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Hi Group,

I have a USN Dinner Fork that has the number "821" etched on the back of the handle. Does anyone know what that number might reference? Have a photo below





Thanks for any insight you might have!

Hi JdTepf,

I can only guess that this is some form of personal identification, rather than anything official. Perhaps it relates to part of someone's service number?

Trev.

Hi Trev,

I have been wondering if it is personal or if it is tied to a specific ship or facility. I would think that silverware would have been a general item and not specifically issued per person. I have seen some of the USN silverware that has markings for high ranking officials.

I am hoping someone might know a lot more than I do about this :)

Thanks for the help!

J

There were 100 officers in the Wardroom and an amusing event occurred during our voyage to Invergordon. During a lull in the exercise, the ratings were piped to dinner and we, in the Wardroom, sat down to a well – earned meal. A long dining table seating about 40 officers was laid with a white table cloth on which were the cruets, sauce bottles, water jugs and silver. Soup had just been served when the ship gave a huge roll. Someone had forgotten to lock the two middle parts of the table together with the consequence that one end slid across the deck, the heavy jugs and silver descended through the large gap, dragging the table cloth down with our soup plates, knives, forks and glasses. We were left sitting on our chairs `round two bare pieces of table underneath which was the most awful mess of soup, cutlery, sauces, plates and so on.

George Campbell Ross C.B., C.B.E. (9 August 1900 – 30 July 1993) Chief Engineering Officer Lieutenant Commander, HMS Rodney (the ship that sunk battleship Bismarck).

Try locating a naval ship carrying the number 821 (in white on the bow)? Maybe someone was having an inventory control problem and decided to punch identifying marks for stop-loss reasons. (Kind of a Caine Mutiny scenario. Now where did put all those strawberries?)