S.M.S. Lauting - tsingtew 1913

[Robbin]

I am trying to find information on the pictured relic.  The last pic shows the makers mark though it’s not turning out well in pics it isn’t easy to see or make out with a lit magnifying glass either. 

Thank you so much.  Your knowledge and expertise will be greatly appreciated. 

[Biggles]

Welcome to the forum!  No doubt you will find much helpful advice here.  I will attempt to uphold the 'expertise' you speak of

I am not sure what the relic is, obviously a cup of sorts.  

SMS. Lauting was a German minelaying vessel that served on the East Asia station of the Imperial German Navy from 1907 -1914.  The place mentioned beneath the ship's name is Tsingtau, the port SMS. Lauting was based.  She acted as a tender to the East Asia squadron, ferrying supplies and personnel.

In November 1914, after the capitulation of German troops in Tsingtau, the ship was put into Japanese service as a salvage tug.

Let me know if there is anything else you wish to know.

 

Cheers,

Caleb

Edited 18 September , 2019 by Biggles

[FROGSMILE]

Each European ship along the East Asia Station had a small auxiliary crew of Chinese natives who invariably did the dirty or unpleasant jobs like engine room and onboard laundry.  I suspect that the cup might have been used by a Chinese crewman on the Lauting, or was perhaps a decorated souvenir for a German crew-member.  Getting the Chinese inscription that runs around the lip translated might help in determining which of these conjectures is correct. The crew were part of the surrendered garrison of Tsingtao and were imprisoned in Japan until repatriated in 1920.

 

There is a very thorough explanation of the siege of Tsingtao that recounts a gallant and successful sortie by the German gunboat S90, accompanied by the Lauting, here: http://boredhistorian.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-fall-of-tsingtao.html?m=1

Edited 18 September , 2019 by FROGSMILE

[Robbin]

What do you recommend I do to find out what it is and what it was used for?   I’m confused that the ship is German but became Chinese.  The inscription refers to the German boat by name however the design is Chinese as you mentioned.  Is it possible it’s commemorative?  That artifacts from the captured German boat by the Chinese led the Chinese to commemorate their capture?  

Thank you both so much for your assistance.  

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, Robbin said:

What do you recommend I do to find out what it is and what it was used for?   I’m confused that the ship is German but became Chinese.  The inscription refers to the German boat by name however the design is Chinese as you mentioned.  Is it possible it’s commemorative?  That artifacts from the captured German boat by the Chinese led the Chinese to commemorate their capture?  

Thank you both so much for your assistance.  

 

If you read the initial reply to your post you will see that Tsingtao was captured by the Japanese, who were allied with the Triple-Entente (Britain, France, Russia) during WW1 and who with British encouragement laid siege to the German base in China at Tsingtao, where Germany had a garrison and small fleet.

 

At that time China had several European powers holding Naval bases ostensibly to protect their respective trade routes there, along with the not insignificant number of their own (i.e. European) traders and bankers who facilitated it.  As such each of the European (and U.S.) navies had ships and some locally employed Chinese crew members as I explained above.

With that as background I’ve suggested that the cup is either a souvenir of a German seaman from the ship or the possession of a Chinese crew member.  

 

I do not know if the inscription around the edge is Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese Chinese.  I can only suggest that you either, inquire with your local Chinese restaurant, or contact the Chinese, or perhaps the Taiwanese embassy with photos and a written explanation of what you seek.  I would advise you to read first about the siege of Tsingtao if you want to understand the context of what you have.

 

NB.  Japan had long seen China as an enemy and did not need much encouragement to launch an attack on the Germans there.  The surrendered German garrison was well treated and taken to Japan as prisoners of war, being released, belatedly in 1920.

Edited 18 September , 2019 by FROGSMILE

[Biggles]

FROGSMILE is most likely correct, and I agree with him.  The inscription says 1913, so this was before the war even began, giving much credit to the fact it may be a souvenir of a German seaman or even an Officer.  I doubt the Chinese crewmen would be in possession of such an item with the inscription of the ship, as they were not regarded as much by the Germans or any nation that employed such crew for menial tasks.  

I look forward to hearing what your local Chinese restaurant has to say!

 

Caleb

[MaureenE]

The inscription to me suggests a farewell present to someone who is leaving both the ship and the city, so a member of the crew, possibly an officer, who has finished their tour of duty. or gained a promotion and is leaving. The photographs suggest metal,  (but I found it difficult to really tell, so I could be wrong) the detail suggest  good quality, so I would agree with Biggles, nothing to do with Chinese crewmen.

 

As the date is 1913, the owner may have returned to Germany at that point, so may not have been part of the siege in 1914.

 

Cheers

Maureen

[FROGSMILE]

13 hours ago, Maureene said:

The inscription to me suggests a farewell present to someone who is leaving both the ship and the city, so a member of the crew, possibly an officer, who has finished their tour of duty. or gained a promotion and is leaving. The photographs suggest metal,  (but I found it difficult to really tell, so I could be wrong) the detail suggest  good quality, so I would agree with Biggles, nothing to do with Chinese crewmen.

 

As the date is 1913, the owner may have returned to Germany at that point, so may not have been part of the siege in 1914.

 

Cheers

Maureen

 

Yes I agree that a souvenir for a German is on balance the more likely scenario, but I would not rule out the idea of a Chinese coolie crewman entirely.  There was invariably a headman, who could speak the European language at least basically enough to interpret, act as foreman, and generally translate orders from the European crew to the coolies.  Such a man would have some status and it’s not inconceivable that he might possess such a cup.  It seems slightly curious that there is a row of Chinese characters running around both, top and bottom of the cup.

 

The cup appears to have been made from an alloy not unlike that used for shell casings (usually copper and zinc), beaten out with a Chinese design, formed and then plated in what looks like silver, or nickel.  Perhaps it’s made from an expended shell casing (split and flattened out) after a practice firing, although that’s pure speculation.  One interesting feature is that the small, shield shaped plaque has been crafted and inscribed separately and then braze mounted on to the cup.  This suggests that it’s also not impossible that the cup is simply a stock item onto which any plaque could  be mounted.  All-in-all the cup’s an interesting curio that bespeaks its time and historical events.

Edited 19 September , 2019 by FROGSMILE

[Robbin]

What do you recommend I do to find out what it is and what it was used for?   I’m confused that the ship is German but became Chinese.  The inscription refers to the German boat by name however the design is Chinese as you mentioned.  Is it possible it’s commemorative?  That artifacts from the captured German boat by the Chinese led the Chinese to commemorate their capture?  

Thank you both so much for your assistance.  

[Robbin]

Chinese restaurant - ingenuous!!!

as to the type of metal it’s made from, the spots where a small areas that have worn off suggest copper.  

I don’t remember who noted something that I find curious:  the fact that all 3 nations are represented.   And that 1913 does suggest it was made before the scrimmage.    I have read several articles on the topic and have had to make a date chart to follow the the attacks and so forth.   

I am going to the local Chinese restaurant and my son has a friend who lives in China that I can turn to.  

Thanks. Everyone for your sharing your knowledge and ideas!!!   I WILL find the answers.   

[PJS]

I believe the Chinese writing is just the date. It appears to say "January? 1913" (in the western calendar) but it's not totally clear because you need to read all the characters in sequence and they are not all clearly shown and the pictures are not in the right order.

 

1st picture shows 3 characters; thousand - 9 - 100

2nd picture shows 3 characters; western calendar - 1 - thousand

So, reading the 2nd picture first, it says "in the western calendar, the date 1900 ..." and then you would need to see the next bit to find 13, etc.

 

Peter

[FROGSMILE]

7 minutes ago, PJS said:

I believe the Chinese writing is just the date. It appears to say "January? 1913" (in the western calendar) but it's not totally clear because you need to read all the characters in sequence and they are not all clearly shown and the pictures are not in the right order.

 

1st picture shows 3 characters; thousand - 9 - 100

2nd picture shows 3 characters; western calendar - 1 - thousand

So, reading the 2nd picture first, it says "in the western calendar, the date 1900 ..." and then you would need to see the next bit to find 13, etc.

 

Peter

 

That’s very interesting Peter, thank you for posting.  Is the Chinese writing around the bottom the same as around the top?  I’m guessing not as the bottom is smaller and so with less space for the characters.

[PJS]

The writing on the bottom is not clear at all. Best I can say is that picture number 5 appears to show the number 20. Two characters; 2 - 10. Written together is read as 20, but that is a snapshot and it could be part of a bigger number. The rest of it is not clear enough to read.

 

Peter

[Robbin]

Here are the pics of the bottom inscription starting just below the shied then turning clockwise.   If I got camera closer it became blurry but maybe they can be enlarged by the reader.  
I have not gone to the Chinese restaurant yet.  Been busy.  But definitely will do.   
 

[PJS]

Sorry, I do not have anything definitive to add except that the characters around the bottom appear to be related to the Chinese calendar (and used frequently in Chinese fortune telling). My best guess is that it the characters around the bottom depict the date that the cup was made related to the Chinese calendar. So, the western date is around the top and the Chinese date around the bottom.

 

The specific characters can mean different things depending on context but the characters in the photos include the Sun, the Moon and the Number 10.

 

Peter