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SS Cirrus Nickel Silver Sugar Bowl

Benedict Indestructo made this electro-plated nickel silver bowl circa the 1920s to 1940s. After a lot of searching I was happy to find that the USS Cirrus was a Star Trek spaceship – but maybe not the Starfleet of this piece on account of the time warp and space travel and all.

In all likelihood this handsome bowl was used on the SS Cirrus, the former American frigate USS Abilene that had been used as an air-sea rescue station in World War II. The Abilene was sold to the Netherlands in 1947 and renamed the Cirrus and was stationed south of the Arctic Circle to join 20 other vessels that manned weather stations across the North Atlantic. The ship had a crew of more than 50.

A photo of the Cirrus commemorated the World Weather Watch program as part of the first day stamp covers in 1968 and 1989. (See photo below that is not part of this sale.) Even though the Cirrus was featured on the 1989 cover, the ship was scrapped in 1969.

The bowl is about 3 ½” wide and about 3 ¾” high, including the knob. Condition is excellent for a piece that has obviously been used, especially on board a ship. The worst that can be said is that it has overall scratches from use and cleaning and a small spot on the top that looks like the plating has corroded – maybe a sixteenth of an inch across.

The hinge works beautifully and the knob is firmly attached with no wobble. I think it’s the shiniest piece of vintage non-sterling silver I’ve ever owned.