The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1917-11-15
Story of Raider Seeadler.
Thrilling Adventures and Rapine Un-
equalled in Annals of History.

commerce raider Seeadler mas been
obtained by the Navy Department
from Captain Haldor Smith of the
American schooner r. c. Slade, and
three other mariners who landed at
Tutuila in an open boat September
20 after being marooned on Mopeha
Island by the master of the Seeadler
when the raider grounded and was
abandoned.
The Seeadler, formerly the Ameri-
can ship Pass of Balmaha, belonged
to the Boston Lumber Co., and was
in the Nova Scotia trade before the
war. After the war broke out she
was put under the American flag and
was captured by the British and a
prize officer was put aboard her with
instructions to take her to Kirk
wall, Scotland. On the way, she was
captured by a German submarine and
sent to Bremen and fitted out as a
raider. A picked crew was placed
aboard, some of whom spoke Nor
wegian, and sent out into the Atlantic
under the guise of Norwegian ship.
The ruse worked so we'll that after
leaving Bremen on December 21, 1916,
the Seeadler was held up by the Brit
ish auxiliary cruiser Highland Scot,
examined and passed. Sailors identi-
fication books issued by the Norweg-
ian government were furnished the
men, although they probably we're
taken from captured Norwegian ves-
sells and given to the men who seemed
to fit the descriptions given. These,
together with pictures of Norwegian
kings and queens, gave the ship the
appearance of Norwegian.
Captain Smith learned that, while
cruising in the Atlantic, 13 ships, val
ued by the Germans at 60,000,000
marks, were captured, and four in the
Pacific, the r. C. Slade, the American
schooner A. B. Johnson, the American
schooner Manila and the French
schooner Lutece.
Relating the story of the capture of
his ship, the Slade, Captain Smith
said:
81 left "ydney on April pa, 1917,
and proceeded without any incident
until the evening of June II, when |
was in latitude about north and
longitude $50 west. On the evening
of June II, about o'clock, the sec
ond mate reported to me that ship
was firing on us. l went on deck and
looked aft, and instantly, as l came
on deck, they fired again, and l saw
the shell fall short about two miles.
She was about eight miles off, There
was heavy squall starting to east
ward-wind favorable to this time
and l thought it possible to get away
and kept holding on. But she kept
firing on me at intervals of about
five to ten minutes, and was coming
up on me fast.
"The ninth shot, fired about 6
o'clock, struck very close, passing the
poop and splashing water on the ship.
Then l concluded that there wasn't
any use, and l lowered down spanker,
clewed down topsail, hoisted Ameri-
can flag, and hove to. About O'Clock
the raider was up alongside and asked
what ship. 1 told him what it was,
and he told me to lower down sails,
and stand by, and he would send an
officer aboard me. Shortly after, the
prize officer came aboard, and a doc
tor and about 10 men. These officers
were in uniform. They told me to
leave the ship and to go on board the
raider, and they would give me time
in the morning to pack my clothes.
"They took all our men aboard the
raider except the cook. Next morn
ing went back on board with all my
men and packed up. We left the ship
with our belongings, June 18. We
were put on board the railer again
Shortly after / saw from the raider
that they cut holes in the masts and
placed dynamite bombs in each mast
and left her. | saw the masts go
over the side and the ship was burn
ing from end to end, and the raider
steamed away"
Captain Smith said the raider was
a full-rigged ship of steel or iron,
about 2,300 tons, propelled by oil
burning engines. Her captain was
Felix Graf Won Luckner, Active Cap
the First Lieutenant,
Alfred King; Prize Officer, Richard
Pless. There also was a chief en-
sineer, Navigating lieutenant,
mate and doctor. All told, her com
plement was 68 officers and men.
Mounted between decks, she carried