August Ritter von Trapp was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy and the commander of the SMS Saida, a ship built between 1852 and 1855 for training and service in the navy. He was also the father of Georg von Trapp, one of the most famous Austro-Hungarian submarine commanders of World War I.
He particularly distinguished himself during a severe storm that hit the Sicilian area in 1874. In extremely difficult conditions, the Saida found itself in danger of sinking, and the commander and crew were forced to make quick and difficult decisions to save the ship and human lives. After a long struggle with stormy winds and high waves, the ship ran aground on the shore. Despite the severity of the storm, only one sailor lost his life out of the 101 crew members, while numerous other ships were destroyed in the same storm.
For his self-control and service, August von Trapp was decorated with the Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Iron Crown in 1875 and was awarded the noble title “Ritter von”, which was later inherited by his descendants.
During its service, the Saida was repeatedly converted and adapted to the needs of the navy. It is particularly interesting that in 1872, just two years before the event that would mark her history, she was converted in Pula from a two-masted schooner (goleta) into a two-masted ship equipped with crossed sails (brig), confirming the important role of the Pula arsenal in the maintenance and development of the Austro-Hungarian fleet.
August Ritter von Trapp died on June 7, 1884, of typhus, when his son Georg was only four years old. He was buried in the Naval Cemetery in Pula, together with his wife, thus permanently linking his life story to the city that in the second half of the 19th century was the main naval center of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
The Gallerion Maritime Collection houses a model of the Saida, the ship with which August von Trapp achieved the event that earned him a noble title. Through objects, documents and stories about people who served on the warships of the Monarchy, Gallerion preserves the memory of the period when Pula was one of the most important war ports in Europe and the center of life and activity of numerous naval officers and their families.