# WWII Navy Battle Lantern



## Larry1582 (Dec 8, 2002)

Just aquired one of the grey WWII Navy Battle Lanterns. Does anyone know what type batteries they used and the voltage? Looks like from the connectors inside that the batteries had screw posts on them.


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## Kirk (Dec 9, 2002)

Larry1582,
These lights used the #6 battery. It's the tall, round, 1.5 volt kind with the screw terminals. Used to use them to start gas-powered model airplanes. Radio Shack can special order the old-style carbon-zinc kind for about $15 each, I believe. You'll need 2 of them plus the jumper wire to connect them in series. Or you can try www.ralphselectronics.com for Eveready EN6 (the alkaline version). They are about $13 each, plus freight. These have a 46,000 mAh capacity which will power your lantern for about 2 days straight.
Kirk


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## snakebite (Dec 9, 2002)

anyone know the bulb number?
there is no number on the bulb in mine.
i dont think mine ever saw duty as it looks like new and the battery retainer is wrapped in early 40's dayton newspaper.made by grether mfg dayton oh.


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## Kirk (Dec 9, 2002)

Snakebite,
My lantern uses a #1491 dual contact bayonet base bulb. The bulb is 2.4 volts and I think .50 amps. Check out http://www.topbulb.com/search/results.asp?REF=110 . They have stock and the cost is $3.11 each. Good luck. You could also try to use a 2 "D" battery holder if you just want a "demo" light to show your friends.
Kirk


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## Larry1582 (Dec 9, 2002)

Mine has a screw in or threaded base bulb.


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## Larry1582 (Dec 10, 2002)

The one I bought has the jumper wire and the battery nuts. This one has a bulb, but I can't read a number. I would assume that it is a 3 volt bulb? Thanks Kirk!


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## Kirk (Dec 10, 2002)

Larry1582,
That is weird. Most of these "emergency" lights used bayonet style bulbs because they won't loosen with vibration. Check with Topbulb. They have a pretty good C/S. Give them dimensions (my bulb has a round globe about 1" in diameter) and what base yours is--miniature screw base, candelabra screw base, single or dual contact base, etc. Good luck.
Kirk


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## snakebite (Dec 10, 2002)

mine is a bayonet base.
btw who is the maker of your light?


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## Larry1582 (Dec 10, 2002)

This bulb is a single contact minature screw bulb with round globe. This light does not say navy on it. It is the big grey klunky looking light with a toggle switch in the front above the glass lens. It is sealed with the gaskets around the lens and the top cover. The lens cover and top cover are held on with screws and the square bolts. The only markings on it are U.M.P.C.I.


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## Kirk (Dec 10, 2002)

snakebite,
Mine was made by Delta Electric Co. out of Marion, Indiana.
Kirk


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## rkanddms (Mar 4, 2009)

I have a grey Navy Battle Lantern. USN is on the front in raised letters. It has a sealed beam. Toggle switch on top. Mounting bracket attached to the back. I have tried putting in two 6 volt regular lantern batteries. They do not fit. Too tall. The top part of the battery compartment has two brass strips where it appears the battery contacts touch. Does anyone have an idea of what type of battery this lantern uses? Any help will be appreciated.


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## Backpacker Light (Mar 4, 2009)

Wow, this is an old thread that you pulled up.

Do you have any pic's that might help identify the type needed?


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## Patriot (Mar 4, 2009)

I'd love to see a picture of it no matter what. Sounds very cool.


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## lctorana (Mar 4, 2009)

rkanddms said:


> I have a grey Navy Battle Lantern. USN is on the front in raised letters. It has a sealed beam. Toggle switch on top. Mounting bracket attached to the back. I have tried putting in two 6 volt regular lantern batteries. They do not fit. Too tall. The top part of the battery compartment has two brass strips where it appears the battery contacts touch. Does anyone have an idea of what type of battery this lantern uses? Any help will be appreciated.


 
I would expect it to be a single 8F lantern battery, like Eveready 731 or 1231.

But there are others - how big is the sealed beam glass 4.5"? 5.75"? Is the toggle switch on top of the lamp housing or on top of the battery box?

Does it, in fact, look like any of these?


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## donn_ (Mar 5, 2009)

Here's one style of Navy Battle Lantern. You can still buy these new:












These came in (at least) two configurations. They all had bulkhead brackets on the back, and one style was wired into the ship's system to keep the cells charged, while the other carried non-rechargeable cells.

The best way to ID them is to follow the Mil-F number and NSN # which will be somewhere on the case, or on a label inside.


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## will (Mar 5, 2009)

I was an electrician in the Navy. I served on a ship that was built during WWII. All the battle lanterns had been replaced with the style that donn has a picture of. We replaced them fairly often as they seemed to grow feet and walk away from the mounting brackets. I remember they had the 6 Volt batteries. We would get cases of batteries and lanterns.


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## SleazyRider (Apr 9, 2009)

will said:


> I was an electrician in the Navy. I served on a ship that was built during WWII. All the battle lanterns had been replaced with the style that donn has a picture of. We replaced them fairly often as they seemed to grow feet and walk away from the mounting brackets. I remember they had the 6 Volt batteries. We would get cases of batteries and lanterns.


 
Yes, one or two of them seemed to walk my way. I need a replacement headlight for one of them. Does anybody know where I could find a 6-volt, 4-inch diameter sealed beam to fit these lanterns?


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## Seiko (Apr 9, 2009)

The one out in my garage didn't walk away, my dad outright stole it  when he was on the LEX. You know those Navy guys you can trust them as about as far as you can throw them!

There is a company that makes led conversions for them. And rechargeable at that. No idea what it costs (probably an arm a leg and your first born)
http://www.navylanterns.com/sym 100.3.htm


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## Kirk (Apr 10, 2009)

Donn,
I have a few of these newer lights (made by Roflan) and one was factory-made as a "power failure" light. It has power cord that plugs into a regular household receptacle. There is a relay inside so when the mains power fails, the light goes on. It still uses regular old 6V lantern batteries that are not rechargeable. There is a push-to-test button and a volt meter mounted in front of the handle above the sealed beam to test the voltage of the batteries. 

Two of my lanterns came with "flood" lamps (they look like small car headlights) and another has a clear sealed bulb which has a pretty decent beam. 

EIKO, www.eiko-ltd.com , carries bulbs for these; part numbers are 4546 (clear lens, 4.7 volts, .50 Amps) or 4547 (clear lens, 4.75 volts, 1.25 Amps). I don't know if they sell to regular folks; my company buys from them for resale, so I just added on to a P.O. and paid the company back. Or you could google for PAR 36 lamps.

I have seen these lanterns in yellow, gray, and a light, pastel green.

Kirk


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## Gordo (Aug 18, 2009)

What's the case made of? Metal, Plastic,..?


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## Kirk (Aug 23, 2009)

Gordo,
The Roflan lights are made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material, similar to Bakelite. Probably a phenolic of some kind.
Kirk


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## IgNITEor (Oct 19, 2009)

Well dang! How crazy is it to dig out old threads anyways?

Wonder if rkanddms got his battle lantern running after all?

I was a IC electrician in the Navy, and the Electrician Mate's from the lighting shop were always lugging big cartons of the 6-Volt dry cells around for these lanterns. The ship had hundreds of them, everywhere! Almost in every compartment of any importance.
There were stories of shipmates, probably from deck department, of tossing the portables over the side (in port) for fun :scowl:. Because of the superb water-tightness and the heavy batteries situated towards the back, the lanterns would slowly sink beam up, all the way down.

I was able to make room for either a 6 or 12 Volt SLA inside my battle lantern depending on which lamp I was running at the time.The choices were 30 or 50 Watt, both Very Narrow Spot. Not much run time but with outputs nearing 300-400 Lumens. A small charging plug hangs out of the back. 

Donn, Gordo, or Kirk, if you guys see this post, and even the slightest bit interested, I'd like to partake in a group upgrade effort of this light.:candle:
It's very dark outside. Time to Shine!


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## Sgt. LED (Oct 19, 2009)

donn_ said:


>


 Now that is a cool looking light!


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## IgNITEor (Oct 19, 2009)

They were also very comforting during General Quarters, which could last for hours on end, especially when damage control would send us into some pretty creepy unlit spaces.


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## Stillphoto (Oct 20, 2009)

Now that would make for a really neat HID mod...


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## ProgrammerTim (Nov 19, 2009)

If anyone is still looking for a bulb, my father "somehow" ended up with one of these after his tour. He always said that a standard vw bug (original, I don't know about the new bugs) headlight would work.


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## JimKlaas (Jul 25, 2010)

I have an old grey battle lantern. I have been told it is from ww2. I recently sand blasted it, powder coated, and replaced all the gaskets and screws. No it is no longer "stock" but I love the look and wanted to USE IT! I live in a tent for 3 months of the year and this lamp would just fit in PERFECTLY. I would really like to put a halogen bulb and rechargeable battery in it. Anybody try this yet? The picture shows where I am right now...notice no switch or bulb yet...Attached is a picture of my project so far.....

[email protected]

Project so far...






Please email me with suggestions and or thoughts.


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## JimKlaas (Jul 25, 2010)

I am looking for suggestions for bulbs and rechargeable batteries, I would really like to upgrade to halogen and 12v rechargeable. 

http://gallery.me.com/columbiariver#100416

email me:[email protected]

http://gallery.me.com/columbiariver#100416


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## Michaeljp86 (Mar 8, 2012)

I picked up one of these today at a auction for $20, I almost got it for $5 but there is always one person who screws you up. We used these in coast guard boot camp and they still have them in the motor life boats. I just had to have it. Its a little beat up and needs batteries.


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## GUMBOMASTER (Mar 27, 2012)

*ARESOME LANTERN, I HAVE ONE AND THANKS FOR POSTING PIC. NOW I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT IS*






These came in (at least) two configurations. They all had bulkhead brackets on the back, and one style was wired into the ship's system to keep the cells charged, while the other carried non-rechargeable cells.

The best way to ID them is to follow the Mil-F number and NSN # which will be somewhere on the case, or on a label inside.[/QUOTE]


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## GUMBOMASTER (Mar 27, 2012)

*I have one just like this!! Super Tough!! Great Quality!!*

I was wondering what kind of light I had. I picked it up at a yard sale really cheap. It looks exactly the same,yellow in color. It's way more beat up though. It does not matter, this bad boy is built to lsat. It's built like a Battle Ship! I did not know if it would work or not, so I went to the Family Dollar to buy the batteries. They were only 1 or 2 dollars each compared to God knows how much for the Duracells! It lit up like a charm! I did not need a bulb, it just needed a good cleaning! It's been over a year and the lights still working. The bulb is not to bright though. I am disabled and whealchair bound, so I use a lot of different headlights. This thing is really heavy but it's really nice also. I was thinkinig about putting it on Ebay because it's so heavy. I was thinking about replacing it with the newer led lights. NO WAY NOW!!!! I am so glad I did some investigating and found out more about this. Thanks a lot guys for taking plenty of good photos!!


Michaeljp86 said:


> I picked up one of these today at a auction for $20, I almost got it for $5 but there is always one person who screws you up. We used these in coast guard boot camp and they still have them in the motor life boats. I just had to have it. Its a little beat up and needs batteries.


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## Michaeljp86 (Mar 27, 2012)

*Re: I have one just like this!! Super Tough!! Great Quality!!*

I paid $20 for mine, $8 for batteries, $11 for a bulb. So I have about $40 into it. The bulb that was in it looks fine but someplace in it the current wasnt going through. A LED lamp for it is over $60 so I said the heck with that.

I just put mine on a scale its 7lb 2.5 ounces. Im sure with better batteries it would be about 8 pounds. It doesnt look bright but take it out in the dark and you see far.

When I was in boot camp and we had to do training where there was a explosion or something bad like that. We had to rush into a ship, really it was a building but it was pitch black with smoke and crazy noise and flashing lights. We had to find a body and locate all their wounds and bandage them up then drag them out. 

Each group had a bag of medical supplies and one of these lanterns. I remember seeing those goofy yellow boxes on the floor thinking is that a light? That is so cool, I wish I had one of those. I think I even got yelled at because I was more interested in the light then the dieing plastic guy on the floor.


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## Boudreaux (Mar 27, 2012)

*Re: I have one just like this!! Super Tough!! Great Quality!!*

Welcome GUMBOMASTER!

If anyone is interested in obtaining one of the older model gray metal Navy Battle Lantern, there are several listed on ebay.

More info on Navy Battle Lanterns may be found in the thread under "Collectors" entitled "MY ANTIQUE ELECTRIC LANTERN AND FLASHLIGHT COLLECTION (MANY PICS)" by Captain Smiley. Another source of info is www.flashlightmuseum.com.

Also, there is a thread "A SHORT HISTORY OF THE DELTA MANUFACTURING COMPANY" by Kirk.


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## Prototype3a (Nov 24, 2012)

*Re: I have one just like this!! Super Tough!! Great Quality!!*

I have one of these yellow battle lanterns and access to some CNC equipment. I want to convert it over to some high power LEDs (XM-L U2?) for both super bright searchlight duty and long run emergency use. I'd love to use something like the module in the Nitecore TM11. I'd also love to put an external power input jack on the back with a switch as I have some 24vdc 100AH SLAs that I could plug it into. You could also run it off a 12v power jack in a car. I figure I could use one of these http://www.western-robotics.com/hercules-BEC-HC_hp.html to drop up to 45vdc down to something the driver could use. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas?


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## Prototype3a (Nov 24, 2012)

*Re: I have one just like this!! Super Tough!! Great Quality!!*

Found these this evening...

http://dauerled.com/?page_id=230

Not exactly what I want but heading in the right direction.


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## USMC (Dec 25, 2012)

I have one of these old yellow lanterns I got at a yard sale for like 2 dollars...no battery


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## Prototype3a (Mar 26, 2019)

Thought I'd update this thread a little.

My wife found my battle lantern and motivated me to actually get it going again. So, I'm going to machine some parts for it and install a Bridgelux Vero29 COB in it. It'll only be run at about 40w / 7000lm max. 

https://i.imgur.com/cEsPwIch.png


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## magellan (Mar 27, 2019)

Very cool. Good luck with your project.

Nice to see some activity on this old thread. :thumbsup:


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