GRAF LUCKNER

Evening Star, Issue 19552, 10 May 1927, Page 4

GRAF LUCKNER

AUCKLAND WAR-TIME STORY , OF GERMAN RAIDER CAPTAIN. Chatting with an officer of the German steamer 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 bo 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 odmriierce, much on the lines of the ‘‘ letters of marque ” issued in former times to British merchant shipmasters when Britain was at war, and was given command of a sailing ship of about 2,000 tons, which mounted three or four guns. His vessel, was named See Teufel (English, Sea Devil). Whilst the world rang at the time of, and official records are replete with, the doings of the raiders Emden, Moewo, and Wulf, nothing appears to have been heard of the See Teufel-un-til a whaleboat containing Grrif Lucknear 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 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 iu the whaleboat hoping fo 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 that role. With four German sailors, under coyer of darkness, he seized a. small sailing craft in Auckland Harbor and was well out in Rangitoto Channel he was missed. A njaval ship was despatched in pursuit, and the runaway recaptured about thirty miles from land. Following this escapade Graf Luckner was placed by himself on an islet outside Auckland Harbor, where ho remained for 140 days. When the Karpfanger was at Auckland — she is the only German _ vessel which has visited Auckland since the war broke out —evidence that Graf Luckner has not been forgotten in the dominion was furnished in the numerous inquiries as to 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 monhs’ time. . “ They like him in Auckland,’’ said the officer. “New Zealanders, and Australians, too, always think a lot_ of a ‘sport,’ and Graf Luckner running off with the boat was' looked upon as rather sporting. When the Governor asked him why he had done this thing, Luckner replied: ‘ You left the door open, so I walked out.’ ” _ , What became of the rest of the 400 men on the island ? asked the ‘ News man.