Austria, Imperial. A Military Merit Cross, III Class, SM U-14, 1917

(Militärverdienstkreuz). Instituted on October 24th, 1849. Type II (1914-1918 Issue). A Military Merit Cross III Class, of multi-piece construction, in silver with red and white enamels,  consisting of a Cross Pattée with red and white enamelled arms, with gilded laurel leaves in the quadrants between the arms of the cross, the obverse with a central white enamelled medallion inscribed with “VERDIENST” (Merit), the reverse with white enamelled arms and silver center privately engraved VON DEN KAMERADEN S.M.U 14 21.9.1917, marked on the integral suspension ring with a silver mark denoting Austro-Hungarian manufacture between 1872-1922, on a fixed ring and swivel loop for suspension from its period original tri-fold ribbon bearing crossed sword device, measures 30.8 mm (w) x 33.9 mm (h - inclusive of integral ring), minor enamel wear, in extremely fine condition.

Contained in its original case of issue, a brown leatherette exterior marked MILITAER VERDIENSTKREUZ K.D, with a creme coloured silk interior denoting manufacture by Vincent Mayer & Sohne, a black velvet medal bed, measures 64.5 mm (w) x 115 mm (l) x20 mm (d), creasing to exterior, hinge and clasp functional, remains in very fine condition.

Footnote: The SM U-14 was an Austro-Hungarian Submarine used during the First War. Originally a French Brumaire-class submarine Curie (Q 87), it was captured and rebuilt for service in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. The first commander was Otto Zeidler, from June 1-October 14, 1915. The submarine saw little success in its early life and was damaged in February 1915. When Zeidler fell ill, he was replaced by Georg Ritter von Trapp. U-14 was damaged by a depth charge attack in February 1916 which resulted in extensive modernization during repairs. Upon regaining duty, the U-14 sank her first ship in April 1917, and sank another five ships, including Milazzo, reportedly the largest cargo ship in the world, in a six day span the following August. In January 1918, von Trapp was replaced as commander. In total, U-14 sank eleven ships with a combined gross register tonnage of nearly 48,000 tons. After the war, the submarine returned to France in July 1919 and remained in service until 1928.

Georg Ritter von Trapp was an officer during the Austro-Hungarian Navy, who later became the patriarch of the von Trapp Family Singers. During the war, Trapp was the most successful Austro-Hungarian submarine commander, sinking 11 Allied merchant ships and two Allied warships.  Following great success as commander of SM U-5, Trapp was transferred to the SM U-14, the former French submarine Curie, which had been sunk and salvaged by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, in October 1915. He conducted ten more war patrols in the much larger submarine, attacking merchant ships instead of warships. Between April 1917 and October 1917, U-14 sank 11 Allied merchant ships under Trapp's command. In May 1918, he was promoted to Korvettenkapitän (equal to lieutenant commander) and given command of the submarine base at Cattaro in the Gulf of Kotor.

However, the end of the war saw the end of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and Trapp’s naval career. His first wife whom he had seven children with, passed of Scarlet fever in 1922, and he later remarried Maria von Kutschera. Eventually, the family became The Trapp Family Singers in the early 1930s. Although offered commission in the German Navy following the German takeover of Austria in 1938, Trapp declined the offer out of hostility towards the Nazi ideology. Ultimately the family emigrated to the United States, settling in Stowe, Vermont in 1941. Trapp died of lung cancer on May 30, 1947.