Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-04-07
The Cormoran Blown Up by
Crew When U. S. Forces Ar
rive to Take Possession.
TWO WARRANT OFFICERS
AND FIVE SEAMEN KILLED
Twenty Officers, Twelve Warrant Of
fcers and 321 Enlisted Men
Are Held Prisoners.

The interned German gunboat
Cormoran at Guam has been
blown up.
The destruction of the Cor
moran took place at 8 o'clock last
night, Washington time.
The Corinoran refused to sur
render to the American forces
which went to take possession OF
her and was destroyed by her
crew. Two German warrant Of
hcers and FIVE enlisted men of the
crew were killed in the explosion.
Twenty officers, twelve warrant
officers and 32I enlisted men were
taken prisoners.
Navy Department Notified.
The message was received at the
Navy Department at am. today from
and commandant of the naval station
there.
Internment of the Cormoran at Guam
has been the cause of continual conflict
and disagreeable incidents between the
American naval officers in charge of
the island and the German crew.
On several occasions former German
Ambassador Bernstorfr appealed to the
State Department on behalf of the Cor
moran's officers and crew to have the
vessel transferred to San Francisco.
Each time the Navy Department re-
fused.
The Cormoran was chased into Guam
by Japanese warships soon after the
declaration of war between Japan and
Germany. The ship had exhausted her
fuel supply raiding commerce and was
ture to make steam under which she
reached that port
Official Statement.
The Navy Department in a statement.
says:
October %. 1914, the thirty-five-foot
cutter, called the Ocean Comber, en-
tered the harbor Of Apra, Island of
Guam, in charge of Lieut. Won Elpons
of the imperial German navy. The
boat and party of three officers and four
natives of New Guinea had been at sea
for a long time. having left S. NJ. S.
Cormoran for the purpose OF sending
cable to San Francisco for supplies. The
date of the cipher was October II, and
the location of the Cormoran was not
disclosed.
Permission was not granted to send
the cablegram and the officers and men
were interned.
December "A, 1914. the German
auxiliary cruiser Cormoran appeared
off the harbor of Apia. and sent a
radio, asking permission to enter for
to enter and the commanding officer
to visit the governor. Commanding
Officer Juckschwerdt stated that he had
just come from the South seas and was
short of coal. had only about fifty tons
on board and requested 1900 tons of
coal and provisions. to reach his near
est home port in German East Africa:
The governor replied that he could
furnish only 200 tons of coal and thirty
days provisions only could be spared,
and the commanding officer was given
the alternative of departing within
twenty-four hours or being interned.
commanding officer decided to remain
in port. and the ship and its personnel
were interned.
Formerly in Russian Fleet.
THE Cormoran was formerly
steamer in the Russian volunteer fleet
was captured early in the morning Of
| August by s. M. S. Emden. and was
formally put in service as German
auxiliary cruiser. Her name before
capture was the Rjaesan. During peace
she was in the passenger trade between
a new speedy ship, built at the German
works of Schichau. She was taken to
Tsingtae and was overhauled and
could do better than seventeen knots.
She was equipped with guns. manned
bv a German crew. The old German
sunboat Cormorant was being disman-
tied at Tsingtao and the captain and
most of her crew were transferred to
the newly converted auxiliary cruiser.
she was taken the first night of the
war and was the first .,a,rn prize obi Of the the
| hean taken inside the territorial bor-
| ders of ia pan. which was prior to Japan