{"id":1294,"date":"2017-12-19T10:24:50","date_gmt":"2017-12-19T16:24:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.socpsy.com\/casks\/?p=1294"},"modified":"2021-12-27T06:52:13","modified_gmt":"2021-12-27T12:52:13","slug":"a-new-home-for-the-ring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.socpsy.com\/casks\/a-new-home-for-the-ring\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Home for the Ring"},"content":{"rendered":"

In previous posts (see here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>), I described a naval officer’s napkin ring that my father-in-law, Erwin Schroder, used for the better part of his post WWII life. He apparently continued the routine he used on board the USS Patterson<\/em> (DD392). Linen napkins were used in the officer ward rooms, but were not laundered after each use to save fresh water.\u00a0 In order to keep the napkins separated by user, ships typically had some type of system for identifying the napkins. Some ships merely used numbers while others used positions (e.g., Executive Officer). The Patterson apparently had another approach. Each ring contained the ship’s name, commissioning date, hull number, and a position.\u00a0 Erwin’s ring contained the following in engraved script:<\/p>\n

\n

1st Lieutenant<\/p>\n

USS Patterson<\/p>\n

392<\/p>\n

Sept 22, 1937<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The position or billet, 1st Lieutenant, is responsible for maintaining the ship’s exterior, management of the ship’s deck, underway replenishment, moorings, etc.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Beneath this script, stamped in block letters there were 8 names:<\/p>\n