Help with ID Disk - possibly German Navy

[Bevo39]

Could anyone help me out with any information on an id disk please. I posted originally in the Third Reich forum but it has been suggested this may actually be WW1 German Navy.

The complete stamping is:

OB MATR
Schneider Heinrich
3047.C.1
ESCH 1/TAUNUS

Thanks very much. Bevo39

[bigmacglenn]

Indeed a dog tag for an enlisted sailor (Obermatrose) in the Imperial Navy...cheers, Glenn

[Gunny Hartmann]

Is Obermatrose the equivalent to a petty officer or leading hand in the Royal navy?...

[Bevo39]

That's brilliant thanks Glenn. Is Taunus his ship or where he enlisted ? Anyone give me some idea if the value of this item, the chord is complete and the disk is in a1 condition. Thanks again for the input so far, imperial items are not really my bag hence all the silly questions!!

[drmessimer]

In WWI an Obermatrose was equivelent in rank to the USN seaman 1st class and in the RN a Leading seaman.
According the Erich Gröner, Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe, 1815-1945, vol. 2, there was no SMS Taunus in WWI, but there was a Taunus mortor-ship built for the Kriegsmarine in 1944.

I do't know for sure, but I think that the 3047.C.1 ESCH I/Taunus is not his assignment but instead is home. Everything about the writing indicates a geographic location, starting with ESCH which is a district in Waldems in Reingau-Taunus, located in Hesse. Taunus refers to the Taunus Range. ESCH could be an abreviation for ESCHBORN, which is a town in the same area, but I don't think that is an abreviation because there is no period stamped after the H. For purposes of graves registration, the Germans might have considered a man's home more important than the ship he was from. And I don't think that the numbers, 3037.C.1 are his service number, more likely some sort of classification or something on the idea of an early postal zone number. But this is conjecture. Dwight

[HPL2008]

Yes; it's a geographical designation. ESCH I. TAUNUS simply means "Esch im Taunus". [Esch in the Taunus; a community that is part of the municipality of Waldems.] See: Willkommen auf der Startseite