The joker and the merry fellow, the captain of the Norwegian sailing ship "Gero" had him to himself. He chewed tobacco, poisoned trivial stories, ridiculously distorting English words and, at the right moments, screwing salty curses into the conversation. The officer of the inspection party of the British auxiliary cruiser Avenger, himself called up from the reserve, nodded with understanding as he listened to his colleague. In a recent storm, "Hero" got hard - water got into the captain's cabin, soiling documents and logbook. This was evidenced by some chaos reigning on the sailing ship. Sullen bearded men, occasionally quarreling among themselves in this ear-cutting Scandinavian language, were leisurely fussing on the deck. The Norwegian captain was so kind that he treated his English guest to a glass of excellent rum, the aroma of which, however, also smelled strong from himself. The Englishman was no less kind and warned the captain of the "Hero" about the possible appearance of German auxiliary cruisers in the Atlantic. Wishing each other a Merry Christmas and a successful voyage, the Avenger officer and his sailors rolled off the Gero. When the boat was far enough away, the captain swore loudly. In German. They were lucky - the doors to the Atlantic were wide open. The year 1916 ended. December, Christmas.
The new is the well-forgotten old
The first cruises of German auxiliary cruisers, especially the successful Meve raid, showed the efficiency and, most importantly, the economy of ships converted from commercial ships. True, the Achilles' heel of any raider was its fuel supply: no matter how voluminous the coal bunkers were, they tended to deplete. There was hope for fuel-rich trophies, but that was not all. Coal could not fly through the air; a number of conditions were necessary for its reloading: a secluded place, a calm sea. And the main thing is time. Highly autonomous auxiliary cruisers, of course, were good, but a fundamental decision was needed: on the one hand, to further increase the cruising range of the raiders, on the other, to reduce to a minimum their dependence on fuel reserves. Of course, the eyes of specialists first of all fell on the recently invented (1897) Rudolf Diesel engine, also called the "oil engine". But a sufficiently powerful marine diesel engine capable of moving a large ocean-going ship was not available - even while creating a ship power plant for "pocket battleships" of the "Deutschland" type, the Germans faced a number of technical difficulties.
Coal raiders were too dependent on the quantity and quality of coal, there were no diesel ones yet - that's when the idea arose to shake off the old days and send a sailing ship that did not need fuel on a campaign. The main engine of this concept was retired naval lieutenant Alfred Kling. Being a famous traveler, explorer of the Arctic, he carefully and consistently defended the idea of using a sailing ship as a raider. At first, this idea caused a certain skepticism: in the age of steam, steel, electricity, sailing ships looked, albeit beautiful, romantic, but anachronistic. However, the number of more and more positive moments gradually began to outweigh the instructive voice of skeptics. The sailboat did not need fuel, therefore, it had a cruising range limited only by provisions. Such a ship is easier to disguise. A relatively small auxiliary diesel engine, for example, designed for a submarine, would be enough to move in calm weather. Of course, the prospect of returning to Germany looked very dubious, but it was worth a try - after the Battle of Jutland, the number of tools for effective war at sea among the Germans narrowed to submarines and infrequent raiding operations. The problem, of course, was that in the German navy there were relatively few people with a lot of experience in sailing, and a person was needed - knowledgeable, skillful, courageous and daring. Able to lead such a very risky venture. And such a man was found - his name was Count Felix von Luckner, the corvette captain of the fleet of His Imperial Majesty.
Daredevil Count
Felix von Luckner was such a colorful personality that he deserves a separate opus. A native of an old noble family, the great-grandson of French Marshal Nicolas Lukner. At the age of 13, Felix ran away from his father's house. Since in those days the boys did not sit on Vkontakte and dreamed of something more interesting and dangerous than a sales manager's chair, the fugitive count under an assumed name enlisted for food and a bed as a cabin boy on the Russian sailing ship Niobe, going to Australia. Upon arrival, he escaped from the ship and went on a journey. He sold books to the Salvation Army, worked in a circus, and boxed professionally. Luckner also worked as a lighthouse keeper, served as a soldier in the Mexican army of President Diaz, visited an innkeeper and a fisherman.
At the age of twenty he entered the German navigation school, passed the exam and in 1908 received a navigator's diploma and a place on the steamboat of the Hamburg-South America company. After nine months of service with the company, he enlisted for a year in the Imperial Navy to become an officer. A year later, he returned to the same company, but at the top it was decided that such valuable personnel should be in the ranks, and in 1912 Luckner got on the gunboat Panther, where he met the war. Von Luckner takes part in several sea battles - Heligoland Bay, raids on the English coast. In the Battle of Jutland, the Count commands the main battery turret on the battleship Kronprinz. Among officers, he is considered a rude dork and an upstart. With his background and biography, Luckner secured an acquaintance with Kaiser Wilhelm himself. He also visited the imperial yacht. When the Admiral Staff decided to equip the sailboat as an auxiliary raider, it was difficult to find a better candidate than Luckner. Colleagues in the service grumbled that a whole ship was entrusted to some corvette captain, but washing the bones of a daredevil count in a cozy and large wardroom of some dreadnought was one thing, and taking reefs in the ocean was another.
Eagle prepares to fly
The commander was found, the only thing left was to find a suitable ship. And not some coastal mackerel fishing vessel. A relatively large ocean sailing ship was needed. The organizers of the trip came to the attention of the three-masted sailing ship "Pax of Balmach", built in England in 1888 and sold in the USA. In June 1915, he was captured by the German submarine U-36 and brought to Cuxhaven as a trophy by a prize party consisting of one (!) Fenrich, that is, a cadet. First, the Pax of Balmach, renamed Walter, was attached as a training ship. On July 16, 1916, it was decided to convert it into a raider.
The ship underwent a major alteration - two 105-mm guns were installed on it, hidden in the gunwale at the edge of the forecastle. Ammunition storage facilities have been equipped. The future raider received a powerful walkie-talkie, and premises were arranged in his hold to hold about 400 people from the crews of the captured ships. A highly exotic addition, at Luckner's insistence, was a hydraulic lift in the aft compartment. By pressing a special button, the saloon floor was lowered one deck down. According to the experienced count, this could, in the event of force majeure, detain uninvited visitors. A diesel engine and a propeller were installed on the sailboat as an auxiliary propulsion device. According to calculations, he could provide a stroke of up to nine knots. Spaces were provided for additional provisions and a spare spar. The ship was named "Seeadler" (Orlan). In addition to the material and technical preparation for the campaign, a lot of time was devoted to camouflaging the raider, to which great importance was attached. The British naval blockade was increasingly intensified, and it was quite difficult for even a sailboat to slip through enemy patrols. Almost impossible. Therefore, Seeadler had to wear a mask. At first, a Norwegian "Maleta" similar to him was considered, from whom a logbook was stolen while standing in Copenhagen. The raider was not only repainted - his interior was disguised. In the cabins of the sailors there were pictures taken in a Norwegian photo studio, a set of navigational instruments, books and records in the wardroom and officers' cabins, some of the provisions were also Norwegian production. From among the crew, twenty people were selected who spoke the language, who were supposed to represent the deck crew.
When all the preparations were over, Luckner was ordered to await the return of the German submarine Deutschland from the United States on a commercial voyage. The British have doubled their patrols to intercept the transport submarine. The likelihood of falling into the enemy's net increased. We had to wait twenty days, but during this time the real "Maleta" left Copenhagen to the sea. The whole legend fell apart like a house of cards. Breaking through the entire Lloyd's handbook, Luckner discovered another vessel similar to the Seeadler - the sailboat Karmoe. While the corresponding changes were made to the camouflage and the legend, it turned out that the genuine "Karmoe" was inspected by the British. Everything collapsed a second time. Having spat on failure, the desperate Earl renames his ship the fictional "Hero", hoping that the British are not so thorough in studying Lloyd's handbooks. Competently soiled stolen logbook "Malety" and the same water-tainted ship documents were designed to ensure that the inspection party read everything that was needed, but did not find fault either. In many ways, this was pure gamble, but Luckner was not the first to take risks. On December 21, 1916, having taken all the supplies, the Seeadler left the mouth of the Weser River. There were seven officers and 57 sailors on board the 4500-ton sailing ship.
"In the filibuster far blue sea" the new raider sets sail
Luckner planned to go along the Norwegian coast, then round Scotland from the north and go to the Atlantic on the usual ship route. On December 23, the Seeadler was caught in a violent storm, which its commander noted as a good sign. Now there was no need to come up with a reason for the British why the ship's documents and the log were tarnished. On Christmas Day, 180 miles from Iceland, the raider was stopped by the British auxiliary cruiser Avenger, armed with eight 152-mm guns. With such a battery, albeit not new guns, an Englishman could cut chips from a German sailing ship in minutes. Therefore, the whole calculation was on a carefully prepared and rehearsed theatrical performance. On the deck heaped a fake cargo of timber, which was allegedly carried by a pseudo-Norwegian. The British were not mugs and inspected the Seeadler quite carefully. But the Germans played their roles well: Luckner was a drunken Norwegian skipper, and one of his officers, Lieutenant Leiderman (who served, by the way, before the war with the famous owner of the Windjammers "Flying Ps" Ferdinand Laesch) was a hospitable first mate. After examining the "Norwegian", the British wished a happy voyage and warned of a possible threat from German submarines and auxiliary cruisers. The latter was listened to with emphasized attention. The Avenger continued its patrol service, and the Seeadler began its ocean flight.
Deeper into the ocean, the camouflage was thrown off - the decorative load of the forest flew overboard, and the canvas capes were removed from the guns. Observers with powerful binoculars were sent to Mars. On January 9, 1917, 120 miles south of the Azores, a raider spotted a single-tube steamer sailing without a flag. With the "Seeadler" signal, they requested the readings of the chronometer - a common procedure for sailing ships of that time, who had not seen the coast for a long time. The steamer slowed down, and at this time a German war flag was raised on a harmless "Norwegian" barque, the bulwark lowered and a shot rang out. The steamer not only did not stop, but also tried to zigzag, but the next shell exploded in front of the stem, the third flew over the deck. The ship stopped cars and raised the flag of the British merchant fleet. The captain of the Gladys Royle, sailing from Buenos Aires with a cargo of coal, arriving on the Seeadler, was surprised to say that he noticed the German flag only when the third shot was fired. Before that, the British thought that the "Norwegian" was attacked by a submarine, and even began to perform an anti-submarine zigzag. Luckner, secretly delighted by this confirmation of the thoroughness of the camouflage, dispatched a boarding party, which set up explosive charges, and the Gladys Royle went to the bottom. The account has been opened.
The next day, January 19, the observers discovered another steamer. The ship haughtily did not respond to all the signals of a sailing ship, and then Lukner ordered to cut the stranger's course, hoping that, in accordance with the rules, he would give way to the sailing ship and reduce speed. However, the steamer lane ahead, without even thinking to stop. Furious at such blatant rudeness, Luckner ordered the German flag to be raised and fire opened. "Landy Island" (that was the name of the impudent merchant) tried to escape, but the Germans opened rapid fire - after four hits, he stopped and began to lower the boats. Luckner demanded that the captain come aboard with the papers, but this was not done either. The Germans had to lower their boat. When the captain of the ship was forcibly taken to the Seeadler, the following became clear. The steamer was carrying a cargo of sugar from Madagascar, and its owner wanted to make good money on it. When the shells began to hit the ship, the crew of the natives, abandoning everything, rushed to the boats. And then Captain George Bannister himself took the helm. But one of the hits interrupted the shturtros, the ship lost control - the sailors fled, leaving their captain behind. After learning the details and appreciating the Englishman's bravery, Luckner calmed down, and Landy Island was finished off with guns.
The Seeadler continued south. On January 21, he captured and sank the French barque Charles Gounod, and on January 24, the small English schooner Perseus. On February 3, in troubled weather, a large four-masted bark "Antonin" was seen from the raider. For the sake of sporting interest, the Germans decided to arrange a small regatta - in the crew there were many daredevils who served on the Windjammers before the war and knew a lot about such fun. The wind grew stronger, the Frenchman began to remove the sails, fearing for their integrity. Luckner didn’t remove a piece - the Seeadler approached the side of the French barge, from which they were looking at the “crazy Norwegian” in surprise. Suddenly the German flag was raised, and a machine-gun burst turned the sails so guarded by the captain of the "Antonina" into rags. After the search, the bark that lost the race was sent to the bottom. On February 9, the raider seized and sank the Italian sailing ship Buenos Aires loaded with saltpeter.
The Seeadler team with a four-legged captive
On the morning of February 19, an elegant large four-masted barque appeared on the horizon. The Seeadler chased after him, the stranger accepting the challenge, adding sails. He was a good walker - the raider began to lag behind. Then the Germans launched an auxiliary diesel engine to help, and the distance began to decrease. Imagine the surprise of Luckner himself when he recognized the ship of his youth in the stranger - the British barque "Pinmore", on which he had a chance to round Cape Horn. The war is ruthless to the feelings of the people and, obviously, decided to make an evil joke with the commander of the Seeadler. No matter how hard it was, an old acquaintance was sent to the bottom - for a raider he would only be a burden. On the morning of February 26, the bark British Yeoman, whose name did not raise doubts about its nationality, fell into the claws of the Orlan. "Yeoman" transported a variety of animals: chickens and pigs. Therefore, in addition to the crew, the Germans captured a lot of cackling and grunting prisoners, after which they sank their prize. In the evening of the same day, the French cargo barque La Rochefoucauld replenished the collection of the German raider's trophies. On February 27, the ship named after the moral philosopher was unceremoniously sunk without unnecessary philosophizing.
The next time "Seeadler" was lucky in the evening of March 5th. In fine weather, against the background of the moon, signalmen saw the silhouette of a four-masted sailing ship. Approaching a short distance, the Germans signaled: “Stop. German cruiser ". Soon the captain of the French barque "Duplet" Charnier came aboard in a very unkind mood. He was simply convinced that he was the victim of someone's stupid joke or awkward prank. All the jokes ended when the Frenchman saw on the wall a portrait of Emperor Wilhelm II in Lukner's cabin. Charnier was very upset - along the coast of South America, there was already a rumor that something was wrong in the sea, merchant ships began to congregate in the harbors. However, he did not wait for the instructions of the shipowners, but decided to take a risk and left the safe Valparaiso. The count showed sympathy and poured an excellent trophy French cognac for his enemy colleague. "Duplet" was less fortunate - it was blown up.
On March 11, after a series of sailing ships, the Seeadler finally caught sight of a large steamer. As in their very first hunt, the Germans raised a signal with a request to indicate the time according to the chronometer. The steamer did not respond. Then, eager for all sorts of inventions and improvisations, the count ordered to start the smoke generator prepared ahead of time, simulating a fire. Signal flares were launched at the same time. The British were imbued with such a dramatic picture and went to help. When the steamer Horngarth approached closer, the Germans noticed an impressively sized weapon at its stern, which could bring the wooden raider big trouble. It was necessary to act decisively, and most importantly, quickly. The distance between the ships was decreasing, the "fire" was suddenly taken under control. A sailor specially dressed as a woman appeared on the deck, waving to the approaching steamer. While the British were clapping their eyes, the bulwark sank down, and the muzzle of a 105-mm gun was aimed at the steamer, while the German flag was raised. The captain of the Horngart was also not a timid man and refused to surrender - the servant ran to the gun. But Luckner and his floating theater company were not easy to resist. On the deck of the Seeadler a boarding party leaped out with hatchets and rifles. For solidity, a machine gun was dexterously installed right there. While on board the Horngart they watched some unkind-looking bearded men scurrying about on the gloomy sailing ship, suspiciously similar to the accomplices of Captain Flint and Billy Bones, a special noise cannon, made from a pipe and stuffed with gunpowder, fired from the raider. There was a terrible crash, at the same time the Germans fired and from a real gun - the shell tore down the antenna of the radio station. The culmination of the performance was the simultaneous roar of three people into megaphones: "Prepare torpedoes!" It was impossible to resist such pressure, such expression - the commotion on the steamer subsided, and the British waved their white rags. Taking several musical instruments from the obstinate steamer, including a piano for the wardroom, the Germans sent him on a voyage to Neptune.
On March 21, after capturing the French barque Cambronne, the Seeadler replenished its supplies of provisions. Taking advantage of the fact that the French had plenty of it, Luckner decided to finally get rid of a large number of prisoners, who by this time already numbered more than three hundred people. The maintenance of such a crowd became overhead - ship supplies were destroyed at great speed. And it was troublesome to guard the prisoners. It was not possible to send "Cambronne" with a prize batch - the raider's crew was already small in number. The Germans could not simply provide the sailboat in the hands of the captives either - it would quickly reach the coast and warn the enemy. They acted cunningly. On the Cambronne, the topmills were simply cut down, the spare spars were destroyed and the sails were thrown overboard. Now the barque could reach the nearest port of Rio de Janeiro no earlier than ten days later. East of the island of Trinidad, the Frenchman was released with the wishes of a happy voyage.
Scheme of the "Seeadler" campaign
After doing business in the Atlantic, Luckner decided to change the region of activity. The Seeadler moved south and on April 18 rounded Cape Horn. The raider went so deep into these inhospitable latitudes that he even encountered several icebergs. Carefully moving along the Chilean coast, the Germans managed to safely miss the auxiliary cruiser Otranto, known for surviving an extremely unsuccessful battle for the British at Cape Coronel, in which Maximilian von Spee defeated Admiral Cradock's British squadron. To lull the enemy's vigilance, Luckner resorted to another improvisation. Lifeboats and life jackets, previously removed from the sunken ships, were thrown overboard. They were labeled "Seeadler". At the same time, the raider's radio broadcast several short, breaking off in mid-sentence messages with an SOS signal. Considering the west coast of South America a rather dangerous place, Luckner decided to go to quieter waters, free from enemy patrols. In early June, the raider was in the area of Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean, where his crew learned about the entry of the United States into the war on the side of the Entente. The range of possible production has increased. Already on June 14, the four-masted American schooner “A. B. Johnson ". Then two more American sailboats fell into the hands of Lukner.
At the end of July, the raider commander decided to give his team a rest, and at the same time carry out some repairs to the Seeadler itself. A lack of drinking water and fresh provisions began to be felt on board, which threatened scurvy. He anchored off the island of Mopelia in the archipelago of French Polynesia. It was quite deserted here, it was possible not only to sort out the ship's diesel engine, but also to clean the bottom of the ship - during the long voyage, the Seeadler was thoroughly overgrown, which affected its speed characteristics.
Adventures of the New Robinsons
The skeleton of "Seeadler" on the reefs
On August 2, 1917, an unexpected event put an end to the military career of an auxiliary cruiser. Von Luckner himself describes this in his pictorial memoirs as a sudden tsunami. According to him, on the morning of August 2, an unexpectedly flowing huge wave suddenly threw the Seeadler onto the reefs. Everything happened so quickly that the Germans could not even start their diesel engine to get the ship out of the bay. Captured Americans later venomously told a different story, as if the morning of August 2 was really difficult for the count and his team due to a fierce clash with the green serpent, in which he won a landslide victory. The anchors of the unattended Seeadler crawled, and the raider was carried astern to the reefs. No data has survived to confirm a tsunami in the area. The bottom line was sad - Luckner and his people suddenly turned into island inmates. But the active nature of the seasoned count was sickened by the looming career of Robinson Crusoe looming before him and the team, although Mopelia had water and a lot of vegetation, and the Germans managed to save most of the provisions and equipment. It seemed to sit on the bank and wait until they pick it up - but no. On August 23, Luckner and five sailors went to sea on a lifeboat bearing the proud name "Crown Princess Cecilia" - that was the name of one of the German transatlantic liners. The purpose of the voyage was the Cook Islands, and if circumstances permit, then Fiji. The count planned to seize some sailing ship, return for his people and continue cruising.
On August 26, the boat reached one of the Cook Islands. The Germans posed as traveling Dutch. However, moving from island to island, Lukner was unable to find a single acceptable floating craft. The New Zealand administration began to suspect something about the suspicious Dutch, so the "travelers" thought it good to go further. The transition to Fiji was difficult - the fragile shell of the boat was shaken in tropical storms, its crew was incinerated by the heat of the equatorial sun, the lack of food and water led to scurvy. Finally, the extremely tattered "Crown Princess Cecilia" arrived at Wakaya Island, located near one of the largest islands of the Viti Levu archipelago. Barely recovering from the most dangerous and full of hardships campaign, the Germans decided to capture a small schooner with a load of clothing and provisions. Preparations for the assault were in full swing when a steamer with a group of armed police arrived on the island. The administration became aware of the arrival of the ragged individuals with an unkind twinkle in their eyes, and they reported where to go. Luckner forbade his men to resist. The Germans were not wearing military uniforms, and, according to martial law, they could simply be hung on the nearest palm trees as ordinary bandits. On September 21, the commander of the Seeadler was taken prisoner along with his men.
In the meantime, an unexpected turn took place in the fate of their comrades, the Robinsons on Mopelia. On September 5, the French schooner Lutetia approached the island. Left for the senior officer, Kling began to give distress signals, his men dismantled the weapons. The greedy Frenchman saw the wreckage of the Seeadler and agreed to help for a third of the sum insured. The Germans gladly agreed, "Lutetia" dropped anchor, and a boat with armed sailors approached her … The French were asked to clear the ship. Leaving the captive Americans on the island from the schooners captured by the Seeadler along with the French and their overly money-loving captain, Kling led his trophy east. Three days later, the Japanese armored cruiser Izumo approached the atoll, attracted to the search for the German raider, who took the prisoners from the shore. It turned out that "Lutetia" previously belonged to the Germans and was called "Fortune" - the ship was returned to its former name. Kling planned to enter Easter Island and prepare the ship for the voyage around Cape Horn - he still hoped to return to his homeland. However, on October 4, 1917, Fortuna hit an uncharted reef and crashed. The crew was able to reach Easter Island, where they were interned by the Chilean authorities until the end of the war.
Return of the prodigal count
The indefatigable count was deprived of peace even in captivity, which caused a lot of trouble. On December 13, 1917, he and his men fled New Zealand on a boat belonging to the commandant of the prison camp. The boat was armed with a skillfully made machine gun mockup. Luckner once again took risks, deceiving and desperately bluffing. The Germans managed to capture the small schooner "Moa". The indomitable corsairs were already preparing to continue their march when a patrol ship approached the board of the Moa. Its commander paid tribute to the courage and resourcefulness of the Germans, but very seriously suggested that they stop being naughty. Luckner sighed and agreed. He was taken prisoner again. Until the end of the war, he stayed in New Zealand. Count Felix von Luckner returned to Germany defeated by the Versailles Peace Treaty in 1919. By 1920, the entire crew of the Seeadler was already at home.
During the 244 days of the cruise, the last German auxiliary cruiser destroyed three steamers and eleven sailing ships with a total tonnage of more than 30 thousand tons. The idea of a raider disguised as a harmless sailboat came true. The wreck of the Seeadler was examined by former shipowners after the war, and its condition was found unsuitable for further restoration. Felix von Luckner lived a long and fulfilling life. He died in Malmö, Sweden on April 13, 1966 at the age of 84. The raid of a sailing auxiliary cruiser during the height of the Iron and Steam Age was a unique experiment, and the only one remaining. As if the times and heroes of Stevenson and Sabatini for a moment returned from the past, flashed in vague silhouettes and melted in the ocean haze, like the era of the Jolly Roger, piastres and gentlemen of fortune.
