Description:

U.S. SUBMARINE ‘QUEENFISH' KILL FLAG
Stunning multi-piece hand-embroidered kill flag, 36 x 26 in., for the U.S. submarine ‘Queenfish'. The flag features the submarine's insignia, her namesake fish wearing a crown and spitting a torpedo from its mouth, bubbles floating above, all on a deep blue field with a yellow border. Sewn to the left are fifteen individual cloth Japanese flags, signifying the ship's confirmed kills. The two ‘Rising Sun' flags indicate warships, the eleven national flags are for cargo ships, and the two bottom flags represent an unknown ship. Sewn just beneath the haughty fish is a blue, yellow, and red tri-color pennant, a nod to the flag they would have flown at port to represent their Presidential Unit Citation. Walt Disney Studios was responsible for the creation of this insignia, as they often did for other ships to aid the war effort. Minimal wear with a few loose strands here and there, otherwise, in near perfect condition. Presented in a 41.5 x 31 in. wooden frame with gilt trim. This is only one side of the flag, with the other presumedly taken by another crew member when the submarine was decommissioned. The Queenfish SS-393 was the first of her name in the U.S. Navy and was commissioned in 1944. She made five war patrols with 40,000 tons of Japanese military and cargo ships sunk, receiving the Presidential Unit Citation for her service. The submarine and her commander Charles E. Loughlin did face some controversy after an incident on April 1, 1945. The Queenfish sank the 11,600 ton passenger-cargo ship, Awu Maru, killing 2,003 people, with only a single survivor. The U.S. Government had granted her safe passage as she was carrying Red Cross supplies to Japanese POW camps, but the fog obscured any markings, and she did not follow protocol and sound her fog horn. Eventually decommissioned in 1963.

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April 26, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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$100 $499 $20
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$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
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