WORLD WAR 11 

BATTLE OF THE CARIBBEAN

HMS TRINIDAD

Sometimes one just has to do some research to discover an important part of history.

This demi sized spoon is a good example.

At first it appears to be a small handmade demi spoon featuring a three pence British coin dated 1942 at the finial and a larger 1942 British one shilling coin bowl.
Both coins are in excellent condition and show limited circulation damage. Neither coin is particularly valuable as a collector item.

The handle is engraved "Trinidad"

During World War 11 there was intense naval fighting in the Caribbean as the Germans navy sent u-boats (submarines)  to try and destroy the oil shipping routes to the USA.



The British Fiji class cruiser HMS TRINIDAD (1941 picture)  had been stationed in the Arctic Ocean but was sent to the Caribbean after repairs had been made.
However, on May 15, 1942, 63 men lost their lives as  the ship was badly damaged again in shallow waters off Trinidad Island which is near the Venezuelan coast (major source of oil).

In December of 1942, the ship was raised and brought into port.

I  suspect that this spoon was custom created by one of the survivors to honor the ship and his shipmates.

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