ss Turritella

[Gibeltarik]

Hi there

I am currently researching the murdering of some members of the crew of the ss Turritella by a German Prize Crew near Aden.

The story so far is that: -

The Turritella, when sailing under the name of GUTENFELS for a German company was seized at Port Said in August 1914 and awarded to the Admiralty by the Prize Court. She was renamed Polavon and was, in due course, sent to Hong to be converted into a tanker. Her name was changed to ss Turritella

On 27 February 1917 she was on passage from Colombo to Port Said when she was seized by the German Merchant Raider Woolf in position 07.00 N 63.00 E, 600 miles west of Minikoi. A Prize crew were placed on board together with a quantity of sea mines. The British Officers were removed to the Woolf as prisoners and the German Prize Crew used the Hong Kong Chinese crew to sail the ship.

Off Aden the Turritella laid her mines. She was then challenged by HMS Odin in the Red Sea and was scuttled by her prize crew. Before the scuttling charges exploded the Prize Crew and deck members of the ships crew made their escape in the ships boats. The Engine room and Boiler room members of the ships crew were not told of the impending explosion of the scuttling charges and went down with the ship.

The Prize Crew were taken to a POW camp in India and some appeared before a Court in Bombay charged with murder.

Can anyone help please with regard to those who were charged with Murder, the date(s) of the trial, the result etc. The fact that there had been a trial was reported in the press in London, New York, Australia and Canada (at least) but these reports are rather basic. A copy of the full report is in the British Library but hopefully one of you may have more details to save the need for me to travel up to London.

Can anyone help please?

Gibeltarik

[ionia]

Hurd's "The Merchant Navy", Vol.2 states that the whole of the TURRITELLA's crew were taken on board HMS ODIN. No mention of murder or Bombay courts. "Naval Operations" Vol. 4 follows the same tack. I find that very strange. Killing the black gang like that would have been a remarkably stupid thing for the German prize crew do do in the presence of a British warship!

[Carmania]

The TURRITELLA was renamed the ILTIS and was commanded by the WOLF's first officer Lieutenant Captain Brandes.

Aled

[Gibeltarik]

Thank you for your postings

I would agree that to murder some of the crew in the presence of HMS Odin would to say the least be foolish -

I can but refer you to The Brisbane Courier of the 8 March 1918 page 8 please see - http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/printArticleJpg/20215459/3?print=n

and the New York Times - please see http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0C13F7385F1B7A93CBA91788D85F4C8185F9

The British Library record is: - The Germans who murdered the Chinese crew of the Turritella are dealt with in Collection 425/1416 Alleged proceedings in India against German crew of prize ship Turritella (seamen prisoners of war interned at Ahmednagar). IOR/L/MIL/7/18585 1918 And this is held in the Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections (previously Oriental and India Office Library) at 96 Euston Road

London NW1 2DB

Gibeltarik

[Kath]

Another version:

Spoilers of the sea: wartime raiders in the age of steam

By John Philips Cranwell

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DSz5tSqLNSEC&pg=PA249&lpg=PA249&dq=gutenfels+bombay&source=bl&ots=tUw7BXCwYv&sig=qCnAMuv3uQh9f4QcQGVD1P5lCiQ&hl=en&ei=KHYoTZfQNI-ahQfUko2uDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFEQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Page 251 "....the Chinese tell the whole story of their capture and voyage...".

And another, I think, with pictures (I don't speak German) :

http://forum.panzer-archiv.de/viewtopic.php?p=187011

Kath.

Edited 8 January , 2011 by Kath

[ionia]

The British Library record is: - The Germans who murdered the Chinese crew of the Turritella are dealt with in Collection 425/1416 Alleged proceedings in India against German crew of prize ship Turritella (seamen prisoners of war interned at Ahmednagar). IOR/L/MIL/7/18585 1918 And this is held in the Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections (previously Oriental and India Office Library) at 96 Euston Road

London NW1 2DB

Looks like a trek to the BL then! Judging by their use of the phrase "alleged proceedings", there may be no Court records.

[Guest]

There is a book on the SMS Wolf. (Might be called ‘The Wolf: The German Raider That Terrorized the Southern Seas During World War I in an Epic Voyage of Destruction and Gallantry’). It was wrote with the intention of being unbiased and historically accurate. Personally, I can’t trust any resources from the Allies, the hate propaganda is dug deep. The book elaborates on a man in Australia, who has German heritage (Parents or Grandparents), and the local police/government are alerted to his ‘Spying Activities’ such as, fishing, walking and generally just trying to feed his family. All this ‘evidence’ is given by his neighbours (for want of a better word). 

[KizmeRD]

According to HMS Odin’s log book...

 

5th March 1917

 

Aden chasing suspious steamer Lat 12.5, Long 44.4

4.15am: Action stations. Steamer stopped. Perim Light N50W 26 miles.

Burnt searchlight stopped engines & signalled steamer marked TURRITELLA

4.30am: Slow ahead to steam round steamer till daylight

5.45 Three explosions in steamer. Three boats shoved off

6.15am: Steamer sank, bow dive, courses for picking up crew

8.0am: Picked up three boats crews consisting of 2 German officers, one Lieutenant-Commander Braudes, 26 German naval ratings and 46 Chinese hands

7.0am: Perim N50W 24miles. Name of steamer, Admiralty charter TURITELLA captured by German Raider on 27 Feb in Indian Ocean, used as minelayer.

 

Now it seems to me that 46 Chinese hands (plus 26 German naval ratings) is ample crew for a 5,500 ton steamer. It suggests to be that the engine room department were very likely to have been included amongst those taken off the vessel - and in the absence of any court details stating otherwise, I prefer not to believe the sensational press reporting.

 

MB

 

PS Pre-war ‘Gutenfels’ had a crew of 74.

Edited 1 May , 2021 by KizmeRD