Description: Up for sale is an exceedingly rare US Navy cribbage board belonging to a crewman on the Balao-class submarine USS Shark (SS-314), which was lost with all hands on her third war patrol on October 24, 1944, after being depth charged by the IJN destroyer Harukaze in Luzon Strait. During the same battle, USS Shark sank the Japanese freighter Arisan Maru, which turned out to be one of the IJN's infamous unmarked "hell ships" that was transporting 1,781 American POWs from the Philippines to Japan. Of this number, only 9 men survived; it was largest ever loss of American life in a single military sinking. SS-314 was the second USS Shark to be sunk during the war, and although this cribbage board does not indicate the hull number, the style of the cribbage board suggests it was created later in the war, whereas the first USS Shark was sunk in February of 1942. The 14.5" by 5" board is made of wood and brass, and contains seven torpedo-shaped steel pegs that are stored in a sliding-lid compartment on the underside. As to condition, the photos say it all; the wood has some wear marks and the solid brass peg board is patinated from age, with what look like a few surface water stains, though being brass, the buyer could undoubtedly polish it to a mirror sheen, if so desired. The fact that the cribbage board survived the war means that the crewman it belonged to either transferred off the sub prior to her third patrol or had it shipped home when the sub was in port between patrols. Either way, it is a very rare item and is especially valuable because of its connection to one of the 52 US submarines that were lost during the war. A similar cribbage board from the USS Barbel (SS-316), also sunk during the war, recently sold on eBay for an undisclosed "Best Offer" amount, but the asking price was just under $1,000. As with all my items, I unconditionally guarantee its authenticity in perpetuity, so buy with confidence.
Price: 225 USD
Location: New York, New York
End Time: 2024-11-16T17:35:42.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Conflict: WW II (1939-45)
Original/Reproduction: Original
Theme: Militaria
Region of Origin: United States
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
