As suggested by several folks, we are adding this page to gather what information we can about edged items of unknown origin or backgrounds. We will print what information we do have on them and any theories anyone may have right here on this page. Hit me with your best shot to stimulate the thought process.
This month we present another scabbard. Who made it and when? Called a UDT Scabbard in Cole IV Pg. 81 we can agree it does fit the Mk2 knife but that's about it. No other information has been forth coming on these scabbards. Note the two different retaining methods, Velcro vs. snap. It was said, again in legend, that the Velcro filled with sand so the Navy wanted a change to snaps. Any truth to all this?? Let us know what you know about them!
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Update 1/4/04
We find out from our good friend Bill Adams that the so called UDT scabbard shown in Cole IV pg. 81 was a commercially available scabbard sold by Healthways a well known divers supply company. When Bill was trying to track them down as to who made them he ran into a stone walling from the Navy. Bill approached his then Senator Sam Nunn, head of the Senate Armed Services Committee to encourage the Navy to supply the name of the contractor. Well it worked, Bill was supplied the name of Healthways as the supplier. This it would seem leads to the fact that someone in the Navy knew of the scabbards. Bill tried to arrange for the procurement of them to sell through his company but the cost for the wholesale order was prohibitive to make any money with. The scabbards were made in a Velcro closure as well and the familiar snap closure retaining strap. While we have never seen any proof that these scabbards were in fact used or tested by the SEALs we do now know they were commercially sold items and in fact the Navy knew about them.