Early Rock Island 1903 stock with some history

[RCS]

This stock came from the CMP North back around 2009. This stock had a faint Rock Island cartouche and was single bolt - but was painted while (many coats too). I had an original early 1907 Rock Island rifle - but without a stock.

Very carefully, I removed the paint with a paint remover. After all the paint was removed, I noticed the marking AT over 21 on the butt. I showed a photo to Tom in NJ who has posted here. Tom told me the AT 21 is a US Navy code for an ocean going tug boat, the USS Bagaluce used from 1919 to 1946.

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Interesting that an ocean going tug would have as small arms locker but I guess boarders would grab whatever they could. Better armed than captive. Nice piece.

[RCS]

I would think all US naval ships would have small arms assigned, plus they could use rifles to shoot at floating mines too

[browningautorifle]

I would think all US naval ships would have small arms assigned

Yes, I would guess so too.

[usabaker]

Pretty awesome Rob, I think you might have shown us pictures of this stock in the past on another thread.

[butlersrangers]

Nice Stock Save!

[cplstevennorton]

I just posted about this on the CMP forum. I found a master list of Navy abbreviation and codes and I'm trying to see if these markings on the stock have an assoction with this list.

For instance on AT, this is what it says.

Anti-Tank

Anti-Torpedo (Nets)

Attack teacher

Ocean-going Tug

United States to United Kingdom (routing designation)


For code 21, it says:

Gourock, Scotland


You see so many of these codes that don't have any association with a ship. So I am not sure they meant a ship or something else.

What do you guys think looking at these codes above? Does anyone see a correlation?

---------- Post added at 10:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:42 AM ----------

21 might just be a rack number too.

So it might as simple as Ocean Going Tug, rack number 21


But there are just so many ways to read this and I'm hoping these info above might mean something.

RCS, you might be entirely right about the tug you shown, I'm just trying to spit ball ideas because some of these stampings on the stock exactly like this, have no association with a ship designation at all.

[cplstevennorton]

Ok these two do seem to have a correlation.

AT can mean the route between the United States and the United Kingdom

21 is code for Gourock, Scotland. Which a simple google search seems to show this was a port that received troops from New York

Maybe sometimes these are codes assigning M1903's to regional locations?

Just spittballing ideas. Trying to think outside the box.

[RCS]

When you look-up the USS Bagaduce the US Navy designator is AT 21 for ocean going tug boat. This was the lead ship in the Bagaduce class
of fleet tugs and commissioned in 1919. Reclassified on 15 May 1944 as ATO-21 and decommissioned 1946

The early Rock Island stock is pre WW1 with only a faint Rock Island cartouche and single stock bolt (1908) and without any
additional rebuild stamps except for the Naval Designator AT 21

[cplstevennorton]

Yeah I could see that.

I would just love to figure out these stock codes. You see a lot of them, and most of them do not correlate to anything ship related. So I keep on trying to find a pattern to figure them all out.

Beautiful rifle.