TRAINING SHIP WRECKED

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 July 1932, Page 5

TRAINING SHIP WRECKED

ABOUT 60 yVES LOST WAR RAIDER A VICTIM 1 [BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] (Received July 27, Noon.) BERLIN, July 26. The flowei’ of German youth, and also Count Felix Von Luckner, one of Germany’s most chivalrous and adventurous sailors, second only to Vop Muller, Commander of the Emden, met death, when the training ship Noire, Captain Ruhfus, capsized in a squall in the Baltic Sea, with the loss -df about sixty lives. The Fehnarn Lightship’s boat assisted a steamer to rescue about fifty survivors, including Captain Ruhfus. Light cruisers, seaplanes. and destroyers are searching the scene of the disaster. COUNT VON LUCKNER. Count von Luckner, commanded the raider Seeadler, which was caught, by the British at the island of Wakaya, on September 21, 1917. After being jailed in Fiji, Von Luckner was taken to the little isle off the coast of the North Island of New Zealand, ndar\the entrance to Auckland harbour. The public of New Zealand believed that Von Luckner had sunk the big passengei’ steamer Wairuna, with all’on board, and was inflamed against him. He and his party were then transferred to a prison camp on the island of Motuihi nearby. Von Luckner escaped from the. island in the motor boat Pearl, belonging to the commandant, on Decembei’ 13, 1917. Von Luckner disguised himself in Colonel Turner’s best dress uniform, to make good his escape. They captured the sailing vessel Moa. They steered to the Ker madec Islands, and obtained provisions, then decided to take their prisoners to Macauley Island, nearby The N.Z. Government’s cable steamer Iris, an auxiliary cruiser, sighted them however, and effected the re-capture of Von Luckner. After 21 days in Mount Eden gaol Von Luckner, was transferred to Ripper Island, near Lyttelton. He was then taken back to Motuihi. After the armistice he and his party were imprisoned on an island near Auckland, and were allowed to return to Germany in July, 1919. , Count Von Luckner made a post war cruise round the world to visit the scenes of the See adler’s adventures. His humane treatment of the crews and passengers on the Allies’ vessels he sank during rhe war, was in striking contrast to that of some of his compatriots.