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RUSSIAN SUBMARINE S-13 PRESENTATION SILVER CIGARETTE

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:240.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 600.00 USD
RUSSIAN SUBMARINE S-13 PRESENTATION SILVER CIGARETTE
RUSSIAN SUBMARINE S-13 PRESENTATION SILVER CIGARETTE CASE - CAUSED GREATEST LOSS OF LIFE AT SEA
A unique relic, a presentation silver cigarette case given by the crew of the infamous Soviet submarine U.S.S.R.-13 to an unnamed American or British officer or dignitary. The 3 3/4" x 3" case bears the recipient's initial;s "P M" engraved within a small box on the top lid. The reverse bears a full-length view of the submarine at sea and underway, with clearly period engraving beneath: "FROM THE CREW OF U.S.S.R. - 13". Not hallmarked within, possibly of Russian fabrication. S-13 was a Stalinets-class submarine launched on Apr. 25, 1939 and commissioned July 31, 1941. On Jan. 30, 1945 at Stolpe Bank off the Pomeranian coast, S-13 sank the German military transport Wilhelm Gustloff, overfilled with civilians and military personnel, killing over 9,000 in the worst loss of life in maritime history. Three weeks later, S-13 sank another German military transport ship, Steuben, killing 3,300. Soviet Capt. Marinesko was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1990. Ex: The War Museum, New York.