In 1988 a small local marine repair company won a contract to replace the teak decking around the number three gun turret of the battleship Iowa. I managed to finagle a few pieces of the original teak. This was quite an acquisition since these old "planks" are usually reserved for the officers and sailors that have served aboard Iowa. Imagine if this wood could talk!
I ordered three knives (two model #15s and a model #1) and sent the material to the shop in March of 1989. On April 19, 1989, while the knives were being made, an explosion ripped through the number two gun turret killing 47 crewmen.
This is the model #1 marked U.S.S. IOWA BB 61