Hotchkiss Machine Gun Serial numbers

[CornwallDiver]

Good evening, New here, but hoping that someone will be able to help me out.

I am trying to identify a World War 1 shipwreck I have been diving for a while near Lands End in Cornwall, England. The wreck is full of 75mm live shells, with the brass shell cases attached. All of these are marked 1916. Recently I found some gun parts which have been identified as a Hotchkiss machine gun.

I am hoping that someone here will have knowledge of their serial numbers and possibly be able to put a date to when it was manufactured. There are a lot of first world war wrecks off Cornwall and if I knew roughly when the gun was made I will be able to rule a few out as a possibility.

I can also post some pictures of the shell bases if it would help?


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[ALVF]

Bonjour,

Je n'arrive pas bien à lire le numéro de série : "4173" ?

La poignée de cette mitrailleuse indique une mitrailleuse Hotchkiss modèle 1914 dont la production n'a commencé qu'en décembre 1914 et les premières armes n'ont été distribuées aux troupes qu'à partir de janvier 1915.
Ce numéro de série de "4173" correspond probablement à une production du début du deuxième semestre de 1916 au vu des chiffres globaux de production de mitrailleuses Hotchkiss modèle 1914. La liste exacte des numéros de série de ces mitrailleuses n'est pas connue à ce jour.
Cordialement,
Guy François.

[CornwallDiver]

Many thanks Guy,

Yes, the serial number is 4173.

The date you have given matches that stamped on the base of the 8mm bullets on the wreck 4.16.

Now all I need to do is find a ship, carrying French ammunition which sank after March 1916.......