Das Ende der S.M.S. Geier

[Leutnant Werner]

24.09.1914: "As for the Nisshin, since she had no place in the plan, she was now at Admiral Jerram´s disposal, and he ordered her to reinforce the Sandakan patrol, which seemed to be in danger. The GEIER, Prinz Eitel Friedrich and Cormoran were still unlocated, and there were signs that the German colliers in the Philippines were getting suspiciously restless. One actually came out, but was at once headed back by the merchant cruiser Himalaya, and in these circumstances the possibility of a suprise attack on Sandakan could not be neglected."

Corbett, a.a.O., p 299

[Leutnant Werner]

Jetzt mal was Lustiges über GEIER und ihre heldenhafte Prise SS Southport...

01.10.1914: "The GEIER was also suspected of being somewhere about. She had not been heard of for over a month, but news of her had just come in. It was that on September 4 she  had captured at Kusaie in the Eastern Carolines, the British S. S. Southport, which was lying there ignorant that war had broken out. Having disabled her prize´s engines so that she should not get away, the GEIER left her in the harbour and went off on a fortnight´s cruise. No sooner was she  gone than the Master of the Southport, Captain Clopet, made up his mind to escape. Desperate as was the chance and short the time, the crew agreed, and under her clever engineer, Mr. H. Cox, they set to work to repair the engines, in spite of the almost hopeless condition to which they had been reduced. The eccentric gear of the mean and high-pressure engines and the intermediate stop valve had been removed as well as a good many of the tools, but after eleven days´work, by fitting the astern eccentric of the low-pressure engine to the high-pressure cylinder, and cutting out the middle cylinder, they got a semblance of a compound machine. True, it would not go astern, and if it was stopped might get on a dead centre and refuse to start again. Nor was this the only trouble. They had over 2000 miles to go to reach a British port, and no provisions except what the island - which, like the rest is not self-supporting - could provide. However from the native king, whom the Germans had told to help him with food, Captain Clopet obtained 350 cocoanuts and 400 lb. of a root which the natives only eat in time of famine. With this equipment, after infinite difficulty in getting their unhandy craft to sea, they started on Sebtember 18 with only a day or so in hand. Still, they escaped, and on the 30th put into Brisbane with their news, and another brilliant page added to the record of resource and daring with which the mercantile marine was to glorify itself in the course of the war. The exploit was recognised by an Admiralty letter expressing the high appreciation of the captain´s and the engineer´s seamanlike and skilful conduct (...)"

Corbett, a.a.O., page 304

Na, wenn das mal nichts ist!

to be continued

[Leutnant Werner]

01.11.1914: "The Japanese were still occupied with the main part of their fleet in the siege of Tsingtau, and so was the Triumph. Their two South Sea Squadrons, as arranged, were operating in concert with Admiral Patey on either side of longitude 140 degree, which is roughly the dividing line between Polynesia and the Malay archipelago, and there they were keeping an eye on the as yet unnoccupied German islands to the eastward and the numerous German ships to the westward, as well as Honolulu, where the long-lost GEIER had appeared. In that port she had been making good her defects, and so lax were the American rules about internment, that the Japanese thought it necessary to watch her, not only with the armoured cruiser Asama but also to detain there the small battleship Hizen (...)"

08.11.1914: "For on November 8, when the American authorities at Honolulu finally interned the GEIER and her tender, the Japanese ordered both the Hizen and the Asama to San Clemente."

Corbett, a.a.O., p 334, 366

Also wurde GEIER beim Ausführen von Reparaturarbeiten blockiert und schließlich interniert.

Gruß
Lt

[Mario]

Es könnte demnach möglich sein, daß die S.M.S. Geier die Zeit überschritten hatte, die laut Völkerrecht zur Reparatur eines Kriegsschiffes in neutralen Häfen zu Verfügung stand. Dann ätten die Amerikaner vollkommen recht mit der Internierung.

@Lt. Werner
Vielen dank für die Fleißarbeit. 

[Albatros]

Tach auch,

habe auch ein paar Daten zum Kleinen Ungeschützten Kreutzer  Geier

30.08.14 Die Maschinenschäden schlossen das in Erwägung gezogene Erreichen von Tsingtau aus.Für die Ausrüstung als Hilfskreuzer geeignete Handelsschiffe waren im diesem Seeraum nicht zu erwarten.
Daher beschloß der Kommandant KK Graßhoff die südamerikanische Küste zu erreichen,dies würde aber nur mit Hawaii als Zwischenstation gelingen.Am 15.10.14 lief Geier in Honolulu ein.Der Kommandant lehnte eine Internierung ab,konnte sie aber nur bis zum 07.11.14 hinauszögern.An diesem Tag wurde Geier Interniert.

Gruß,

Manfred