Anix Cutlass – Deepeeka – Blemished Grade

The Cutlass; the iconic sword of the seaman. Simple and effective, its robust design was used by Western navies for centuries. It was short enough for the close quarters of ship fighting, yet not so long as to be tangled in rigging or disadvantaged belowdecks. The curved blade of the cutlass makes it an inherently good slashing and hacking sword. Its tip as a thrusting weapon is not to underestimated, as it can sweep upwards or in from the side to give a surprising hook-thrust. British, American and Australian navies were still doing routine cutlass drills for their sailors into the early years of the 20th century. It was not until 1936 that the Royal Navy officially relegated the cutlass to a ceremonial weapon.

In the Age of Sail, there were numerous accounts of enthusiastic boarding crews ably armed with cutlasses that overwhelmed larger ships that would have outgunned them in a ranged fight. Such an action was the 1801 duel between the British 14-gun Speedy and the Spanish 32-gun Gamo. A crew of 40 British sailors subdued a frigate three times their number by clambering over the Gamos railings, cutlasses in hand and calling for reinforcements that did not exist! The frightened Spanish soon surrendered.

This cutlass has an unsharpened blade of high carbon steel. The hilt is of simple iron, further reinforcing the utilitarian, all-business personality of the sailing cutlass. The grip is wrapped with black leather and overlaid with spiralled brass wire. It comes with a leather scabbard with brass throat and chape accents.