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| SMS Seeadler by Christopher Rave |
SMS Seeadler (Sea Eagle) was a German raider under the command of Kapitän Leutnant Felix von Luckner. She was the single, most successful sailing commerce raider of the war, a brilliant concept that made in general sailing ships the most innocuous-like predators imaginable. Seeadler was launched originally as Pass of Balmaha on 9 August 1888, designed as a steel-hulled ship-rigged sailing vessel, 1,571 GRT, typical of the late trade tall ships, most of the time relegated to carry bulk, whereas more interesting, fragile, precious or urgent cargos went by steamers. These tall ships were cheap and therefore they still counted for a very large part of the merchant fleets of the time.
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| Sunk by Seeadler |
Balmaha served for two years during the war under American ownership without incident, until her trip from New York Harbor in June 1915 to Arkhangelsk loaded with a cargo of cotton for Russian troops. After being boarded by Royal Navy and routed to Orkney Island for inspection with a naval ensign and marines accompanying the crew, she faterfully crossed the path of U-36 in the North Sea..
U-36's Captain Ernst Gräff stopped her, made warning shots and started the usual boarding inspection, ending with the capture of the ship as he was unsure of the ruse, and the ship was ordered to sail to Cuxhaven as a prize ship with an ensign left on board. The American crew, resentful of the British, had the British marines locked in the hold. At Cuxhaven they were made prisoners while the Americans were cleared to return home. Meanwhile the ship was mothballed, waiting for a decision.
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| Kapitänleutnant von Luckner |
It was decided that the ship would be fitted out as an auxiliary cruiser to operate against British merchant shipping. After being outfitted as a disguised warship with an auxiliary engine, hidden traps for 105 mm cannons under the main deck, prisoner rooms, two hidden heavy machine guns, and rifles for boarding parties., the re-commissioned SMS Seeadler was ready for action. She began her new career on 21 December 1916, sailing under the command of Kapitänleutnant Felix von Luckner, a larger-than-life swashbuckler and adventurer later nicknamed "the Kaiser's pirate"
The ship, which had been transformed into a Norwegian wood carrier, successfully crossed the British blockading line, even after being boarded for an inspection. Indeed Von Luckner has handpicked his crew for their fluency in Norwegian. That was the brillant start of 225 days of rampage in two oceans, capturing 15 ships in the Atlantic and Pacific. The tall ship gained so much fame that she was chased by many British and American ships and at one point became their #1 hunting priority.
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| Crew and Officers of Seeadler |
After a successful cruise in the Atlantic von Luckner moved to the Pacific, where his luck changed radically. His ship was wrecked on Mopeilia, one of the Society Islands group, in 1917. Von Luckner and five others left the ship and crew in an attempt to capture a ship to rescue his stranded men. But their misfortunes continued when they were themselves captured and sent to New Zealand as prisoners of war. Back at Mopelia the remaining party managed to capture the small French trading ship Lutece, and set course for South America. They landed in Chile and were interned until the end of the war.
After the war, with some promotional help from Lowell Thomas, his considerable personal charm, and some well-publicized personal sailing voyages, Luckner became a worldwide celebrity. He died in Sweden in 1966 at age 84.
Sources: Torpedo Bay Naval Museum, New Zealand; The Naval Encyclopedia; Count Luckner, the Sea Devil by Lowell Thomas
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