shell box
Report a Mistake- Object Number 19700009-012
- Event 1939-1945 Second World War
- Affiliation --
- Artist / Maker / Manufacturer --
- Date Made 1945
- Category Tools and equipment for science and technology
- Sub-category Armament accessory
- Department Arms and Technology
- Museum CWM
- Earliest 1945/12/31
- Latest 1945/12/31
- Inscription (underneath box/en-dessous de la boîte) C 279 1 N / HS/M 1945
- Materials Metal, Textile, Paper
- Service Component Royal Canadian Navy
- Measurements Height 68.0 cm, Outside Diameter 18.5 cm
- Caption 4.5-Inch Star Shell Packing Case
- Additional Information This distinctively marked container held one round of star shell ammunition, used to provide night-time illumination. Designed to create light by releasing a flare that would descend under a parachute, star shells could help identify targets. Canadian and other United Nations ships also used star shells to disrupt attempts by Chinese and North Korean forces to carry out night-time naval operations. Fired at random intervals, star shells illuminated inshore waters, or waters around South Korean-held islands, discouraging the enemy from using small craft for transportation, raids, and mine-laying.