early british base fuze ?

[lcn]

A early British base fuze ?
The marking B O indicates War service (office) since 1855, and the War Department until 1857
If you have any drawings or other information
Thank you in advance
Cordialement
Jean Paul

 

[DICKAREN]

Nice fuze Jean Paul, thanks for showing.
Richard

 

[Bonnex]

Looks like a Moorsom fuze Jean Paul which is not a base fuze but as you say is very early. I will see what I can find.

 

[Bonnex]

View attachment Pages from Treatise on Ordnance and Naval Gunnery 1862-2.pdfView attachment Pages from Treatise on Ordnance and Naval Gunnery 1862-3.pdf

Jean-Paul,

Herewith a couple of PDF extracts from a Treatise. The book is freely available to download through Google books. It covers some of the early fuzes very nicely.

John Bart is an expert on this period and hopefully he will have something to offer when he sees this thread.

The Board of Ordnance mark is very nice to see (as is the fuze!) . As you say it dates it to before 1855.

 

[lcn]

Bonnex
Thank you for all these explanations. I also hope that John Bart can give us some additional explanations.
Cordialemnt
Jean Paul

 

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Jean Paul,
It is indeed a Moorsom percussion fuze. Invented by Cdr. Moorsom,RN. it was an early attempt to put a percussion fuze in a spherical shell. Norman's post shows it in a smoothbore shell. A beautiful fuze, it was obsolete soon after service use due to premature detonations. Where did you locate this one?
Since the end capis missing and one of the cover plates are rotated out of normal position this fuze may have fired. I t appears to have come out of the ocean.
Best Regards,
John

 

[lcn]

[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Thank you very much John :tinysmile_classes_t
Cordialement
Jean Paul