PREYING IN PACIFIC WATERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 136, 4 March 1919, Page 11

PREYING IN PACIFIC WATERS

THE CRUISE OF THE WOLF

AS TOLD BY RAIDER'S • COMMANDER

(By T. J. Henry-in. the "Sydney .Horning. ..Herald.'-'). .

.During- tho- last, great forward move-ment-of our, troops a member of. tho 15th Australian Field Ambulance found two books in Qermaii. in a,, hastily evacuated Gorman dugout. These were 'The Cruise of the Wolf" and "Von Specs Last Voyage." While both are of interest, the former is deserving of special notice, as the- notorious raider visited Pacific waters. The author is. Captain Nerger, the commander of the pirate. The narrative is written in an easy, lucid style, and gives an interesting account of the whole remarkable trip. The Wolf sailed from her home port on n I'riday. -She had.proceeded but a little distance' when a. Sre was discovered in tho coal lumbers, and she.was compelled to return for tho fire to-be extinguished. TJi'e sailors attributed the bad start to the defiance of all-maritime superstitions in leaving out on an unluckv day. Tho Wolf, made a fresh start on ..November. 30, 1916., I'or some-days she had. to .battle through, fierce 6tonns, .while. the cold, was :«o intense that her decks and equipment xm -tt' v ' ered with ice. The book is copiously illustrated • with photographs . talwn nn the voyasc, and that which represents the vessel at ■ this period might well adorn a narrative of Polar exploration. The Wolf, thanks largely to the bad weather and the short, gloomy days, contrived to elude the vigilance of Britain s sentinel ships, and after Christmas and "crossing the line" had been duly celebrated she- reached South African waters '.on'.January. 16, 1317. The cfmser;- appeared a harmless "tramp," but virtually she was a formidable warship, being armed with seven 15 centimetre guns and four torpedo tubes. - She was about 400 by-58 feet, but lior 6peed'was. little.wore 'than 10 knots. Hor .crew numbered 350. A special 'item '.was' & heavy cargo of mines, or ."hell, machines"'as tho .captain grimly terms .them. .She also carried a powerful seaplane.

Mihosov/efs at Work. For sometime the object of the oruiee was a secret, and the crew naturally became curious. The captain addressed them, and they evinced much enthusiasm when he explained that they had a special mission, not to fight unless compel--led. but to wander over the Pacific and destroy enemy trading vessels. :Off the Capo the captain saw several Australian transports; but his ardour'was quenched 'when he recognised a powerful armed cruiser in the van. The Wolf quickly vanished without- being detected. Thou Captain Nerger began to strew his mines in the. path of'navigation.'! According to his account, written for German consumption,; he was immediately successful in his nefarious, designs. First ho picked up wireless messages from Cape Town, which warned shipping that German U-boats were operating.. This greatIv amused him. Then comes a splendid piciie of Teutonic bluff. The captain has the effrontery to claim that by his mines he sank the Aquitnnia, the second largest English mercantihi boat, with 10.CO0 Australian troops on : board.' He got imaginary wireless reports and prisoners* tales to this effect. One can-imag-ine what joy this fable brought-to t]ie cre.Wi • and later to readers, in Germany. Gci many found the Australians such terrible, antagonists that any yarn which "represented them as being destroyed .in huge numbers would be swallowed with avidity. • The Cape rounded, and mines dieipg plentifully sown, the Wolf' mado 'for Colombo. The writer asserts that, while'mine-laying off the entrance to. the harbour at night, the ;port searchlight picked out the ship, and dwelt on it for a full minute. He. boasts that he did po cease, his operations, and that his dnings were unsuspected. He asserts ,nlso. that .he. laid .-mines so successfully, from liis point,of-view, off Bombay,, that the.port was officially: closed to. navigation for. some days. . Ho, names vessels 'which-he claims to have sunk, the .Mongolia being,one.. About:this tinie. he Jumna,, but she refused; at first to'.stop.. He then ; , prepared, to. fire on . her, .but'.the shell, '.prematurely-!.-.ex-ploded,-Jailing', four., of. his .crew,-and causing a. troublesome fire... But- the Jumna did not escape. 'She was taken, her,,crew, and passengers transferred-, her cargo! and coal pillaged,.'and .the'vessel then .sunk.:'' Photographs are given of the Jumna in her original .condition.'and again in the act of sinking,'and this is done with regard jto most of flie'boats the' Wolf sank'., on • her memorable voyage. A boat called the Turritella was next captured. Having been originally a.German steamer,.' Captain iNerger had an affection for her. He renamed her thp llitz, and. putting a, prize crew on board, pent her off as assistant pirate to lav mines near Aden. But the British captured- her. '■..-■-■ .■-.'■.

■".. In Australian .Waters.. The Wolf then with" less enjoynient thiyn.usual,.picked up.wi'reles.s communications, in-which sho herself wis. fully described, and the British -shipping, in* formed of her piratical- activities. Tho raider then, cleared. for Australian seas, •and the commander exulte. in the'damago he did.. He •boasts-'.. , hat he daid jiiincs off;Gabo,. and . fireoly. distributed them in the shipping tracks of the Tasman Sea. He alleges'that panic reigned in Sydneyj and 'thijt 'the authorities eus? pected harmless neufral of doing a ljttjio furtiye niine-layi.-ur." H'o. reprodnc'es'.fron'i a' Sydney paper a .picture of the' "ilLfated Cuniberln'nd,'' .and laughs at thee.publiej imagining.: that..vessel to .havp .becnj.'.-siuik : ,by -_«ii ; .internal..bomb. .Cdptu'in ; N,erger.niade base ;nt„Sunday Island.-, He iherfi-.repaifod.his .own steanieiy as,, well, as looted Iha'AVai;r.«na, which '.he;- ; had jtakeiW:'-and .'•towed thither..-At. the; end- of. July,-. 1917; die-was .off,. Torres:-. Striuts,:-, when ..he .picked, up wireless -messages .from- the Sydney Agents qf-..:the Matunga; -As-.'these'-.'iav.Oi.-the .names of•■ captain arid.agents, and-not of •the:,vessßli he was'tit,a' loss at first to •know.-her..naTno... But'ho waited-'patient-■ly. where'.'she-musf pass, and, the Matunga.. fell like'a lamb-'into'. the '"jaws of the Wolf. As : she.-had-,'a )nir(»e;cargo of coal.'.and his supply was; g'etting'lOw, this was a godsend ffl him. He got POO tops. The prize was tekfii to a secluded .bay' in New Guinea, The''place hnd.many aboriginal inhabitants!' 'sufficiently .civilised to drive ii. brisk barter trade. By-, this' time a fair..crpwd'.'of.prisoners were i. on board. .There..were.22'.different.races represented!'. As.it.'.was. suspected."that ' attenipts to escape lievm'ad.q;.;extra senlrics; lyere ,'pnsted;'n.i\ niglit.. iniicliineguns put.in positiqn,'.and.the 'seai'ehlight .held iii:'readiiiess. Qni?.hig'ht ,"a,."liute'ftiid cry a'rp)e. It iviis asserteil that several prisoner? had- jumped' overboard;; : and were siyiniming ashore. .. .The. searchlight illuminated ,what' seenied to.'be:escapees swimming ashore, aml.lhjse wci-q fired on. .with machina-guiH,. revolvers, .and rifles. But all-.in vain; (hey got away. Careful investigation' and eVil'ling of roll's, established the conclujinn.,thai a hyper-' sensitive sentry, probably half asleep, had imagined he heard men go ovm\ hoard, and the supposed fugitives" were' jeally. erocodilas, on..whose pachyderniat--0115 bodies bullets rained in vain. Among the spoils of the Matiuigji .were three horses. As fresh provisions • were Inching, these were killed.for fond. But as ninny disliked Iliiv proposed luxury, the cook and the captain conspired, ;.nd the cqiiine diet was snrr'pfciliously served Tip as jugged hare, and much relished— until I lie caplain revealed the inke.

The Mintuneu, liavinsr followed (lis other victims of the ..Wolf's .voracity to the bottom, .11 bif? Spiti'iish "bout called the Ttjolz Jlendi was sighted. .As a neutral the captain would, lie averts, have treated her .with 11 courteous exemption, contrasting to what he terms the wicked methods of perfidious Britain; but as she hnd a -cavßii of 7(100 tons of coal from Mnlngoa Hay to Tmlin she was an enemy ship, and hence fair prey. And what, a prize! He determined that she would serve as a tender, and be brought home in tuiinph to Germany, ,ITn•'relieved the, pressure on-his own space by sending many of his prisoners,'as well as a pri/.o crow, on board. Ho coaled from her, ns, indeed, he had previously, dono from other ships in the open ocean, tho boats •beiiiK- lashed side to- side.-- Hutin spite of elaborate fenders the Igolz Mendi

bumped tho Wolf badly, and made holes which afterwards gave much trouble. Tragedy of the Hitachi Mar'u. Soon', came a tragic .-happening. Tho smol(e of it uteamci' ivns sighted. '-The WqHling," ns' the seaplane was named, was'sent aloft to reebnnoitro us usual. Shis reported the Hitachi 'Mam. Being ordered to stop the -vessel professed' to bo about to do so,. but suddenly chnhgeil her.course. As the Wolf came within seeing distance she saw a gun being prepared for defence. Boats also wero v being lowered, thus indicating that thi) vessel would be smile rather thaii allowed' to fall into- the clutches of the Hun. Tho "W'olf at once.li'red several shells. One of these.landed full on the deck - amidships. Twenty of tho''crew were killed' outright, many wounded, while others were drowned iii the confusion attendant on lowering tho boats and taking off the passengers.' The Hitachi at once surrendered, and Captain Norger sent a prize-crew' on board. The' loot was : extremely" ample. The captain had to bo.dragged away, by force. Taken on tho raider ho refused to spenk,' aiid remained day after day gloomily gazing at tho'sea. Finally hedisappeared, and a 'letter' was found which proved his suicide. ■ In' speaking of the sad end of the Japancso commander, . the author' displays : • that clumsy casuistry typical of the German mentality.. . He attributes' the. victim's conduct to the torture of a guilty conscience. The raider, after her remarkable and daring-voyage'of, . : 15 months, arrived home with a'tally of 64,000 miles to her credit;; 'The relatives of her crew were already mourning lief as lost. So'ste received a tremendous reception. ; Pictures are givon showing both'the .-arrival-in' Kiel and the wonderful enthusiasm with which, the captain' and' crew • -were applauded in' Berlin. Captain' Norger,- a really handsome and commanding'figure, heads the procession, while-royalty, beams its smiling welcome, and the great space iu Unter den Linden is-'crowded with thousands, waving banners, throwing MP hats, and cheering.' What a'differenco now! - •'. '• "' ...ii . ."' , ; '