Some 70 V-42 knives were issued with short U.S. Marine Corps Raider knife scabbards. This was confirmed by Case Cutlery shipping records, which indicate that some 70 V-42 knives were procured by the U.S. Navy and sent to the Brooklyn Navy Depot in late 1942 and early 1943. The knives were issued in 1943 to crewmen serving in Landing Force and Armed Boat Party while the ship was off the Florida coast at the start of a South Atlantic war patrol, searching for German commerce raiders and blockade runners. While USS Omaha did encounter German blockade runners,Events occurring on Wednesday, January 5, 1944, World At War Timeline.com: In January 1944, the German blockade runner Burgenland was picked up on USS Omaha surface radar and was stopped by shellfire from the cruiser's 6-inch guns. Instead of resisting, Burgenland captain ordered the ship to be scuttled. Survivors of her crew were rescued by USS Omaha and another warship without resistance. there were no recorded instances of the V-42 being employed against an opponent in combat. The 70 V-42s procured by the U.S. Navy were the only known V-42 knives sent to a unit or branch outside the First Special Service Force. US Army Paratroopers and Rangers also carried some of these knives as well.
