummer...

I used to frequent that site and know the gent who ran it. It is archived and I'll try to find that link again (I copied it out on paper).

But, here's the thing... I agree that this axe in retrospect is too thin in the blade, but with one posted by Dmitry with the beefy blade is also NOT a boarding axe. The site you mentioned shows that it was a service axe distributed to both wilderness survival and to some soldiers in the trenches of WWI. Note how short the lagets are compared to some other boarding axes. Again, now you see why I've posted this thread and others in the past. For those who collect naval/nautical implements, there are the ones used by the govt navy and those many many others used for private purchase. These are the elusive pieces that are mimiced by British fire axes, camp axes, tomahawks, trade axes, trench axes, ice cutting axes, and even European boy-scout type camp axes. It becomes both confusing and frustrating to try and distinguish between the two-

I currently have an axe in my collection that I've never posted that I believe to be the real deal, but with such broad questions still remaining as to what constitutes a boarding axe, I think there will always be gray areas of doubt. For instance, not all boarding axes had wedged spikes. Yes, these did help sailors wrench hotshot impaled in the deck free, but the boarding axe was a direct development of the trade tomahawks that came before them. Early boarding axes had spiked tips that would leave a wicked hole in an enemies skull. The Dutch entrebil axe likewise had a wicked spike, as did the French patterns. In any case, when i have time, I'll try and post a pick of my axe, with the risk of dodging cannon-fire-