Bidspirit auction | WWII Officer's Mess Pennant Cruiser

WWII Officer's Mess Pennant Cruiser Admiral Hipper - Rare and historically significant naval pennant attributed to the Officer’s Mess of the German cruiser Admiral Hipper. The pennant (11.5” x 7.5” ] is crafted from finely woven blue fabric with a finely stitched red shield emblem in its center. It features the name HIPPER and bold lettering with a central classical Greek column and Three Triremes behind it. The edge is meticulously trimmed with braided metallic bullion thread, and it is suspended by the very same bullion thread from above. The reverse side bears the makers label “Fahnen-Fleck, Hamburg 11”. Admiral Hipper was the lead ship of the Admiral Hipper class of heavy cruisers which served Germany’s Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1935 and launched in February 1937. The ship saw a significant amount of action during the war, notably in the Battle of the Atlantic. It led the assault on Trondheim during Operation Weserübung; while en route to her objective, she sank the British destroyer HMS Glowworm. Part of the retained surface fleet, Admiral Hipper was returned to Germany and decommissioned for repairs. It was never restored to operational status, however, and on 3 May 1945, Royal Air Force bombers severely damaged her while she was in Kiel, Germany. Her crew scuttled the ship at her moorings, and in July 1945, she was raised and towed to Heikendorfer Bay. She was ultimately broken up for scrap in 1948–1952. Here is your opportunity to own a rare piece of Kriegsmarine history. Please see photos.