Silver Cross, 45 x 37mm., hallmarks for Birmingham 1889, obverse inscribed, ‘Port Alfred Life Boat June 5th 1889’; reverse inscribed, ‘Rescue of Crew “Ex Queen of Nations, P. Quade’, with silver brooch bar, mounted as worn (ribbon frayed), very fine £120-160

The barque Queen of Nations (Rudolph Pohlenz), 1,462 tons, of Greenock, sailed from Pointe de Galle, Ceylon, on 12 March 1889 with a crew of 22 hands and a cargo of oil, plumbago and coir, bound for New York. Making for the Cape of Good Hope, on 18 May and several days after, she encountered heavy gales, causing her sails to be blown away and to leak considerably. On 5 June 1889 the ship appeared off Port Alfred on the Eastern Cape coast showing signals of distress. The port captain went out in the lifeboat and on his advice the ship stood in for the land. In a suitable depth of water, both anchors were lowered but neither held. The crew refusing to remain on board any longer demanded to be taken off and the master was of an opinion that the ship would not last much longer. The lifeboat then successfully rescued master and all hands. In the inquiry that followed, it was found that the Master, Rudolph Pohlenz, had committed a gross act of misconduct, in that the ship was not sound enough for sailing in such seas, nor was it properly manned; however, no blame was attached to him for abandoning his sinking vessel. As a result of the inquiry, his master’s certificate was suspended for three months.

With some copied research.