Original U.S. Navy Post-WWII Mousetrap Style Anti-Submarine Rocket with Great Markings - Inert

Original Item: Only One Available. This anti-submarine depth charge is totally inert and in compliance with guidelines provided by the BATF. It cannot be converted to an explosive device and is not available for export.

Mousetrap (ASW Marks 20 and 22) was an anti-submarine rocket used mainly during the Second World War by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. Its development began in 1941 as a replacement for Hedgehog, a British-made projector, which was the first forward-throwing ASW weapon. Those, however, were spigot-launched, placing considerable strain on the launching vessel's deck, whereas Mousetrap was rocket-propelled. As a result, Mousetrap's four or eight rails for 7.2-inch (183 mm) rockets saved weight and were easier to install.

This example is post-war as denoted by the markings, but we aren’t sure when exactly it was manufactured. The rocket is 29” long. The top has an unscrewable plug which is embossed 394560-A-11.

The side of the warhead retains the following markings:

IN ROCKET BODY MARK 3
ORD. DR. NO. 330179 REV’D
CONTR. NO. 5549 LOT NO. 123
G.S.B. U(ANCHOR)S INSP. G.A.K.

The shaft retains markings:

2.25” ROCKET
MOTOR MARK 9
B.O. DR. 330…
CONTR. NORD. 6745 LOT 28
R.C. U(ANCHOR)S INSP. W.A.M.

The rockets weighed 65 pounds (29 kg) each, with a 33-pound (15 kg) Torpex warhead and contact pistol, exactly like Hedgehog.

By the end of the war, over 100 Mousetrap Mark 22s were mounted in U.S. Navy ships, including three each on 12 destroyers, and submarine chasers (usually two sets of rails).