WORLD WAR II – THE USS NORTH CAROLINA (BB-55)
The USS North Carolina was commissioned in New York City on 9 April 1941. She was the first of the US Navy’s fast, heavily armed battleships to be commissioned.
She took part in every major naval offensive in the Pacific Theater of Operations to become the most highly decorated American battleship of World War II, accumulating 15 battle stars. The USS North Carolina is now a museum ship and memorial kept at the seaport of Wilmington, N.C. She was decommissioned on 27 June 1947 and later stricken from the U.S. Naval Vessel Registry on June 1st 1960. On September 6th, 1961, the ship was purchased by the state of North Carolina to be used as a museum and the North Carolina was later dedicated as a memorial to all North Carolina residents killed during World War 2 and in 1986, the North Carolina was officially declared a National Historic Landmark.
The teak decking used for our pens was purchased from the USS North Carolina gift shop (see photo below) and carefully hand-cut into pen blanks. A photocopy of the brass plaque that accompanied the decking is included with each pen (see photo below).
Why use teak (wood) decking on a modern battleship? The wood deck served several useful purposes:
1. Temperature and sound insulation - Steel decks quickly transferred either South Pacific heat or North Atlantic cold. The wood helped to modify the effects of the weather. The wood also deadened the sound of hundreds of sailors running and working on the deck.
2. Easier on the feet - In comparison to steel, wood "gives underfoot," causing less stress to legs and feet.
3. Protected the steel deck and personnel - Wood and its bedding compounds protected the steel from the corrosive effects of sun, salt, and water as well as protecting both the steel deck and Navy personnel from shrapnel (ammunition fragments) damage during combat.
For more information on the USS North Carolina please visit the following link: http://www.battleshipnc.com
The pens are available in either the bolt-action pen (see description here) or in a twist or two-piece style. Please contact us for more information
In 2010, excavation in the historic Charlestown Naval Shipyard unearthed a large quantity of curved, live oak timbers, as well as an old Navy canon from the 1800’s. This wood had been designated to be used to build and repair US ships, including the USS Constitution – Old Ironsides -and the last surviving whaling ship, the Charles W. Morgan that was built in 1841. Here is a link to a video about this wood:
JACK DANIELS OAK BOURBON BARREL PENS
We have purchased some oak barrel staves from the Jack Daniels distillery. These barrels were used to age the whiskey to perfection over the course of 7 years. The barrels were only used once before they were made available for sale. To see how the Jack Daniel barrels are made and charred, please visit the following link below.
The pens are available in either the bolt-action pen (see description here) or as a two piece or twist pen.
JIM BEAM OAK BOURBON BARREL PENS
We have purchased some oak barrel staves from the Jim Beam distillery. These barrels were used to age the whiskey to perfection over the course of years. The barrels were only used once before they were made available for sale. These barrel staves were made from Jim Beam's Devil's Cut. To see more about the Jim Beam barrels please visit the following link:
http://www.jimbeam.com/behind-the-bourbon/bourbon-101
The pens are available in either the bolt-action pen (see description here) or in twist or two-piece style. Please email for a quotation in a different style.
R.M.S. Titanic!
Own a piece of history! This Limited Collector Edition Napoli twist pen is made with a special, crystal-clear resin that contains a piece of coal from the R.M.S. Titanic (shown in the closeup in the second photo), which sank on April 15, 1912 in the North Atlantic. The piece of coal (the black dot in the white oval), which is a limited piece of history, was salvaged from the wreck of the R.M.S. Titanic during a search and recovery expedition in the year 2000. The pen comes with a laminated Certificate of Authenticity.
The other two photos show the R.M.S. Titanic at sea and a look at the engine room where the coal was shoveled into the furnaces.
The pen uses a standard Parker style refill and has been upgraded to a Schmidt Parker Style refill. It has undergone our proprietary 19 step hand sanding and polishing process.
The pen comes with our standard Lifetime Warranty ((NOTE: WARRANTY DOES NOT APPLY TO INK OR REFILLS).