Paul H. Kreibohm

Paul H. Kreibohm, captain of the Red Star ocean liner , c. 1913.

Paul H. Kreibohm (April 8, 1861 – December 29, 1938) was a German-born, American ship's Captain for the Red Star Line of the International Mercantile Marine Co. (IMM), who received a Congressional Gold Medal for his participation in the rescue of passengers and crew of the SS Volturno.

Born in Schwiegershausen in the Kingdom of Hanover (now Lower Saxony) on April 8, 1861, Kreibohm's family moved to Antwerp, Belgium when he was one year old.

Rescue of SS Volturno

On October 9, 1913, Captain Kreibohm of the and other ships responded to a distress signal of the SS Volturno, which had caught fire in rough weather in the North Atlantic. The Kroonland saved 89 of the 520 persons rescued from the ship.

Awards and honors On March 19, 1914, the United States Congress awarded Kreibohm a gold watch and a gold medal, with additional gold, silver, and bronze medals to his officers and crew. The statute (38 Stat. 769) reads as follows:

On January 4, 1914, King Albert of Belgium appointed Kreibohm a Chevalier (Knight) of the Order of the Crown for "his bravery in rescuing the passengers of the Volturno"

In April 1914, The Life Saving Benevolent Association of New York awarded its Life Saving Medal to Kreibohm.

In September 1914, Kreibohm received an inscribed silver tray from the British Government acknowledging his humanity and kindness to the shipwrecked crew and passengers of the Volturno.

Later life Although born before Hanover was incorporated into the German Empire, Kreibohm's father was German, and shortly after the outbreak of World War I, in September 1914 (only days after he was honored by the British Government with an inscribed silver tray) he was dismissed from IMM.