US WWII Navy M1 Helmet and Liner, USS St Paul, Gun Mount Nr. 37
This item is listed for historical interest only. It was listed on our site previously but has been sold and is no longer available for purchase.
Sold for: $150.00

Original era manufacture. Rear seam, non-reflective edge steel helmet, with original sewn dark OD chinstraps. Old battleship gray paint job, withoriginal stenciling on the front, MT.37, which our friend (Vietnam Navy RiverBoat Vet) advised that it stood for, Gun Mount 37.The steel pot displays normal age and wear, with a dent at the top which has caused the paint to chip away. The liner is a late version of the M1 liner made without a front grommet, with dark OD webbing. It was in the helmet at the time of our purchase.This helmet was recovered from the USS Saint Paul in the early 1980's when the cruiser was in San Pedro California. An old friend ofours, a former Vietnam era sailor, was a crane operator in San Pedro at the time. He wrangled his way onboard the shipand came away with this helmet as a souvenir, prior to the Saint Paul being scrapped.The USS Saint Paul (CVA-73) was a Baltimore Class cruiser, she was launched in September 1944, and commissioned in February 1945.She participated in the campaign against the Japanese Home Islands in the waning days of WWII, and was present at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.She also saw combat during the Korean War, providing fire support missions on the Korean coast, and receiving return fire from Communist shore batteries. She was sold for scrap in 1980.