United Fruit Company, Silver Medal for Meritorious Service at Sea, Bierne

Product ID: B-4461
Country: United States
Condition: VF

United Fruit Company. Silver Medal for Meritorious Service at Sea, hand-engraved “John Beirne/Second Assistant Engineer/SS William L. Smith/December 17, 1944″. On a replaced red ribbon and a silver wrap brooch. This medal was designed by Paul Manship, who also designed the Merchant Marine’s Mariner’s Medal.

The SS William L. Smith was a Liberty Ship launched in January 1943 and scrapped in 1964. Col Al Gleim, in his Auction No.23 (November 1989) sold a similar medal to a Messman aboard SS William L. Smith for an action on this date, but he also could find no record of an attack on the ship, so the basis for the award remains unclear.

$600.00

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