US Naval Ships that were at Pearl Harbor

[Bob Womack]

Years ago I was able to get a Attachment 137829Attachment 137830Attachment 137831Attachment 137832Attachment 137833 Model 1903 stock (single stock bolt) from the CMP north store.
This stock was painted white (many coats of paint). As I took my time and very carefully removed the coats of white paint, I found AT 21 inletted into the butt stock. My friend, Tom in NJ, told me that is the navy designator or code for the USS Bagaluce. This was an ocean going tug boat from 1919 to 1944. The USS Bagaluce also had cancellations/post marks too. It is interesting that Model 1903 rifles were issued to this fleet tug.
Now there are no reported cancellations for the USS Hoga.

I'm remembering all the shots from the Pearl Harbor raid with sailors doing anti-aircraft duty with 1903s. I'm not sure the Navy had made the transition to the M1 Garand by Pearl. In 1944, my father shot first in his class on the Garand at Naval Induction Station Great Lakes, so the transition had made it to the induction stations by then. I still remember small arms inventories from large ships that had 1903s in their armory far into 1943. I think, I think, the armory inventory of USS Wisconsin, parked down the road from me, which was completed in 1944, listed 1903s when I visited last. Could be wrong on that one.

Bob

[RCS]

Alot of pre WW2 USN Model 1903 stocks had the ships name or hull number cut or stamped into the stock,

My photos show some of these stocks which came from Rock Island salvage or CMP sales