Raider Base in the Antarctic ?

Observation Post, Volume 1, Issue 32, 24 December 1942, Page 3

Raider Base in the Antarctic ?

Sneaking upon its prey in the treacherous haze of evening, the black painted raider which attacked the Turakina in the Tasman Sea on August 20, met unexpected resistance, the one-gunned merchantman fighting for almost three hours. The story of that historic encounter cannot yet be fully -told, because the few- survivors of the Turakina are still prisoners in the Nazi pirate ship which destroyed their vessel. But from the stories told by coloured seamen, who were captured by the raider and later released on Emirau Island, it is learned that the Narvik, as the pirate ship is known, was badly hit and had to run into hiding whilst repairs were carried out. RAIDER HIDES Immediately after the encounter with the Turakina, the Narvik steamed to the far south and lay at anchor for a considerable period. During that time the captives on the raider were not allowed anywhere on deck. They did not know what was happening, but they believed that the Nazis were frantically repairing the damage done by the Turakina’s gun. Ordinary Seaman S. C. Waterhouse, a member of the crew of the Holmwood, told the story when he returned to Wei lington. He learned it first hand from New Caledonian natives, members of the crew of the French freighter Notou, which was the first vessel sunk by the Narvik. They were battened down during the fight- with the Turakina, and were not allowed to make contact with the captives from that vessel, but they w-ere able to pick up scraps of information during their long detention on the raider. •

PRISONERS CONDITIONS

“We never made any contact with the black raider until we were put ashore from the Manyo Maru at Emiran, Mr. Waterhouse said. “No white prisoners were landed from the black raider, but some women captives were transferred to another raider after they had been on board for only a day or two.

“The Notou was sunk on August 12 and the members of the crew were the first captives to be taken on board the Narvik. The New Caledonian boys told me they were given very little liberty and were allowed on deck for only a few minutes at a time and then under the closest supervision. .

“During the fight with the Turakina the prisoners were kept below. They did not know what was happening, except that the raider was hit a number of times. After the survivors of the . Turakina were taken on board the crews were not allowed to mingle, but they managed to pass a bit of information through to each‘other. “The New Caledonians told me that after the fight with the Turakina the raider went to some place where it was bitterly cold, and stayed there a considerable time. They had no idea where they were, as they were kept below the whole time, but it was their belief that the long stay of -the raider at this place was for the purpose of carrying out repairs. “Until the survivors of the Turakina are released we are not likely to learn the full story of what happened. None of the Turakina prisoners were allowed to speak to the other prisoners and the Nazis for some reason do not seem to

want the world to hear their story. •‘ ‘So far as I was able to see, the Narvik was not flying any colours and had no distinguishing marks. It was painted black and looked like a typical ocean tramp. Every time it came near us it was abscured by the Tokyo Maru. ’ ’ THE SECRET BASE Have the Nazis a base at one of the uninhabited islands lying to the south of New Zealand? The story told by the New Caledonian boys that the Narvik, after its fight with the Turakina, went to a very cold place and stayed there for a considerable period, opens up the possibility of Campbell Island, which is about 400 miles south of Bluff, having been used as the repair base. There are several good harbours at Campbell Island, which is mountainous and has a circumference of about thirty miles. Port Ross, at the northern end of the principal island in the Auckland Islands, which are closer to New Zealand, being about 290 miles to the south of Bluff Harbour, has been described as one of the best harbours of refuge in the world. It may have been used by the Narvik, though its nearness to the New Zealand mainland would make it a risky place of refuge. Another island which lies much further south than Campbell Island is Macquarie Island. It has been assumed that the raiders ’ base is situated in the tropics. If this is so, it would seem that the reason why the Narvik went to some place in the far south instead of proceeding to the base in the tropics must have been that it was so badly damaged that there was too much risk of being intercepted while limping along at a reduced speed if it had attempted the much longer run to the north.