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Item:
ONJR22PPSR099

Original U.S. WWII Inert M38 100 Lb. Aerial Bomb Quonset Point Naval Air Station Trench Art Ashtray With Wooden Base

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. This is truly a lovely example of just how creative men at war can be. The soldier who made this used an M38 Aerial Bomb, cut off the nose, added a handle and wooden base to the bottom.

This is completely inert and hollow and is in compliance with the current BATF standards on ordnance.

Not Available For Export

The artwork displayed is very patriotic in nature. The front features the words Quonset / 1944 with a lovely USN Aviation eagle beneath it. The base has lovely ships props painted on them with waves along the base of the fin assembly. Whoever made this took their time and made sure the artwork was perfect, which it still is almost 80 years later!

Truly a one-of-a-kind piece of WWII US Naval Aviation history. Comes more than ready for display!

Measurements
Height: 30” including handle
Base Measurements: 10”x10” squared

Quonset Point Naval Air Station (N.A.S. Quonset) was established as part of the Lend-Lease Act of 1941, shortly before the US entered World War II. It served as the major northeastern naval base during the war and subsequent years. During its heyday Quonset's workforce, combined with that of the adjacent Davisville Construction Battalion Center, was the largest in the state of Rhode Island.

The Navy established the Construction Battalion Center at Davisville (N.C.B.C. Davisville) less than a year after Quonset was completed. Unbeknownst to many, the Davisville area of Quonset used to be home to the thriving, 370-acre Romano Farm and Vineyards. Davisville would become the birthplace of the 'Seabees' a portion of service people in the U.S. Navy tasked with building bases, creating roadways and airstrips and numerous other construction projects during conflicts dating back to World War II. It was the Davisville Seabees and their innovative problem solving skills that led to the creation of what is now known as the Quonset hut.

During the Second World War, Quonset was involved in the development of a naval night fighter aircraft. After the war, Quonset Point saw depletion in ships on the base. It then went on to become a Naval Air Rework Facility, where it specialized in reciprocating engines and repaired and manufactured naval aircrafts.

Like other WWII-era military installations across the country, Quonset Point fell victim to military budget cuts during the Nixon years. The Quonset base was decommissioned on June 28, 1974. The Navy declared most of Quonset Point surplus to its needs and the land and buildings were offered to the State of Rhode Island and North Kingstown for civilian use.

Though Davisville avoided Quonset's fate and managed to remain functional through the 1970's, activity gradually tapered off as the military's strategic focus shifted toward the Pacific Ocean. By the 1980s, Davisville's facilities had been stripped back to a skeleton crew and many of its buildings were sealed. Davisville was selected for closure during the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC 1991) program and operational closure occurred on April 1, 1994.

Following their closures, the land at Quonset and Davisville was managed and developed by various state entities until the Quonset Development Corporation (QDC) was created by the Rhode Island General Assembly on July 1, 2004 (RIGL 42-64.9), which became effective on January 1, 2005.

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