Unknown 60mm Shell? Beach found - St. Valery en Caux

[Peamix]

Happy New Year all,

Hope you can help a total amateur identify something I picked up off a French beach back in 1998..

I found it at the waters edge on the beach at St. Valery en Caux, below a cliff that featured a part-demolished German WW2 bunker.
The base looks to be made of brass and measures 6cm in diameter by 3 cm deep. The remains of the body, which looks like steel is about 9cm long and heavily corroded/splintered. As you can see it is heavily encrusted with silt and sand.

I cant find any markings as such but the centre of the base looks like it has a defined circular depression.

All I know about the area is that it saw Rommel defeat the French and English in 1940.

Cheers,

Jamie.

 

[hangarman]

Hi Jamie,
And a Happy New Year to you too.
Is it possible that the base is actually the top ? It looks like a brass top screwed on to a brass thread, probably not for anything under pressure as the "cap" has no flats on it so is probably designed to be finger tight. Sorry I cant be more positive on the identification.
Cheers
Gary

 

[Peamix]

Hi Jamie,
And a Happy New Year to you too.
Is it possible that the base is actually the top ? It looks like a brass top screwed on to a brass thread, probably not for anything under pressure as the "cap" has no flats on it so is probably designed to be finger tight. Sorry I cant be more positive on the identification.
Cheers
Gary

Hi Gary,

I think you could be on the right track there, let's not forget I'm only making the assumption that this is in any way military-related due to the proximity of the German bunker complex near where it was found. It could even be part of a vehicle as the opening is about the right size for a fuel nozzle.

It might help if I could figure out how to clean it up a bit!

Cheers,

Jamie.