Von Luckner and the Seeadler

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 164, 1 October 1927, Page 24 (Supplement)

Von Luckner and the Seeadler

■NE of the most picturesque figures that emerged from the naval operations during the Great War was Count Felix von Luckner, who is announced to be on his way to New Zealand. His adventurous and hazardous voyage in the auxiliary ship Seeadler (Sea Eagle) from Bremerhaven, through the cordon of British war vessels patrolling the sea to the north of Scotland, his successful exploits against British and Allied ca,rgo vessels in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, his adventures and eventual capture in the Western Pacific, and his sensational escape from Motuihi, an island in Auckland Harbour, form an epic of the sea outrivalling the famous Alabama raids during the American Civil War of 1862-3-4. The Seeadler sank 13 British and Allied ships carrying cargo of immense intrinsic value in ordinary times, but its loss during the war period was incalculable from the points of view of food requirements and for manufacturing purposes. As the raider’s crew was becoming worn-out with the continuous strain, and the vessel herself was sluggish owing to the barnacles on her bottom, von Luckner decided to lay up ashore for a few weeks, and selected the island of Mopelia, the most isolated of the Society Group, and on August 16, 1917, he anchored off the reef of the island. A few days later a tidal wave piled the Seeadler on to the reef, and she became a hopeless wreck.

Ten days later von Luckner, with Lieut. Kerscheiss, two petty officers, and two leading seamen, left Mopelia in the Seeadler’s whaleboat, which was fitted with a powerful Diesel engine, his object being to visit the Cook or Fiji Group, capture a vessel, and return to Mopelia for his crew. On August 29 he reached Atiu, one of the Cook Group, but owing to the suspicions of the natives and the hostility of the few whites there, he quickly left that port, and set a course for Fiji. Von Luckner's arrival, on September 23, at Wakaya Island, in the Fiji Group, proved the end of his odyssey in the Western Pacific, for in his game of bluff he was outwitted by a police inspector and placed under arrest. Sub-Inspector Hill, of the Levuka police, had been informed that a strange launch, with six men aboard, had arrived at Wakaya, and he induced the Governor of Fiji to charter the small steamer Amra for a visit to the island. Hill was armed with a service pistol, but was refused permission to arm his native police. On arrival at Wakaya he found that the launch was making preparations to leave, so he and his native crew manned the ship’s boat and headed the launch as it was making for the opening in the reef. Calling to the launch to stop, and informing its crew that the steamer had them covered with its guns, Hill said; “You are my prisoners.” Believing the odds to be too great for resistance, as the launch’s arms were nor. readily accessible, von Luckner surrendered. He and his crew were put on board the Amra, and subsequently taken to New Zealand in the Talune, arriving in Auckland on

October 7. Von Luckner and Kerscheiss were taken to Motuihi, and the others were sent to Soames Island, in Wellington Harbour. The succeeding three months on Motuihi were spent by von Luckner and his fellow-prisoners—mostly men from German merchant vessels, who were skilled wireless operators and engineers—in unceasing arrangements for escape. Large quantities of tinned food were “abstracted” from the supplies landed at the island, and many fowls were killed and preserved in air-tight tins made in the prison workshops; bombs were constructed, ammunition was stolen, maps and charts prepared, and a splendid sextant made of odds and ends. All these were hidden in a specially-made cave on the island, in spite of the watchfulness of the guards. Von Luckner’s one hope was to capture the Commandant’s fine launch Pearl, which was fitted with a 15 h.p. engine; and on

December 13, the prearranged signal was given that the time was opportune for escape. All the stores, etc., were quickly transferred to the launch, and von Luckner and his crew put to sea. Within a couple cf hours of the launch’s escape about 50 craft of all sorts had been pressed into the Government’s service in order to search for the escapees. In the meantime, von Luckner had reached Red Mercury Island, where the launch was overhauled and preparations made for the capture of a vessel suitable for escape to the open sea. At the end of the second day the scow Moa was sighted, and the launch,

flying the New Zealand flag, went alongside. Von Luckner boarded the scow, and, threatening the crew with hand grenades and rifles displayed by his crew, demanded the surrender of the vessel. There was no alternative. so Captain Francis handed the scow over to the raiders. A lam portion of the timber cargo was thrown overboard, and the scow was headed for the Kermadecs, which were reached on December 21. A boat was sent ashore and the stores cn the island were raided. But while this work was in progress a vessel was sighted bearing down upon the island, and hurriedly the boat returned to the scow. All sails were set. and the Moa made off at 10 knots.

The pursuing vessel was the cable steamer Iris, which had been commissioned by the New Zealand Government to hunt for the raiders, and a shell fired in close proximity to the Moa proved to von Luckner that this

was no bluff, and he stopped the sco and was arrested aDd taken on h° the Iris. Von Luckner and Kerscheiss brought South and confined months on Ripa Island, in ~^ ea Harbour, after which they wer t a i>. back to Motuihi. Here he ba t orate plans for again escap » the Armistice rendered these sary. t .l.npr and On May : 4. 1949, von Luckner 156 of his fellow- prisonersi moved from Motuihi tc ' ‘hoard and a few clays later were P u the Willochra, which conveje to Germany.