A Hamburg America Line "T.d. Tannenberg" Tally Ribbon

Black rayon with machine-woven gold-coloured celleon threading, inscribed "T.D. Tannenberg" flanked by the blue, white and gold embroidered Hamburg America Line (Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft ' HAPAG) flag at the left and the red, white and gold embroidered Szczecin Oderwerke Shipyard (the builders of the ship) flag at the right, 33 mm x 990 mm, scattered pin holes, light tape residue on the reverse from previous mounting, extremely fine. 

Footnote: The T.D. Tannenberg was a ferry owned by the Hamburg America Line (Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft = HAPAG), built at the Szczecin Oderwerke Shipyard at Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland) and launched in 1935. The Hamburg America Line was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany, in 1847. Among the founders were prominent citizens such as Albert Ballin (Director General), Adolph Godeffroy, Ferdinand Laeisz, Carl Woermann, August Bolten and others, and its main financial backers were Berenberg Bank and H. J. Merck & Co. It soon developed into the largest German, and at times the world's largest, shipping company, serving the market created by the German immigration to the United States and later immigration from Eastern Europe. On September 2, 1939, with the advent of the forthcoming war, the Kreigsmarine took possession of the Tannenberg and converted it into a mine layer, for service in the Baltic Sea. In August 1940, it had become the flagship of the mine ships. In the following six months, it served as a training ship for cadets, until it was sent into the North Sea in preparation for Operation Seelöwe. After cancellation of this operation, the Tannenberg worked on the so called "Westwall" mine barriers in the North Sea, laying minefields with "SW2", "SW3" and "Pomerania". On July 9, 1941, the ship came together with the mine ships Prussia and Hanseatic City of Danzig to the east of the southern tip of Öland, Sweden and ran into a Swedish minefield, with all three ships sinking.