nope, not grenade but here's a couple for size reference
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1387479933.jpg

Part of a cluster bomb?

Pressure cooker bombs & Cluster bombs - Waging Peace
http://blog.timesunion.com/wagingpea...bombs-work.jpg

here's a hint.. can't believe I've stumped the board
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1387485804.jpg

I know what the first one shown is but, I'm not going to tell you because you got that 5.5" dimension wrong.

Glen beat me to it :D

It's "photo1387476493"

splint for joe bobs schlong?

Locking pin , often used when turning your water off at the curb

correct!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1387502098.jpg

Winner!

How is either you or someone you know worked around a steam catapult...

This link holds the airplane back- steam pressure comes up and at a certain strain this link shears at the weak spot and the aircraft moves down the track. Have to use one for every shot and every plane and load requires a different one.

So every time they launch a plane, they have to use a new one?

yup with the very rare exception when they launched the c1 with a deck run, I believe there are no more c1's in the navy inventory

I just gotta say working on the flight deck has to be one of if not THE most dangerous jobs on the planet, it seemed like every wespac we lost a couple guys

Wow, I always shut it off before the meter.

sometimes when you forget to pay your bill, the water dept. turns it off for ya. they just forgot the entire tool when they locked it that time. lol

Very cool!!!

So how often, if ever, does the metallurgy come up wrong and the pin shears at wrong tension?

Is the tension bar designed to break?

You bet. Breaks right in half under the pressure of the steam cat. Evidently (the guys who have actually served on the deck can REALLY tell us) the brakes are gently released on the a/c, power comes up-- and the tension bar is able to hold all of that back.

Then the steam cat kicks in and WHAM shears this metal bar like a candy cane.