I just acquired this.  I would like the characters translated if possible.  

Bottom 3 characters look like 679. Others can't make out

I don't know the exact meaning, but the letters indicate these things.

 

・[砲 "Ho-U"] Cannon
・[竜 "Ryu-u"] Dragon
・[一六七九 "1679"] or [六七九 "679"]

I see top to bottom in the middle,1679

Hi,

   Thank you for the information.  Also, do I have the ID of the item correct?  I have seen these called officer canteens as well as Naval Landing Forces canteens.  

 

Best Regards,

                      Fort Susquehanna

They are usually just IJN canteens unless they are marked with SNLF unit number or other SNLF info, this also includes helmets and other gear. Officers in the IJN usually carried the same canteens as the EM. But in the IJA, their officers purchased their own canteens along with buying their own gear.There are many different types of IJN canteens, here are a few of mine.