Thanks to all for the informative comments and the educational video. The sword seems a departure from earlier, shorter cutlasses that I have encountered, with its 28" blade it reminds me more of a cavalry sword as opposed to a cutlass. It must have encompassed a new theory of shipboard fighting whereas, earlier with the exception of boarding pikes, I had always thought that short swords and axes were used in the close, crowded boarding actions.
Also, I am surprised that they developed a new cutlass in 1889, as I would have thought that they would be obsolete by then.
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