rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Officially called the NAVY MK. I, the knives were collectively called Shark Knives, regardless of who made them.
They all had a 5” +/- blade, sometimes bright polished, or blued, or Parkerized, and somewhat similar handle shapes.
Early war MK. I knives usually had aluminum butt caps.
Later in the war, most all companies changed to Bakelite, Plastic, or Wood butt caps, as all available aluminum production was allotted by the War Materials Board to aircraft production.
The issue sheath was either a leather one provided by the manufacture, or later the USN MK. I grey fiber hard sheath.
They were made by Boker, Colonial, Camillus, Geneva Forge, Imperial, Ka-Bar, Kinfolks, RH PAL, Robeson, Schrade, Western, and possibly other companies.
Left to right:
Kinfolk with aluminum butt.
Robeson ShurEdge with plastic butt.
Western SeaBee steel butt. (not a true Shark Knife)
PAL RH-34 with plastic butt.
Western with plastic butt.
Boker with black Bakelite butt.
RH-PAL & Boker USN marking:
rc
They all had a 5” +/- blade, sometimes bright polished, or blued, or Parkerized, and somewhat similar handle shapes.
Early war MK. I knives usually had aluminum butt caps.
Later in the war, most all companies changed to Bakelite, Plastic, or Wood butt caps, as all available aluminum production was allotted by the War Materials Board to aircraft production.
The issue sheath was either a leather one provided by the manufacture, or later the USN MK. I grey fiber hard sheath.
They were made by Boker, Colonial, Camillus, Geneva Forge, Imperial, Ka-Bar, Kinfolks, RH PAL, Robeson, Schrade, Western, and possibly other companies.
Left to right:
Kinfolk with aluminum butt.
Robeson ShurEdge with plastic butt.
Western SeaBee steel butt. (not a true Shark Knife)
PAL RH-34 with plastic butt.
Western with plastic butt.
Boker with black Bakelite butt.
RH-PAL & Boker USN marking:
rc
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