ON THE SEAS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16148, 28 February 1918, Page 7

ON THE SEAS.

i i i j : THE GERMAN RAIDER. PARTICULARS FROM BERLIN, j _ t .) (By Cable.—Press Association— Copyright.) (Australian and X.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, February 2'o. According to telegrams from Amsterdam, Berlin has .officially announced that -iie auxiliary cruiser Wolf, commanded i>v Captain Nergor, lias rcturn- - eel from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacihc - Oceans with 400 members of tho crows * of sunk ships, including white and coloured linlisli military forccs. an" " also several captured guns and great quantities of valuable raw matoiial, " x übbcr, copper, brass, zinc, cocoa Vans, s and copra, worth many millions ot I marks. Alter l;or capture, the Turntella was ' oci'iirmed as an auxiliary cruiser and operated in the Gulf of Aden. She was commanded by the Wolf's first officer " until she encountered the British, who 3 took prisoner the crew of 27 men. The Germans are enthusiastic over tlv> Wolf s achievements. The vessel tried scleral times to res turn to the North Sea, but the watch- * fulness of tho British ships prevented - tor. Finally she reached port. FATE OF THE IGOTZ MENDI. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received February 27th, 9 p.m.) COPENHAGEN, February 26. 1 The Igotz Mendi ran aground near B the Skaw. She carried a crew of 40 ' Spaniards, besides her original passenf gers and the Gorman prizo crew. Tho 40 prisoners she had on board represent the crews of ten vessels sunk by 1(1 the Wolf, and include Englishmen, Australians, New Zoalanders, Americans, Chinese, Japanese, and Scandir navians. Lighthouso-keepera brought the 40 prisoners ashore. e The Germans thus far have refused 0 ' to leave the steamer, which is hard 8 aground, and probably cannot bo ro- '' floated. Tho German sub-commander came ashore and was interned, despite his angry protests. According to sailors on tho Wolf they captured the Igotz Mendi in the Indian s Gulf two months ago, and placed a prize crew abroad. Since then the Igotz Mendi followed tho Wolf, assisting her in all her maraudings- Nobody was allowed to leave the vessel during the whole period. HOW THE VESSEL WAS CAPTURED. .t (Australian and N.Z, Cable Association.) } " (Received February 27th, 10.30 p.m.) I LONDON, February 26. The Igotz Mendi was en rout© to " Australia with 1000 tons of coal. On ,) May 21st, when she was in the Indian Ocean, she sighted a largo steamer which, on approaching, removed her j. bulwarks, disclosing a number of guns. She proved to be tho Wolf. The raider 5 fired several shots at the Igotz Mendij which stopped, and was captured. n Tile Wolf's next victim, after capturing the Igotz Mendi, was the Matunga, with a valuable cargo. The crew was taken aboard the Wolf, and apparently treated well. The three ships then proceeded to a deserted Dutch island, where part of the Matunga's cargo was stored, but the most valuable part put into the Wolf. The ) Germans then sank the Matunga with j a bomb. ! The next victims were tho Beluga and the Hitachi Maru, the latter's :s crew being Asiatics. The Wolf being G » overcrowded, a number of prisoners were transferred to the Igotz Mendi. A prize crew was also placed on ohe Hitachi Maru, and ordered to capture a coal steamer, but was unsuccessful. On her return, the Wolf sank the Hitachi Maru. Tho Wolf was now near the coast of Australia, and th© captain decided 'u> return to Germany. Her homeward voyage was commenced in November. When round the Cape the Wolf sank a sailing vessel by gunfire, then sailed northward, intending to go north to Iceland, but the ice prevented her, and she sailed southward. The Igotz Mendi went north to Iceland. Prisoners state that the treatment aboard was fairly good, excepting that vermin and the lack of clothing caused discomfort and scurvy. Beri-beri also broke out. il3s NEW ZEALAND OFFICERS rs ABOARD, al w (Received February 27th, 9 p.m.) >n LONDON, February 26. The Igotz Mendi, the Spanish steamer captured by the raider Wolf, "was jjj utilised to convey tho passengers and r»f crews of the sunken vessels to Gerid many until sh© stranded in. north Jutrs land. A number of Australians and two New Zealand army medical officers landed, and the medical officers were interned. 1 THE MATUNGA'S PASSENGERS. (Received February 27th. 11.25 p.m.) - SYDNEY. February 27. lo The Matunga, one of the Wolf's vic- ;{• tims, was voyaging from Sydney to j. Rabaul. She carried as passengers

Colonel Strangman, chief of the medical service at Rabaul, Major Flood and his wife, and 17 others, mostly members of the Australian tropical forc». who wore returning from leave. The crew totalled -13. FOUR HUNDRED LANDED. (Australian and X.Z. Cable Association.) (Received February 27th. 11.15 p.m.) LONDON. February 27. Four hundred people were landed from tho Igotz Mendi. NEW CRUISER-SrBMARINES. LONDON, February 20. _ Mr Archibald Hnrd writes: —Wo have sunk more than a few German <ruis.er-subniarirtes. Each represents a severe loss to Germany, owiny to the mzh and the extended period required in building. The cruisers are driven on the surface by steam, giving eighteen knots speed, are equipped with telescopic funnels, which disappear into the hull before submersion, and are armed with o.Oin guns. It is doubtful if the higher surface speed and tho increased gun-power would compensate for the necessary corollary of the larger target ond slower submergence