German 1895 pattern other ranks naval belt : Torpedobootemannmaal Michuletz, SMS Emden

Standard Pattern 1895 brown naval leather belt with adjustable brass buckle. The buckle bears 'GOTT MIT UNS' motto, surrounding the Hessian crown symbol. The original owner has written in black ink on the inside of the belt: 'Michulotz / Torpedobootemannmaal / SMS Emden'. The inside tongue of the buckle leather is stamped 1912.

Standard 1895 naval pattern buckled brown leather belt. Brown leather equipment is less common in the German naval context than black. Related to the service of Torpedobootemannmaal Michulotz aboard the German light cruiser SMS Emden. 'Torpedobootemannmaal' is a petty officer with a torpedo qualification. The most notable use of Emden's torpedoes was on October 28th 1914 when Emden entered Penang Harbour at top speed disguised as a British cruiser and started firing at Allied shipping. Captain von Muller ordered a torpedo fired at the Russian cruiser 'Zhemchug', resulting in the Russian ship exploding. Attempts were made to fire torpedoes at HMAS Sydney during their engagement at Keeling Island on 9 November but the Emden was out of range, while some of Sydney's initial shots damaged the torpedo control room, injuring some of its crew. The most notable torpedo crewman aboard Emden was the Kaiser's nephew, Prinz Franz Joesph von Hohenzollern, who later published a book of his experiences.