WWII Relic Hunting

Part 1:

American Mk. II Fragmentation Hand Grenade (Exhibit A)

This particular grenade could be a Mk. II grenade made anywhere between 1942-1945.  Surprisingly every manufacture had their own way of making these grenades.  I tried to identify which type this grenade was but could only narrow down the time period.  I managed to narrow down the time period by the fact that pre-1942 most grenades had what looks like a screw groove at the base.  This was called the filler plug.   Starting around 1942 the military started phasing the need for a filler plug out but many were still being used during the war.  This grenade does not have a filler plug groove.  It would be easier to identify if the yellow line that may have existed at the top of the grenade was still visible and not corroded away.

37mm M5 round  (Exhibit B)

This round was given to me by a friend and since they didn’t know what it was or what it was used for during the war they gave it to me as a gift in order to research its origins.  Around the base of this round is a brass identification band that reads (as far as I can read it): LDT SG-121 -1943  37mm M5.  This particular round was used in at least three vehicles during WWII.  During my research I discovered that the most likely owner of this round would have been one of the few M5A1 “Stuart” tanks that landed on Saipan as it was effective against Japanese armor.   This round did not fair so well in Europe against the Nazis.  The other two vehicles that could have fired this round are the M8 Armored car & the M3 Anti-Tank gun.  You can find pictures of these vehicles online by typing them in to Google images.

Large SL 43 Bullet (Exhibit C)

                 

These are .50 caliber bullets that came out of airplanes during WWII fighting in Saipan & I suppose .50 caliber rifles (if the troops here used them)… the SL 43 head stamp on the bottom of the round stands for the St. Lewis Arms Manufacturing Plant.

Part 2: 

.30 caliber rifle cartridge (Exhibit A)

                

      The next size down from the .50 caliber shell is the standard .30 caliber rifle cartridge.  I always wondered if that was the caliber the troops used because the shell is similar in size to the  .30-06 round I use back home for deer hunting.  It would also explain why my grandfather who was a pilot during WWII bought a .30-06 rifle when he came back from the war.  Perhaps it was what he was most familiar with during his military training.  These shells were commonly used during the war.

.303 caliber Shell Casing (Exhibit B)

     I believe this casing is a .303 shell casing, but am unsure because it did not have the style of rim of regular American made .303 shells (which are flat).  This casing has a grooved bottom, which causes me to be uncertain.  The only thing I can say is that this shell casing is just slightly shorter than the .30-06 cartridge (they appear to be almost the same in the picture) and is what shell collectors call non-corrosive.  That is why after I cleaned these shells the shell seen in Exhibit A is so dark and corroded where as the smaller shell (Exhibit B) is more shiny and polished.   Perhaps it could still be fire in a .30-06 rifle… and is just like I said a different caliber…

Spiral Wrapped Cartridge Casing (Exhibit C)

     If someone can help me identify this casing it would be most helpful for my blog information, however, on the bottom of this particular round I found the letters & number “SWCC 4” which stand for the name “Spiral Wrapped Cartridge Casing.”  This particular shell casing was extremely hard to learn about in my research.  I learned that the 4 stands for the year 1944.  A casing with SWCC on it is in a way somewhat special because during the time period of 1944 the process needed to make such a bullet was laborious. This particular casing is made of 2 to 4 separate pieces and required a lot of assembly (using dies) back then when they didn’t have fast engineered machines that can do such complex manufacturing in one process instead of three.  These bullets were made for accuracy (perhaps a sniper bullet?).  I could not find which particular gun type it belonged to, but a seasoned shell collector would probably know easily enough based on its small, sleek, non-corrosive look.  The reason there is only a 4 on the head stamp is because the shell casing was adapted by what manufacturers call a “bunter”  to be stamped with the number 4 by simply grinding away the 3 that would have belonged to the shell.  In my research I see that this was common during the war for .30-06 shells, but this shell is so small I can’t imagine it belonging to a .30-06.  It must have belonged to some other rifle a .308?  I’m really not sure.  If anyone who reads this knows, feel free to leave a comment.  Perhaps I’m wrong and it is Japanese (given the fact that their bullets are normally smaller than American bullets).  That is the best I could do in identifying this shell…

 Part 3:

.45 caliber hand gun casing (Exhibit A)

     This particular casing was probably shot out of a Glock M1911 model .45 caliber handgun frequently seen used all the way through WWII into the Korean War.  During the Vietnam war this particular hand gun changed form into the M1911A1.   

M1 .30 Carbine  Round  (Exhibit B)

     This round I believe was used in the M1 .30 caliber rifle that many soldiers used during WWII.  The rounds that I’ve collected have the head stamp PC 43, which stands for the Peters Company based out of Ohio.  The 43 represents the manufacturing year.   

Butter Knife (Exhibit C)

     I found this butter knife at the Barcinas Cannon on the island of Tinian.  I don’t believe it is military, but it definitely could be since it was found at a WWII site.  It has a manufacturing marker indent, but I cannot read it because it is corroded.  It is not American military because the kind soldiers used were heavy duty steel and had looped handles so that one could attach it to their belt or a rope if need be while in the field.  I don’t think the Japanese used such knives, but I don’t know for sure.  The knife itself is “extremely” sharp for a butter knife.  Part of me wonders if some soldier did not sharpen it to shave with during their time manning the Barcinas Cannon and trying to stop the American forces.

Part 4:

     This is an American Forces WWII Insect Repellent glass bottle that was given to me.   In researching the bottle I learned that it was an insect repellent bottle because of the manufacturing code on the back.  It is technically a size 36 2 Oz glass bottle of insect repellant (Manufacture code: DES Pat 85925) made by Skat Div. - Gallowhur Chem. Corp. Windsor Vt. for SKOL COMPANY.

Part 5:

     This is a small plastic cup of Gun Powder from both .30 caliber bullets and large .50 caliber bullets.  I had to unscrew the bullet from the casing in order to be able to ship the bullets through the USPS safely.  It is a slightly dangerous procedure as the gun powder is still ignitable if the casing has not been eroded and the bullet head is still securely attached.  Do not worry for my safety as the only thing that has happened so far to my person is the casual blister annoyance that comes from unscrewing bullets from casings.

      I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the quasi-credible research that went behind this post.  I will continue to look for WWII ordinance and relics while I remain in Saipan.  There are many places I have been told I need to hike to and search, but we'll see if I have the time to visit them. Since I cannot hunt animals in Saipan I am enjoying my times relic hunting and booney stomping with the machete. If I find anything interesting I will be sure to post it.  Most of these relics will be on my way to my parents house soon as I plan on making a WWII art project with them.  My next posts will probably be one random post with pictures from Saipan that I find amusing and one on the completion of my scuba training whenever that occurs. Again, Enjoy the history!

Sincerely, Grant

Saipan Time:

September in Saipan

Hi Everyone,
This will be a highlight of September blog for me:) There has been so much happening lately that quite honestly I was too busy to blog. I have had a great month of hanging out with friends, enjoying teaching, and loving the beauty of the island. I have definitely been taking a lot less pictures this year which is hard for me to say since I always have a camera on me, but Saipan really feels like home right now and I don't have this feeling like I have to quick take pics so I won't forget.
To start off the post here is a pic from the outdoor Street Market on Thursday nights. The pic has Laura, Anna, and I.

The next pictures are from the girl sleepover night. All of my girlfriends and I got together for pizza and hanging, and chick flicks. It was a really fun time:) Anna, Becky, and I ended up staying up until 3 am since we were having so much fun just being girls.

The next picture is from going to PIC happy hour with the girls. We had a good time watching the sunset and talking.

The next pictures are from a housewarming party with Jake and Jackie from church. The first picture is of Bobby and Debbie  and Chris and Joyce whom are friends of ours from church/school. The second pic is of Alison, Rachel and I.

The next pictures are of going to 360 revolving restaurant with Becky and Grant. It was a gorgeous night and from there you can see all sides of the island.

Becky and I went to Wave Jungle in Saipan a few Saturdays ago and really enjoyed riding on the water slides, going on the lazy river, and playing in the wave pool. It is my favorite water park in Saipan.

The next picture is from the hike that I planned after church. Grant and I went with a bunch of church friends and went to Old Man. It is called Old Man by the sea because the rock formation looks like an old man's face.

The next pictures are from learning how to play Canasta with some great friends.

On a Saturday Anna, Rachel, Becky, and I spent the afternoon sitting by the beach at the Hyatt and swam a bit too. It was super relaxing and it will be one of the things I miss when I leave Saipan.

 The next pictures are from our friend Matt's birthday party at the Hard Rock Cafe.

The last picture is of Taco Tuesday. Taco Tuesday means they have 1 dollar tacos at the bar Godfathers. They are wonderful and the best tacos on the island. We have been going every week with our friends and loving the fun times together. This picture is of my co-workers (friends too) and I at Taco Tuesday.

So in summary, September has been a great month. I feel so blessed to have so many great friends to have adventures on Saipan with. My SCS buddies are wonderful and I love how I can go next door and just feel comfortable and have a good chat. Anna, Becky, and I have been watching a lot of shows together and having some dance parties too:) I have also enjoyed that my friends from last year and this year and I can all hang out together. It is so nice:) Grant and I along with our friend Becky joined the gym this month and have enjoyed working out and starting to stay fit. Fitness is important to us and so we finally decided to join and it was the perfect time since they had a deal going on. Grant has started scuba lessons and he will blog on that eventually. I also have been getting a bit homesick this time of the year since Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I miss the changing of the leaves, Husker football, carving pumpkins, going to the pumpkin patch, and the corn maze. Saipan feels like a time warp at times with the weather being mostly consistent throughout the year so it is hard to pinpoint when things happened. I am so glad that Grant and I are on this adventure together and am excited to see what the next month will bring.
Love,
Kara

Saipan Community Guys Golf Outing

Dear Friends, Family, & Readers:

This morning I went golfing with the guys from Saipan Community School and Saipan Community Church.  It was a lot of fun despite the quick reality check that we are not pro's.  The course we visited was Coral Ocean Point Golf Course, which overlooks Agingan Point.  The golf course is on the Southwestern edge of the island and can be found by traveling on Beach Rd. (past our school) and then following the signs.  on the right hand side of the road.

Our tee time was at 6:30am.  Honestly, I barely made it out of bed, which did not help my demeanor and golf mindset for the morning.  It makes sense to go early in Saipan because by the afternoon one has to face the heat of the day.  This unfortunately means that there are more golfers and that a round of golf may be more stressful than relaxing because you have to worry about those behind you. 

Right now this particular golf course has a deal where a group of six people can golf eighteen holes for $15.00.
The neat thing about this price is that it includes a golf cart.  There is no place on the mainland that I could imagine finding such a deal.  Since we were a group of six people we had to break up into two groups of three.  This meant that Nate and I received our own golf cart and the other four guys shared two carts respectively.  The neat thing was that it was cool and we did not get rained on the entire game.

The only thing that could have made it more fun for me would be eating a good breakfast & perhaps doing either a best ball competition or two person pairing with a switching of partners on the ninth hole or something.  That way we could have been able to get to know one another more without being split up the whole time.  

It really was a good time and perhaps in the future our game can be a little less stressful.  Before I end I would like to give a blog thank you to Pastor Greg for providing some Chips Ahoy type cookies and water for those in need as that was neat.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Sincerely, Grant

Saipan Time:

Cold War Radar Station

Dear Friends, Family, & Readers:

            Today, I thought I would write about the abandoned Cold War radar station that exists in Saipan. I had always seen the radar station from afar and had been told that the U.S. Air Force had abandoned it many years ago.  Surprisingly, it took a lot of searching to find any historical information about it.  I’m sure articles exist within the Saipan Tribune website concerning the radar station, but the way their website is set up one would need to know the exact date or title of an article to find an article. 

                The radar station was built on Mt. Petosukara, the adjacent “hill” from the soon to be abandoned Far East Broadcasting radio station.  The actual name of the abandoned facility is PACBAR (what that stands for I’m not sure).  The construction of the facility began in February 1988 and ended in May 1989.  The station remained active through part of the 1990’s and then was abandoned.  In my research I could not find the year of its actual abandonment, but I assume it was shortly after August 1991 (or a few years later) because that is when the Cold War ended… It could be that it didn’t stop functioning for a few years after the Cold War because tensions were still high and relationships between nations needed to be mended.

            According to the government .pdf document I read through the website globalsecurity.org the main purpose of the facility was, “…to detect, track, and identify low earth orbit satellites,

and newly launched satellites from the Far East and the Soviet Union.”  If you want to wait for the .pdf to download to your computer (the nearly 600 page report) concerning the construction of the facility the website I found my information from is:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/library/report/enviro/PacbarMitigation.pdf

     The neat thing about the document is that you can see actual outlines of the whole facility and what it originally looked like and included, much of which is either missing or covered by jungle.  The funny thing about the facility now is that the 7 ft high fence that surrounded the facility is now gone, the 30 ft “clear zone” is now covered by jungle, and main buildings (flammable storage, pump chlorinator building, 30,000 gallon water tank, 2-15,000 gallon diesel fuel storage tanks) have now either disappeared or been swallowed by jungle. 

     While I was at the station, some Asian guys came out of a nice van/suv with the latest in paintball gear and their guns looked just like sniper rifles.  Apparently abandoned stations make for great paintball sites haha.  I also took pictures of some of the graffiti inside the building.  I like how the “Saipan Anarchists” drew a cute flower within their mark… too funny (For those not local 670 is the area code in Saipan).  The picture of Managaha and the Saipan Lagoon is from one of the overlooks on the way up to the radar station.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.   

Sincerely, Grant

           

Girl Spa Day!

On August 27th my girlfriends and I went to the Mandi Spa for a day of relaxation. The spa had a deal for locals where you can get their 90 dollar spa for 30 dollars which includes a day pass to the spa so we decided that we could not pass this deal up. It was so much fun to hang out and talk all day in the different pools they have. One of the best things about the spa is it is outdoors and has a great view of the ocean. It is so nice to sit in the hot pool and look at the waves crashing into the reef. They have 4 pools to sit in, a flower bath which has freshly picked plumeria flowers in it, a large lukewarm pool, a cold pool, and a hot pool. The massage was so called the Asian Blend and the 50 mins went by soo quickly. It felt great after teaching for a few weeks. I also loved that my friends from last year and this year could all hang out together and that we could all get to know each other more. I am so happy that I could spend the day with the girls and have fun talking all day! We are definitely going again when the deal happens