Thread: What kind of pocket knife is this?

I bought 3 old, rusted pocket knives at a garage sale.
They were caked with dirt but I saw that they were structurally sound so decided to buy them and restore them in the hope that they would at least make what I bought them for. I fixed up the first one, but have no clue what this knife was used for.

The only thing that comes to mind is for use in an environment where you don't need to stab things, only to cut.
I know seamen used knives comparable to this for mending nets. But that does not seem logical because it is carbon steel. Salt water would eat it within weeks.

I attached a pic to show what it looks like. I blackened the blade with ferric chloride and hydrochloric acid to give it a protective coating. It hones up easily. I just have no idea what I would use it for.