Sailor´s Knife

The History Knife & Tool Sailor's Knife is the central and most original knife of international merchant shipping and the navy. The German Navy still carries these knives today with minimal variations; the specifications are laid down in the technical delivery condition TL 5110-0026. At first glance, the knife appears inconspicuous, but it is precisely the typical simple shape that guarantees its high functionality and universal usability. All sailor's knives, regardless of the manufacturer, share the traditional saltwater-resistant ebony handle scales with two brass rivets and a brass lanyard hole as well as a robust black leather sheath with a belt loop. The centrepiece is the thin, flat-ground, mainly straight and slightly bulbous drop-point blade. One name should be mentioned in connection with the ‘Sailor's Knife’ due to the striking similarity: Horace Sowers Kephart (1862 - 1931) was a travel and outdoor writer and - together with George Washington Sears and Henry David Thoreau - is regarded as one of the pioneers and forefathers of the modern bushcraft scene. The Kephart Knife, which he developed, and which is now celebrated by experts, has an external contour that is very similar to the ‘Sailor's Knife’. It is no longer possible to say whether and in what direction inspiration flowed between the two knives. Perhaps the similarity is simply due to the archetypal simplicity and uncompromising functionality of the design.