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US Type 1 Fencing Bayonet Made From Whale Tooth (Baleen) (Ad-free) (Patreon)

Published:
2026-08-14 12:00:06
Imported:
2026-08

Content

In 1852-53, the Watervliet Arsenal in New York produced 1,500 fencing bayonets for the West Point Academy. These were made for practicing bayonet fencing with live opponents without risk of injury. They were comprised of a regular bayonet socket fitted with a holder and thumb screw for a "blade" made of whale baleen and a soft leather ball at the tip, filled with gutta percha or cork. The baleen (a pseudo-tooth from a filter-feeding whale) is a flexible and resilient material ideal for this sort of application, in many ways usable like we use polymers today. While the converted sockets are not too difficult to find today, intact complete bayonets are extremely rare. The apocryphal story is that hundreds were sold to Bannerman's as surplus, but rats got into the barrels and ate all the baleen. Whoops!

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US Type 1 Fencing Bayonet Made From Whale Tooth (Baleen) (Ad-free)

In 1852-53, the Watervliet Arsenal in New York produced 1,500 fencing bayonets for the West Point Academy. These were made for practicing bayonet fencing with live opponents without risk of injury. They were comprised of a regular bayonet socket fitted with a holder and thumb screw for a "blade" made of whale baleen and a soft leather ball at the tip, filled with gutta percha or cork. The baleen (a pseudo-tooth from a filter-feeding whale) is a flexible and resilient material ideal for this sort of application, in many ways usable like we use polymers today. While the converted sockets are not too difficult to find today, intact complete bayonets are extremely rare. The apocryphal story is that hundreds were sold to Bannerman's as surplus, but rats got into the barrels and ate all the baleen. Whoops! The best firearms reference books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com

Comments

Glenn Miller

Wow, what a story. Truly a unicorn bayonet.

Thomas Batha

Love the subject mater. FYI, Watervliet is pronounced water va leet.

Steven Minniear

Any examples of the drill instructions on how to use these things?

Bjoern Ludwar

Bannerman Catalogue of Military Goods 1927 lists them on page 47: "80 U.S. ARMY FENCING BAYONETS with whalebone blade and knob which bends when struck; kind used at West Point during the cadet days of Generals Grant, Sherman, Lee and other famous generals of the Civil War. This Fencing Bayonet will fit any of the U.S. Springfield cadet rifles, except calibre 45. With this socket and the whalebone blade fencing drill can be executed the same as at West Point. Socket and whalebone blade, Price $1.00 the set."