Lot 323

RELICS FROM THE FIRST U.S. MERCHANT SHIP SUNK BY A U-BOAT

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RELICS FROM THE FIRST U.S. MERCHANT SHIP SUNK BY A U-BOAT

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Estimate: $100 - $150

Starting Bid: $50

(0 Bids)

by Alexander Historical Auctions LLC
June 27, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Timed Auction
106 East Main Street, Suite 103
Elkton, MD, US 21921

RELICS FROM THE FIRST U.S. MERCHANT SHIP SUNK BY A U-BOAT
On May 21, 1941 the unarmed U.S. freighter ROBIN MOOR, en route to South Africa and Mozambique, was stopped and sunk by German submarine U-69 about 700 miles off the west coast of Africa. The ship--her nationality prominently reflected in the U.S. flags painted on her sides--became the first American merchantman sunk by a U-boat in World War II. There were no casualties among her 38-man crew and eight passengers, and U-69's commanding officer, Kapitanleutnant Jost Metzler, provided the Americans with rations. However, the event brought about the closing of the German and Italian embassies in Washington and pushed the U.S. closer to war. Offered here are three rare relics of that sinking: a 6.5 x 5 x 2 in. section of cork used to provide buoyancy to a life vest, as well as a 4.5 x 3 in. section of loth and a 5.5 x 1.25 in. section of securing tie, all cut from a life vest by a vandal decades ago and sold piecemeal. They are sold with original photos of the untouched life vest marked with the doomed ship's ship's name and handwritten provenance.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000