1921 US Navy Sextant Owned by Enola Gay Admiral/Bomber

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You are bidding on a very unique and rare piece of American naval and wartime history. This is a 1921 United States Navy Sextant made by Brandis & Sons of Brooklyn , New York . This wonderful original Navy sextant has one very important distinction. It was owned by Rear Admiral William Sterling Parsons. Admiral Parsons was the man who armed the first war-use atomic bomb while on board the Enola Gay, the airplane that dropped the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima , Japan on August 6, 1945. We are not sure if this sextant was on board the Enola Gay and we make no claims on that account, but it certainly was owned by him. Rear Admiral William Sterling "Deak" Parsons (November 26, 1901 - December 5, 1953) was an American military engineer, best known for being the weaponeer on the Enola Gay (at the time, he had the rank of Captain) which dropped the first atomic bomb on the Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. He bridged the gap between pure science and engineering, between laboratory research and military application of that research. He played a key role in the design and deployment of the proximity fuse, and helped to research, develop, assemble, and finally drop the atomic bomb. Parsons crawled into the Arctic-cold bomb bay of the Enola Gay to arm the bomb while the plane was in mid-flight to Japan . After World War II he became the US Navy's leading figure on nuclear issues. The "Rear Admiral William S. Parsons Award for Scientific and Technical Progress" was established by the US Navy in his name. Rear Admiral Parsons was one of the early Navy men with expertise in the new atomic weapons. He served as Officer in Charge of Project Alberta and Deputy Task Force Commander for the Technical Direction of Operation Crossroads. He is shown [1] [2] in a series of watercolor paintings related to Operation Crossroads. He died of a heart attack at age 52 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery . The sextant is marked US Navy #1146 on the bottom of the graduated scale. The condition is very good and it was reconditioned and repainted by the Navy and it includes a letter on US Government letterhead to Admiral Parsons' wife that reads: "Mrs Parsons- Sextant has been cleaned painted and adjusted. Although not restored to original condition, it should be satisfactory for navigation. Resp. B.P. Garnett." It seems to be in excellent condition with the glass parts needing a simple cleaning. The only brass part has a small amount of staining that also would be easily cleaned. The mirror has a small chip but it is also an easy replacement. The sextant is original and we are not sure if it still suitable for navigation. The Brandis Company ceased operation in 1932 and they are some of the most sought after marine collectibles. T is also a letter about Admiral Parsons that we believe was written by his wife. It describes his life and his historic flight. Interestingly he armed the bomb mid-flight out of fear of a crash landing at takeoff. The sextant comes with its original hardwood case (needs some gluing). The case has the original Certificate of Inspection from August 27, 1921 for Brandis sextant number 1146. Admiral Parsons' card is also affixed to the inside as well. T are also a number of eyepieces and an original replacement mirror. Buyer pays $14 shipping & handling in the lower 48 plus insurance. International bidders are always welcome but pay actual international, airmail only, shipping costs. Buyers from Maine pay 5% State sales tax. We offer delivery confirmation and tracking on US orders at no additional charge. Bid with Confidence! We guarantee our sales. Please see our other auctions for more great first edition books and fine jazz and blues records. Thanks for looking, and happy bidding read more

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