WAR MEMORIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 13, 16 January 1930, Page 9

WAR MEMORIES.

ZEEBRUGGE AND BOSPHORUS GERMAN SKIPPERS STORY. AFTER THE ANZACS DEPARTED. ENORMOUS SUPPLIES OF FOOD LEFT. "When the Russian revolution broke out I was sent to Kiel for instruction in submarine work," said Captain Heirich Puis, of the German tanker Mittelmeer, which arrived from San Pedro to-day. "Then I joined submarine ÜBIO7, and after about four weeks was sent to Zeebrugge, which was supposed to have been blocked by the British Fleet. Despite this we had no difficulty in getting through a narrow passage and going up the canal to Bruegge. That was fourteen days after the alleged blockade, when the world was told that the entrance could not be entered. It was, as a matter of fact, only blocked for torpedo boats which could reach Bruegge by another canal. Our submarines could pass through it any time and they did so." The officers, engineers and crew of the Mittelmeer are all Germans and a very friendly lot, but reticent to say much, not only because they want to forget the war, but because they speak somewhat broken English. The captain, however, is an exception in the latter respect, and is one of those aboard who can recount some vivid experiences. He mentions Zeebrugge because he had seen a moving picture which purported to show the canal effectively closed. "I could not help being amused when I did see it," he said quietly, as he proceeded to admit other activities.

Before the war he was on the Winneton, a tanker running between Curacoa and other European ports, and then he entered the Baltic trade. He joined the reputed small cruiser. Breslau as a raidshipmate, and was with that vessel when she was accompanied by the Goeben, in the Bosphorus. "We had some exciting times fighting the Russians in the Black Sea," he recalled. But it was when he mentioned the Dardenclles that he explained a most interesting matter. "When the Allies evacuated we landed from our vessels and found enormous supplies of food which was then disinfected and served to us. It appears that when the soldiers were leaving they had orders to bring the heavy guns, which, however, sunk in the sands. To overcome this they got sides of bacon and other solid rations and formed two rows over which the gun wheels ran. They did not< bother to collect the food again. The bacon and other meat was disinfected and served to us in soups. We ate Gritish cake which, in some instances, was twelve months old." The skipper laughed heartily as he told about this phase. Jutland Recalled. The "Guarantee" engineer of the Mittelnieer, Ernest .Colleck, a Diesel expert, who came across the States under special /instructions to join from the Atlantic Company's big new tanker Hansa, also had an extensive experience during the war, and was decorated for his work as engineer in the destroyer GlOl, in which he°served until 1916. He was on this vessel in the North Sea battles when the tatherland lost the Blucher, and also at Jutland, when he had charge of the stoke room of the Hanover, which battleship was with the Schlesian, when the Pommern was blown up just in front of them on the run back to Wilhelmshaven . "It was a terrible mix-up and a scramble." Later in the war he had special submarine instruction and was .riven the new submarine UCIO4, of the U Flotilla Flandern, n which he cruised in the North Sea and the East without any troubles Bu * some narrow escapes from the Bntish destroyers and submarine chasers when in the destroyer." Held in Spain. The chief officer, Anton Rode, who has been on the Hittelmeer for wo Years, was at Peru in a sailing vessel 'when the war broke out._ He headed for Germany by an Italian ship, but only got as far as Balboa, Spam, and was unable to pass through to the Fatherland, to which he returned m 1919 and passed his examinations for officership in the merchant marine. Since then he has been all over the world in this tanker, which has a net tonnage of 3658. Mr. Rode talks about Baytown (Texas), Batum (Black Sea), Antwerp, Dublin, Italy and other places on the map with unusual freedom.