Excellent point, CC. I really hadn't thought of the CW pattern with its slots as I've always tried to concentrate on earlier patterns, but you are right. As a naval sidearm (for which it still was during the waning days of fighting sail), the slots viewed as nail pullers do seem redundent. Perhaps as you hinted at, they had another purpose onboard the ship? Folks here might have seen another type of old ax with the rectangular cutout opening in the head. I'm told these were used as a sort of wrench to turn adjustable bolts in factories during the Industrial Revolution? I am no tool guy (I can't even change my own oil!
), so my information might be totally bogus, but that ax with the triangular opening is for real-