French 30/55 Model 1889 T Time and Percussion Fuse-This is missing some of the internal parts but is still a great display piece. This information was found on the “passioncompassion1418” website.
The French Marine developed its own time and percussion fuses from 1886 with the 18/28 Mle 1886 time and percussion fuse for the 65mm shell, equipped with a Robin percussion system, followed in 1889 by a 30/55 Mle 1886/89 time and percussion fuse system Robin for the 14cm and 16cm guns shells.
This fuse was allowing noticeably longer flight times than the fuses of the same period, since it was graduated from 0 to 49 seconds instead of the usual 22 or 30 seconds.
The Army adopted in 1889 a fuse with similar dimensions, shapes and properties, but equipped with the Saussier percussion system. This new fuse was called 30/55 mm model 1889 time and percussion fuse. The Marine decided to abandon its original design and adopt the one of the Army in 1901.
In 1902, a lateral stud was added at the tronconic hat base of the Mod 1889 fuse to make it compatible with the mechanical time setting machine ('débouchoir double'). This new version was consequently named 30/55 mm model 1889 T time and percussion fuze.
The fuse tail plug was given an unusual conical shape designed to penetrate more easily into the gunpowder mass of the shell to which the fuse was screwed, with two vents obturated with copper sheets. The 30 mm tail thread could be changed into a 40mm one using an adapter ring Mod 1889. This long combustion time fuse was mainly used with the shells of the:
• 105 mm field guns (rear charge shrapnel shells)
• 120 mm guns (shrapnel shells)
• 155 mm guns (shrapnel and illuminating shells)
A purely time fuse (without percussion system) was developed in 1913, principally for the anti-aircraft artillery, so that a shell that did not explode in the air would not explode when hitting the ground, usually in friendly territory. While the head of this 30/55 mm model 1913-time fuse without detonator was identical to the one of the 30/55 mm model Mle 1889 time and percussion fuse, its tail was of course much shorter, filled with gunpowder instead of the percussion system, and closed by a flat plug.
This variant was mainly in use with the shells of the:
• 75 mm anti-aircraft guns (rear charge or mixed charge shrapnel shells, tracer shells)
• 105 mm guns (tracer shells).
This is a very interesting display piece!