Totentanz Series: SS Tubantia Obverse

SS Tubantia was a neutral Royal Holland Lloyd liner torpedoed by the German submarine UB-13 on March 16, 1916 about 50 miles off the coast of Holland. All passengers and crew survived, although the ship and cargo were a total loss. In an attempt to redirect Dutch fury over the incident, the Germans initially denied sinking the ship and blamed a British mine or torpedo. The fierce propaganda battle that ensued was eventually lost by the Germans when undeniable evidence of a German torpedo causing the loss was presented. Eberbach’s medal blames the English for the sinking. Ironically, the ship was reputed to have been transporting millions in gold German coins to be consigned to banks abroad. An attempt to salvage the gold after the war ended in failure. The inscription on the reverse is a slightly modified quote from Friedrich Schiller’s 1804 drama, William Tell: “Es kann der Frömmste nicht in Frieden leben, wenn es dem bösen Nachbarn nicht gefällt” (“even the most pious cannot live in peace, if that does not please his evil neighbor”).

Seated Death from behind, holding nail and knife in hands while observing ship Tubantia in distance; within curve: ENGLANDS·GRUSS·AN·DIE·NEUTRALE·TUBANTIA (“England’s greeting to the neutral Tubantia”)