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Explosion Museum - need help with another strange device please

E

"Explosion!"

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BOCON 3.jpg We need help from the experts on the network again please. This is a sturdy brass object about 16 cm long. It has space inside for a spring and what looks as if it could be some sort of firing pin. It has various markings on the outside including the leters 'RN Mk 11' probably standing for 'Royal Navy'. Any thoughts or sugestions?'
"Explosion!"
 
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It's an explosive coupling . If you find out what it's for , please let us know as I have an identical one . Apparently , the Royal Naval Museum at Portsmouth should know & I assume you may have contacts there ? If you look closely , it will have some identifying stamps near the base that read AM.1859-1 . We thought this may be an Air Ministry code but the RAF museum have confirmed that it's not & is definitely a naval issue item .
 
Siegried,

Many thanks for that swift response. Items of this nature tend to come from the Royal Naval Museum to us for assistance with identification as we are the museum of naval ordnance. Will certainly let you know what we find out.

Explosion
 
Thanks guys . They should be able to trace its use from that AM number I gave you . Look forward to hearing from you . BTW , the firing mechanism inside takes a 9mm blank .
 
I think this is similar to a device discussed a few months ago,I think it is a balloon cable cutting device,if I remember correctly two were fitted to the balloon cable and when struck by an aircraft wing the snatch/jerk on the cable fired the devices and allowed a section of cable to fall away from the balloon,there was an automatic operated parachute at each end of this length of cable,when the parachutes deployed the resulting jerk and drag would cause the aircraft to spin/disentigrate/crash,the balloon had a ripout panel which deflated the balloon and it fell to earth slowly,I am sure this is the same device as on an earlier thread,hope this helps,
Don,
 
beihan62 said:
I think this is similar to a device discussed a few months ago,I think it is a balloon cable cutting device,if I remember correctly two were fitted to the balloon cable and when struck by an aircraft wing the snatch/jerk on the cable fired the devices and allowed a section of cable to fall away from the balloon,there was an automatic operated parachute at each end of this length of cable,when the parachutes deployed the resulting jerk and drag would cause the aircraft to spin/disentigrate/crash,the balloon had a ripout panel which deflated the balloon and it fell to earth slowly,I am sure this is the same device as on an earlier thread,hope this helps,
Don,
Click to expand...

Heres the thread Don...
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/86051-Explosive-Coupling

Would sure like to know for definate what these are, set all our minds to rest!!!

regards Kev
 
Don. That was one of my threads . Someone suggested it may be for balloons but I couldn't find an answer after contacting the RAF museum [who were very helpful] . Let's hope we finally get a definitive ID now another one has turned up !
 
Hi Siegfreid,I am sure there was a photo somewhere of women raising a balloon with these devices attached,I will try and locate it,if I remember correctly there are two types,(same device two applications)
Cheers
Don,
 
I have found a pic of women attaching a DPL to a Balloon cable,it is on www.17balloons.co.uk in chapter two there is a descvription as to how it worked but no clear picture of the device,
Don,
 
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