GRAF LUCKNER

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVII, Issue 10926, 26 May 1927, Page 6

GRAF LUCKNER

AUCKLAND WAR-TIME STORY. OF GERMAN RAIDER CAPTAIN. Chatting with an officer of the German steamor Karpfanger, while the vessel was in port at Fremantle, a "Daily News” man was told a picturesque story of the early days of the Great War. Inquiries, however, have failed to trace tidings, official or unofficial, of Graf Luckner. But the story may be given without any guarantee. At the outbreak of the war Graf Luckner was an officer of the Imperial German navy, and was accorded official recognition to operate as a raider of enemy commerce, much on the lines oif the "letters of marque” issued in former tinier to British merchant shipmasters when Britain was at war, and was given command of a sailing ship of about 2000 tons, which mounted three or four guns. His vessel was named Sea Teufel (English, Sea Devil). Whilst the world rang at the time of, and official records are replete with, the doings of the raiders Emden, Moewe, and Wulf, nothing appears to have been heard of the Sea Teufel until a whaleboat containing Graf Luckner and four German sailors was picked up at sea somewhere east from Samoa. Luckner’s story up to this point was that his ship had been wrecked on a lonely island in the South Pacific, and the whole of her 400 men rescued. After a month on the island he had started out in the whaleboat hoping to make either Apia (Samoa) or German New Guinea, to secure another ship. His career as a raider, however, ended with his rescue at sea, for he was taken to Auckland as a prisoner of war. But Luckner was not content to passively accept the role. A\ith four German sailors, under cover of darkness, he seized a small sailing craft in Auckland Harbour and was well out in Rangitoto Channel before he was missed. A naval ship was despatched in pursuit, and the runaway recaptured about 30 miles from land. Following this escapade Graf Luckner was placed by himself on an islet outside Auckland Harbour, where he remained 1 for i. 40 days. When the Karpfanger was at Auckland—incidentally she is_ the only German vessel which hais visited Auckland since the war broke out—evidence that Graf Luckner has not oeen forgotten in the Dominion was furnished in the numerous inquiries as o whether he was likely to return to New Zealand. The Karpfanger officer was able to answer these inquiries with the information that Luckner is contemplating a visit to New Zealand in about three months’ time. • "They like him in Auckland,” said e officer. "New Zealanders,, and Australians, too, always think a lot of a ‘sport,’ and Graf Luckner running oft with the boat was looked upon as asked him why he had done this thing, l ather sporting. When the- Governor .uckuer replied: ‘Yon left the door •i, so I walked out.’” What became of the rest or the 400 ien on the island? asked the "News-’