Table of Contents 1914-1915: Part 4: Konigsberg, (folios 6-48); Part 5: Geier, (folios...

ADM 137/22/1

1914-1915

Table of Contents 1914-1915: Part 4: Konigsberg, (folios 6-48); Part 5: Geier, (folios 49-78); Part 6: Leipzig (folios 79-187); Part 7: Karlsruhe, (folios 188-505).

Folio 2: Explanatory note. The papers contained in ADM 137/21-23, (former Admiralty references, HS 21, HS 22, HS 23), are the collection made by Commander Henry Theodore Augustus Bosanquet, Royal Navy, in compliance with instructions received from the Director of the Trade Division to have all the statements and documents for all vessels captured or sunk, in preparation for future enquiries.

Folios 3-4: Volume 2: Index of British Merchant vessels captured or sunk by German cruisers. By cruiser Konigsberg: City of Winchester. Auxiliaries to Konigsberg: Zieten and Prasident. By cruiser Grier: Southport. By cruiser Leipzig: Elsinore, Bankfields, Drummuir and Marie. By cruiser Karlsruhe: Bowes Castle, Strathroy, Maple Branch, Highland Hope, Indrani, Maria, Cornish City, Rio Iguassu, Farn, Niceto De Larrinaga, Lynrowan, Cervantes, Pruth, Condor, Glanton, Hurstdale, Vandyck and Royal Sceptre. Auxiliaries to Karlsruhe: Anderinha and Macedonia.

Folio 5: Blank.

Part 4: Konigsberg.

Folio 6-11: Captured: City of Winchester. Auxiliaries: Zieten, Prasident, Ostmark, Goldengels, Somali and Sudmark, (folios 7-8). Newspaper photograph and cutting relating to the destruction of the Konigsberg, (folios 9-11).

Folios 12-38: S.S. City Of Winchester (ship’s official number 136290). Owned by The Hall Line (Ellerman Lines Ltd.) Liverpool, Captain George Robert Boyck, sailed from Colombo 30 July 1914 for London via Aden with 1,100 tons of general goods. Captured 6 August 1914 off Socotra and sunk 13 August 1914. The master had received news of the outbreak of war at 6.30 p.m. on 6 Dec. and encountered Konigsberg at 8.30 p.m. He had received no instructions as to the procedure and was steaming on the regular track up the Gulf of Aden so no blame is attached to him, (folio 13). Correspondences including information of the release of the crew, (folios 14-34). Letter dated 21 August 1914 by the Press Bureau, 40, Charing Cross, S.W. to the Chief Censor that notwithstanding the most stringent orders being issued to the Press and to Llloyds forbidding the publication of any news concerning the stoppage or search of British merchant vessels by the enemy Lloyds issued a statement announcing the sinking of the Hyades east of Pernambuco, and the capture of the City of Winchester off Socotra. Admiral Inglefield, Secretary of Lloyds was immediately communicated with, and in reply he expressed his regret. The News agency which published the report will be dealt with by the Press Bureau. The attention of the Chief Censor is drawn to the system which permits communications of this type reaching Lloyds through the censors in the Cable Offices, (folio 17). Report to the Owners by 2ND Officer O.Cheverton Brown (folios 35-37). (Paper number M 17304), examination on Oath of Captain George Robert Boyck, City of Winchester (folio 38).

Folios 39-43: Zieten. Telegrams on the arrival of the German S.S. Zieten, North German Lloyd line, in Mozambique with crew and passengers and British prisoners from the City of Winchester. Newspaper cuttings regarding the disposal of S.S. Zieten’s cargo, (folios 44-45).

Folios 46-48: Prasident. Telegram dated 21 October 1914 from HMS Chatham at Zanzibar reporting the capture of the S.S.Prasident, German East Africa Line, in Lindi River, German East Africa on 19 October 1914.

Part 5: Geier.

Folios 49-51: Geier. Report that the German cruiser Geier was interned in Honolulu on 8 November 1914 having failed to depart as ordered by the authorities. The North German Lloyd steamer Locksum, alleged to be a naval tender, was also interned.

Folios 52-78: SS Southport. Owned by The Lewis Trading Co. Cardiff, Captain Aristide Bernard Clopet, captured by the Geier in Kusaie Harbour, Caroline Islands on 4 September 1914. Her engines were disabled and her bunker coal discharged to the German auxiliary Tsintau. During the absence of Geier and Tsintau the engineers got the engines more or less serviceable and she escaped on 18 September 1914. After an adventurous voyage, arrived at Brisbane on 29 September 1914, (folio 53). Correspondence regarding her whereabouts and arrival in Brisbane, (folios 54-69). Reports detailing the incident. (Paper number M 211156) Chief Engineer Harold William Joseph Cox and other officers and engineers being V. Stears, J.C. Dodd, W.E. Harris and A. Griffiths. The Board of Trade awarded pieces of plate to Clopet and Cox, (folios 70-78).

Part 6: Leipzig.

Folios 79-99: Leipsic (Leipsig, Leipzig). Index of correspondence concerning the German cruiser Leipsic (folio 80). List of ships captured by Leipsic and auxiliaries of the Leipsic, (folio 81). Hand written table of ships captured and auxiliaries, (folio 82). Correspondence on the whereabouts of Leipsic and British merchant ships off west coast of South America (folios 83-95). Mention made to SS Bankfields, (folios 92-95). Newspaper cuttings relating to the Battle of the Falklands in which the Leipsic was sunk, (folios 96-99).

Folios 100-134: SS Elsinore (ships official number 135530). Owned by The Bear Creek Oil and Shipping Co. Ltd. Liverpool, captured and sunk by the German cruiser Leipsic on 11 September 1914 off Cape Corrientes, Mexico having sailed from Corinto, Nicaragua in ballast for San Louis Obispo, California. Captain John Roberts had sailed along the regular trade route. The crew were transferred to the German vessel Maria and were landed on the Galapagos Islands, (folio 101). Correspondences concerning the whereabouts of Elsinore, (folios 102-108). (Paper numbers, M 21098 and M 15044) including a statement from the Captain, John Roberts, and extract from the ship’s log and report, (folios 109-117). Correspondence regarding the instructions issued to the Master, (folios 118-134).

Folios 135-162: SS Bankfields (ships official number 120823). Owned by The Bank Shipping Co. Ltd. Liverpool, captured and sunk by Leipsic 25 September 1914. Sailed from Eten, Peru with sugar and copper ore for Holyhead, North Wales via Panama. Captain John Ingram had not kept within territorial waters. It appears that German sympathisers delayed the telegram instruction to all British ships to remain in Eten. The crew were transferred to the German vessel Maria and arrived at Callao, Peru, (folio 136). Correspondence regarding reports of the capture and the crew, (folios 137-153). (Paper numbers, M 19308 and M 19101), reports concerning the capture, (folios 154-162).

Folios 163-182: Drummuir (ships official number 86233). A sailing vessel owned by Messrs. Hind, Rolph & Co San Francisco, London agents Messrs. Black, Moore & Co. Captured by Leipsic on 2 December 1914 off Staten Island near Cape Horn and sunk on 6 December. Captain James C. Eagles sailed from Swansea about 9 September with a cargo of anthracite coal for San Francisco. No blame was attached to the Master for her loss. Crew transferred to German steamer Seydlitz and landed at San Antonio, Patagonia, (folio 164). Correspondence and reports, (folios 165-182) including Captain’s statement (paper number M 17105), folios 179-180.

Folios 183-187: German S.S. Marie. Questions from the Admiralty and replies from Bank Line regarding the Marie. (a) The Marie did not assist the Leipsic searching for other vessels, (b) The Marie did not meet Leipsic by accident, (c) There were two passengers on Marie, a German spy an ex army officer called Von Huellie and an American woman supposed to be his wife, both being landed at Callao.

Listing continued in ADM 137/22/2.

Public Record(s)

Open Document, Open Description