UNIQUE Naval "TRENCH ART" German NAVY Gunshell PRESENTED to New Zealand 1929

10" tall Peened (Hammered) construction in the manner of FINE hand Silver-working (The first published article about peening was written in Germany in 1929)

Has a SUPERB RING

Presentation inscription reads

Herrn Konsul Pensele von Kreuzer Emden Zur Erinnerung an den Besuch in Neu Seeland 25/6 Bis 13/7 1929 in Dankbarkeit Gewidmet

Translates (roughly) to "Mr Consul Pensele of cruiser Emden to commemorate the visit in New Zealand 25/6 to 13/7 1929dedicated in gratitude"

Emden was a light cruiser built by the Reichsmarine in the early 1920s. She was the only ship of her class & was the first large warship built in Germany after the end of WWI

She was built at the Reichsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven; her keel was laid in Dec 1921 & her completed hull was launched in Jan 1925

Emden was commissioned into the German fleet in Oct 1925

Her design was heavily informed by the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles & the dictates of the Allied disarmament commission. She was armed with a main battery of surplus 15 cm guns left over from WWI, mounted in single gun turrets, as mandated by the Allied powers

She had a top speed of 29 knots

Emden spent the majority of her career as a training ship; in the inter-war period, she conducted several world cruises to train naval cadets

At the outbreak of war, she laid minefields off the German coast & was damaged by a British bomber that crashed into her

She participated in the invasion of Norway in April 1940 & then resumed training duties in the Baltic Sea. These lasted with minor interruptions until Sept 1944, when she was deployed to Norway to serve as the flagship of the minelaying forces there

In Jan 1945, she carried the disinterred remains of Paul von Hindenburg from East Prussia to Pillau, to prevent his remains from falling into the hands of the advancing Soviets.