Navy wardroom silver cup

In case you can't read, Wardroom USS Tattnall DDG-19. Engraved on top of Towle Sterling 778 mark. Three initials on the side (didn't get a pic). Did each officer have his own marked cup? Are they always made of sterling?

 

maybe an officers initials?

 

Hunhhh - why do you suppose the officers needed a special sterling baby cup for their mess? Weird...

~Cheryl

 

Here's the crew-list if you want to look for possibilities for the initials:

https://www.navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=400

~Cheryl

 

Are the squares one size? It would be a standard size coffee cup.

 

Thanks, the initials are NAA in script. I tried the link, but couldn't find it (the list for each time period is not alphabetical??) And anyway, it looks like they only list the names of sailors who signed up to be on the website, so most aren't there. Maybe someone who served on a ship can explain it (if we have anyone who was in the USN).

 

Yes, squares are one inch. It is kind of small, holds only about four ounces (would work for expresso, but that seems weird too).

 

Could certainly be used for whatever desired (small sterling cup without insulators, or at all really, seems an odd choice for hot coffee on ship), but it was marketed as a baby cup...

~Cheryl

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Towle-Ster...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


~Cheryl

 

I NEVER look at baby cups in the thrifts because theyve never been sterling. I bet I will from now on .

 

It could be a commemorative item for people who served on that ship, especially plank owners, the original crew on board when the ship was first commissioned.

 

could be for a shot of rum......I can't drink hot coffee from a silver cup !!

 

Great thought. Rum actually sounds quite likely to me, this would easily hold the regulation ration of rum given out to every sailor of the UK navy. This was a big thing in UK, I don't know if the Americans followed suit or not? http://www.thepirateslair.com/7-antique-naval-rum-cups.html

 

No liquor on US ships since 1914, other than for 'medicinal purposes', or for 'beer days' (not that it couldn't be found onboard as contraband)...

~Cheryl

 

One of my husband's Seabee friends had his own tool chest that he brought with him on deployments. It was cleverly built to hold tools on the top level with his booze in a false section underneath.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Tattnall_(DDG-19)

The ship has quite a long history considering it was launched in the 60s. Keep in mind that every voyage would have been commemorated with what is knows as a cruise book. There may have been an instance when mementoes such as silver cups would have been made for special occasions. Lord knows, my house is full of such things from Jon's 31 years in the Navy. He said all metal items on board ship have the ship's name on the base. He has no idea what a small cup would be used for. The Stewards took care of the wardroom and he was a Yeoman.