Description
Vivat ribbons were patriotic silk ribbons sold for the benefit of the German Red Cross. They measure 16″ x 2 ½,” and feature scenes saluting German royalty and military during WW I. Most that I have seen were produced during the early to midyears of the war. This example is white with red embossing. It celebrates the small cruiser S. M. S. Karlsruhe. Actually, two S. M. S. Karlsruhes existed. S. M. S. Karlsruhe I was commissioned in 1914 and blew up in Trinidad before the beginning of WW I. S. M. S. Karlsruhe II was commissioned in 1916 and was scuttled along with much of the German fleet at Scapa Flow in 1919. This ribbon features an eagle and kriegsflagge overarching the German fleet steaming at sea. Also included is a patriotic poem written by a man on board the vessel. Finally, at the bottom are a number of German flags crossed behind an anchor. At the bottom is a small date of 1914/1915, so this ribbon may well refer to S. M. S. Karlsruhe I.
