The Sea Gallantry Medal (Foreign Services) group of four awarded to Second Steward W. Cattany, German Merchant Navy, for services in the ‘Volturno’ Disaster, 1913

Germany, Prussia, Order of the Crown, Medal of the Order, bronze-gilt, unnamed; Great Britain, Sea Gallantry Medal (Foreign Services), G.V.R., silver, ‘From the British Government, For Gallantry and Humanity’ , (W. Cattany, “Volturno”, 9th October 1913); U.S.A., Medal of the Life Saving Benevolent Association of New York, for Saving Human Life (Wilhelm Cattany), by Tiffany & Co., bronze, with brooch bar inscribed, ‘October 10, 1913’; Germany, Honour Medal of the World War, gilt metal, medals unmounted but with German style mounting bar, together with riband bar, extremely fine (4) £400-500

Second Steward Wilhelm Cattany was serving aboard the North German Lloyd Company liner Grosser Kurfürst. He was awarded the Prussian Medal of the Order of the Crown, the British Sea Gallantry Medal (Foreign Services) and the New York Life Saving Benevolent Association Medal for his services on the occasion of the Volturno disaster on 9/10 October 1913.

The Volturno was a British steamship of 3,602 tons, owned by the Canadian Northern Steamship Co. Chartered by the Uranium Steamship Co. of Rotterdam, it was in transit from Rotterdam to New York, with a crew of 93 and 561 passengers - mostly Eastern European emigrants. Additionally she was carrying a cargo of inflammable chemicals and goods. On 9 October 1913, during a heavy gale in mid-Atlantic, a fire broke out in the forward hold, followed by a violent explosion which caused casualties, wrecked the forward part of the ship and jammed the steering gear. In response to the Volturno’s S.O.S. a number of ships arrived on the scene, including the Grosser Kurfürst and the Carmania. Prior to their arrival Captain Inch of the Volturno, fearing further explosions, had ordered out his lifeboats. Six were launched, of which four immediately capsized in the heavy seas and two were lost without trace. The rescue ships arriving on the scene were faced with the same problem and were unable to take off any of the stranded people. The arrival of the tanker Narragansett several hours later helped the situation as she was able to pour a quantity of oil onto the sea to reduce the violence of the waves. The next day the surviving passengers were safely evacuated from the burning ship. The loss of life amounted to 104 passengers and 30 crew. The abandoned hulk was eventually scuttled on 18 October by the Dutch tanker Charlois.

The Krosser Kurfürst, a German liner of 13,182 tons, was owned by the North German Lloyd Company and was sailing from Bremenhaven to New York. In the rescue operations, 105 passengers and crew were taken aboard the ship and landed safely in New York.

Numerous awards were made for this famous rescue, including 78 Sea Gallantry Medals in Silver to crew members of the six British vessels involved. In addition the Board of Trade also awarded 152 silver Sea Gallantry Medals (Foreign Services) to the crews serving on foreign vessels at the rescue. For his actions during the incident, Max Spangenberg, the Captain of the Grosser Kurfürst, was awarded a special gold medal by the New York Life Saving Benevolent Association. Sold with some copied details of the Volturno disaster.