Pinned post for Q&A :)

@themanformerlyknownascomme777

5 ай бұрын

I was recently reading about how the Germans would sometimes use a “two-piece barrel” for the 88mm (and possibly the 105mm gun to) to counteract the various disadvantages of using such a long barrel in these high-velocity guns, did the allies try anything like this and could this principle be scaled up to battleship grade guns?

@Paludion

5 ай бұрын

Concerning the capture of the futur SMS Seeadler, why was one submarine crewman enough to convince the crew to sail for Germany (british prize crew excluded, because they were locked up) when they could have easily overpowered him after the U-boat left ? Also what was the british reaction if and when they learned of this incident ? I can't imagine they would be very pleased to learn that an american crew bought their freedom by surrendering british citizens directly to their ennemies. Were there any repercussions for the american crew when they got back home ? (if it has even been documented)

@diegoferreiro9478

5 ай бұрын

​@@Paludionby the time the Pass Of Balmaha was seized by the Germans the US were a neutral country and her American crew had no reason to collaborate with one or another belligerent, so if the Germans seized the ship the quickest way to get back home was to cooperate with them. Neutral Americans were not obliged to risk their lives for Great Britain, a power that already had seized their ship in a first instance.

@ar4040smith

5 ай бұрын

How about a Wednesday special on the submarine warfare in the Mediterranean?

@Cbabilon675

5 ай бұрын

Are there any other nations who have had such Grand times using Antiquated ships for rating and piracy?

The fact that crews stranded in Mopelia were able to navigate thousands of miles across the Pacific in tiny auxiliary craft is the best testimony to their seamanship.

@genericpersonx333

5 ай бұрын

Indeed, I have high respect for our modern sailors today, but I cannot think of any of the many officers I have known that would so confidently or competently take a ship's boat a long distance over the open Pacific with only equipment salvaged from a wreck.

@lawrencelewis2592

4 ай бұрын

On a par with William Bligh.

@simongeard4824

3 ай бұрын

@@genericpersonx333 At least he actually had proper equipment for that one, salvaged or not. After his later escape from a prison camp in NZ, he headed back out into the ocean with nothing but an improvised sextant and a stolen atlas, on a thousand kilometre trip to the Kermadecs.

Von Luckner is a bit of a legendary character here in New Zealand... the sort of unconventional, fair playing, likeable rogue that we admire.

A gentleman of an era that was long gone by the time he set sail! One of the things he was proudest of was that there was only a single fatality among the crews of all the ships he took (radio operator who attempted to transmit a warning). Later, with no love of Nazis or Nazism, he negotiated the withdrawal of SS forces from the historic city of Halle and its subsequent surrender to American forces, preventing its destruction by house-to-house fighting.

Proof that merchant raiders came in many flavors, from ocean liners to sailing ships

The Ghost of Capt Bligh was pleased with these guys.

A fascinating story and featuring an even more fascinating individual! Von Luckner's story was shared to the American public in the late '20s by Lowell Thomas, who had a house in my home town. A friend of my mother's actually got to meet the Count at a party at Thomas' house where he performed a magic trick (which he loved to do) with her wedding ring and duplicated his feat of ripping the Manhattan phone directory in half with his bare hands! 👍😎

@sirboomsalot4902

5 ай бұрын

That’s amazing

@dwhip49

5 ай бұрын

Great book..."never harmed so much as a ships cat..."

@myparceltape1169

5 ай бұрын

There are a few stories of sailing ships captains seemingly unusually strong. It might have something to do with climbing up and furling sail in their younger days and continuing to exercise frequently during long trips.

@johngillespie9459

5 ай бұрын

As a schoool boy, my late uncle saw the Captain give a presentation on his “adventures.” He ripped a phone book in half for that crowd too.

@hancehanson4000

5 ай бұрын

@@myparceltape1169 it's a simple trick-- the (soft-cover) phone-books are bent in a "U"-shape, then the pages gripped especially tight in this position. As the soft book is straightened-out with the pages clamped in this "U"-shape, the individual-pages tear one-by-one, vertically... it can be done in an instant, and never more than a few pages are ever being torn at a micro-moment. You need strong hands to clamp the pages, but there's no real strength involved, it's a mechanical trick. I tried it as a teenager and within my first 3 tries, i could tear about a 3rd of the way into a Southern California phone-book (about 2.5 inches thick).

Drach: when it's time to work on "another day," you might mention that Felix Luckner was featured on This is Your Life, one of the top television shows in the U.S. in 1959. Usually, a famous movie star or celebrity was the subject. I remember the host, Ralph Edwards, bringing on guests who attested to the exemplary decency and bravery that Luckner displayed in both World War I and later in defying the Hitler regime.

@jehl1963

5 ай бұрын

Doing a search to see if that episode was on KZread, I came across -- "Die Piraten des Kaisers - Felix Graf Luckner Der Seeteufel - Dokumentation .

The most honourable captain and the most honourable ship of the Kaiserliche Marine indeed.

I came across this story a few years ago and found it fascinating. A detail that Drach didn't mention -- across all of the Seeadler's engagements -- only 1 person died. Kapitan Luckner did what duty demanded of him, but apparently he wasn't a huge supporter of the war. More of a gentleman naval officer than gung-ho hero or hard-bitten professional. Another interesting factoid -- there are at least 3 very different accounts of the Seeadler's war. Confusingly, all of which where titled "The Sea Devil". 1) Seeteufel (literally the "Sea Devil") by Graf (Count) Luckner) published in 1921 by K. F. Koeler in Leipzig, Germany. To me the best version since it is the most contemporary. Based on the style and contents, it seems to be heavily based on official after-action reports which the German military commonly published between WW1 and WWII. It contains detailed maps and a large number of pictures which did not make it into the other editions. The downside is that you need to be able to read or translate the German which is printed in a Franken font which was the norm for the period. 2) The Sea Devil by Lowell Thomas and Count Luckner, published in at least 25 printings between 1927 and 1932. A fairly straight forward translation, but many of the pictures from the German edition disappeared, and the maps were reduced in quality. If my memory is correct (it's been a few years since I last read it) it was abridged slightly during the translation. 3) The Sea Devil by Sam Jefferson, published by Osprey Publishing, 2017. This version varies the most from the previous two. The account has been significantly abridged, and extra material has been added by Jefferson. If my memory is correct, he had a relative who was on the auxiliary cruiser HMS Patia which stopped the Seeadler as she was breaking out into the Atlantic. This version of the story is very much a 21st century history narrative. There is relatively little first-hand account left in the book, but there is also considerable backstory and author analysis added. I'm lucky to have all 3 versions, but prefer the 1st two for their 1st-person narratives and details.

@williestyle35

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for breaking down the published accounts of the Count, his sailors, and their journey.

The Luckner story is one so filled with comedy I can’t wait for your take on it. I live in Christchurch NZ so very few war story’s are relatable but Luckner was imprisoned here on Ripapa island and was quite the legend. I did note there were some details on Seeader that were different to what I have previously heard It was Von Luckner who had the idea and persuaded the Kaiser that are sailing ship could be a successful merchant raider. Also the crew were former inmates. His capture was comedy too with a NZ police man rowing out to meet this small craft which was suspected of being von Luckner who was heavily armed trying to arrest each other until the policeman removed his hat and informed von Luckner if the cap touched the water shore batteries would destroy him Von Luckner surrendered To a non existent Gun battery Keep up the great stories

I've been waiting for this story for a very long time. The voyage of the Seeadler, the Kaiser's last pirate ship, is one of my favorite tales in all of history. If anything, I'm a little disappointed that it only merited a 10-minute guide and not a full Wednesday special. Oh well, I guess it's better than nothing.

@gyrene_asea4133

5 ай бұрын

Well, we can always hope that Lance Geiger (youTuber aka "The History Guy") picks this one up as it does include Pirates!!!

@thomasnuyts9725

5 ай бұрын

There is still more interesting footage with interviews in German language

I read a book called "Sea Eagle" about her when I was 7. It's started a 48 year love of naval history. Thanks Drach

@bholdr----0

5 ай бұрын

Only 48 years? (J/k... if it was that good, I'm going to look it up. I'm always looking for good book reccomendations vis. naval history, etc. You mentioned you were 7 years old- is it appropriate/valuable for well-read/jaded adults? I suppose that doesn't really matter... Any other reccomendations from your long experience would also be welcome... Cheers!)

@downix

5 ай бұрын

THAT'S THE NAME OF THAT BOOK I READ!! THANK YOU!! Been trying to remember the name for decades. ... Looked it up and discovered it was by an author I already own dozens of books from. I now feel really silly.

@georgem7965

5 ай бұрын

The most familiar sour4ce for Americans is "Count Luckner, the Sea Devil" by Lowell Thomas, 1927. This book popularized Luckner as a "good" German in the eyes of Americans. "The Cruise of the Sea Eagle" by Blaine Pardow, 2005, is a good, modern account. von Luckner did not die until 1966. IIRC the wreck of the Seeadler wasn't broken up until the 1960s by Japanese salvors.

@tommiatkins3443

5 ай бұрын

@@downix can't find it on Amazon....I miss that book.

I love this ships story and that of her captain what a pirate of a gent and really the ships cruise needs more than a 9 min video Seriously he should have a Netflix series made about him

@diegoferreiro9478

5 ай бұрын

Not a pirate, he was a corsair.

@johnsmith-kd8br

5 ай бұрын

Let me gues. In netflix he will be layed be denzel😂😂😂

@thomasnuyts9725

5 ай бұрын

Check yt for a German multi episode documentary on the seeadler

I'd love to see a full length video, maybe a Friday one, about Luckner's life. He's a fantastically interesting person in general and I think he would fit right in!

Wow! Truth IS stranger than fiction--you couldn't make up such a tale.

Amazing how they all managed to survive.

@diegoferreiro9478

5 ай бұрын

And amazing that along her raiding career there was not a single casualty in anger.

@jasonjohnson4028

5 ай бұрын

And all 3 backup ships and voyages were successful. Wow, I must know more. Good job, D.

@gregorywright4918

5 ай бұрын

@@diegoferreiro9478 I believe a radio operator tried to send a raider warning and got shot.

Sadly WW1 saw the end of large numbers of sailing ships....They were sunk in huge numbers by raiders and U-Boats...However my grans cousin was a trainee in the British Merchant service and remembers "giving a tow" to 2 sailing ships out of Valpariso in the 30s!

@myparceltape1169

5 ай бұрын

There was a small fleet of steel hulled sailing ships up to 1939. Run as cheaply as possible so the trip from Australia without a radio gave them a surprise when they made port.

As a kid I spent a lot of time on The Hauraki Gulf in boats and on Motuihe Island, where von Lucknow was imprisoned after his Fijian capture. His escape from there was legend for us locals and as kids we would relive it as we clambered over the remains of gun implacements ( we called them “pillboxes”) and scouted around the fence of the naval installation that was still on the island in the early 70s. He was always admired for his daring and seamanship, even after another World War in which our fathers had served against Germany and the Axis. Would love to see that part of the story, Drach.

I bought a copy of the picture (at 6:09) of the ship and a portrait of Captain Luckner at a garage sale about 35 years ago. Both were signed by him in 1928. Both are hanging in my hallway.

@jehl1963

5 ай бұрын

Yes, apparently he was quite the self-promoter!

@lawrencelewis2592

5 ай бұрын

@@jehl1963 With so many books written about him, that comes as no surprise.

As an avid consumer of both Drachinifel and C&Rsenal content, I was halfway expecting the line at 1:40 "However, this would all change when..." to end with "War Were Declared" followed random clips of guns firing and sailors playing with a cat or something equally silly.

Although not strictly navy I would love Drach to do a vid on epic small boat navigation. I knew about Captain Bligh and (my favorite) Shackleton from Elephant Island to South Georgia but this is my first time hearing about these TWO long range escapes. More details please.

@MrWansty

5 ай бұрын

you should also check out hms wager and the voyage of her modified launch the speedwell

My first ever encounter with naval history was a visit to the old fort on Ripapa Island in Lyttelton Harbour, where Von Luckner was imprisioned. Always been fascinated by the Seeadler ever since. Great to see him finally show up here. (Ripapa Island is a good visit, btw, if you ever find yourself in nearby Christchurch)

She was a true legend, I had a model of her when I was a kid.

Dragging her anchor and being smashed on the rocks and being smash on the rocks by a tsunami are not an entirely incompatible set of stories.

aww now you've got me interested in the prison escape story!

I read Luckners book "Seeteufel" nearly 50 years ago. Since then i love that ship.

Since first learning of the German merchant raiding ships of WW1 and WW2, I've always found them fascinating.

Have to say the new theme music has grown on me. I like it!

Ah, the one part of WW1 you could make a light-hearted adventure film about.

A story which would be passed off as fiction, made reality by great men.

Awesome story. In the age of iron warships, never really thought that there would be a sail raider

WOOOO a video on the Seeadler! one of my favourite historical ships/stories. I mayve asked for this ship and her story a few times in the comments :P

Wow, another tidbit of history i never knew, would make a great movie. Thanks drach.

What a wonderful story that I knew nothing about previously. And so (as usual by you) very well told. Thank you for this. ☮

Finally! Been waiting for this legend of a ship to be covered by Draco for years!

Out of all the German raider stories of both world wars, this one has always been my favourite.

This was great, interesting how successful she was, with that twist at the end.

I read the CO's book and found it fascinating. Very well done Drach!

A prize crew of exactly ONE! Now he must have had some balls!

That’s the most unlikely movie plot I’ve ever heard!

Fascinating. I knew of the escapades of the Seeadler but not how she met her end nor the amazing feats of seamanship need to get back to civilization.

"Men Against the Sea." Nordhoff and Hall couldn't tell a better story than this.

"We are, of course, Norweeguns."

Just bought the gorgeous ship model of the Seeadler ( BillingBoat series 470) from a retired sailor the same day Drach posted this video. This cannot be coincidence. Further reading and watching more videos on his life sadly demystified his supposedly gentleman character a bit...

Thanks!

Still loving these 5 min uploads, can't wait to see HMS Celendine. 👍

It is interesting to note that over a hundred sailing ships were sunk during the first world war. Whaling ships, nitrate carriers and general cargo ships all fell victim to U-boats and raiders like the Seeadler. Many of these ships were the last of their kind and was the final nail in the coffin of the sailing tradition.

Do what you need to do to keep healthy and happy, the new video schedule is good. Thank you for your hard work!

Love 5 minute guide time.

Saturday Lunchtime viewing sorted. Thanks Drac.

I was hoping we'd get to hear this story. I read Thomas' book Count Luckner The Sea Devil late last year and it was a great yarn so this is a great follow up for me.

Wow, just reading captain von Luckner's short Wikipedia biography, I'm amazed there aren't movies about his life and exploits. He had more adventures even before he became a sailor, before the age of 20, than many fictional adventurers like Indiana Jones.

Read about this in a Time/Life series on sailing ships, fascinating story.

Luckner was probably an outstanding sailor and first-class commander as well as an incomparable self-promoter. But with cunning he even managed to capture a full-sized steamer in his windjammer by feigning the use of torpedoes that he never had on board. Fascinating story.

Seeadler's figurehead is in the Australian War memorial Museum.

The pronunciation is Bal-ma-ha with the same emphasis on each syllable. It is a village on the east side of Loch Lomond

The navigation skills of these sailors was incredible

There is still a ship of this type a steel hulled sailing ship on display in Glasgow beside the Riverside Museum

@diegoferreiro9478

5 ай бұрын

Probably you refer to Glenlee? She was a training ship in the Spanish Navy during most of the 20th Century, even when the Juan Sebastián de Elcano commissioned in the late 1920s

@davidmcintyre8145

5 ай бұрын

@@diegoferreiro9478 I do and it would be interesting to see Drach look over her

@diegoferreiro9478

5 ай бұрын

@@davidmcintyre8145 she was Galatea in Spanish service. There is a funny tale (I am not sure if it is true or not, probably not) that the figurehead remained in Spain after the sale to her present British owners. When the later claimed the figurehead as a part of the ship the answer was that it should be given upon Great Britain returning Gibraltar to Spain. Probably the figurehead was retained for the Naval Museum and the claim and the Gibraltar counterclaim thing never happened, but as Italians say, "si no è vero, è ben trovatto" (if it is not true, [at least] it has been well told).

@dwayne7201

5 ай бұрын

There's also the USCGC Eagle An active duty training ship in the us coast guard.

@davidmcintyre8145

5 ай бұрын

@@dwayne7201 My point is that the Glenlee was built at roughly the same time as the Pass of Balmaha(Seeadler)and in a yard close to the one in which she was built meaning that the best way to get an idea of how the Seeadler looked and what it was like to be aboard would be to visit the Glenlee

My favourite part of the story of the Seeadler is that during the most brutal and deadly war in history to that point, the Seeadler caused exactly zero casualties while still causing a fair amount of grief to their enemies.

I have been waiting for this one for so long, thank you so very much!

Thank you all. Always enjoyable !

Did not know that the reason sailing cargo ships have more sails per mast than similarly sized warship was due to crew sizes.

I guess another reason for making a merchant raider from a sailing ship is that no-one would have suspected it.

Good morning drach, hoping your day is going well.

Thanks Drach, I’ve wanted this one for a while😀. Great story.

Thank you Admiral Drach SIR !

Thanks Drach.

Incredible history story!

Im watching from indonesia, it seems like my dinner's documwntary video is here

"What an eccentric performance."

Thanks Drach

Of course Captain Luckner is a classy officer, don't you see the dachshund there? 4:36

I had no idea sailing ships were used in ww1. Wow what a story.

A nice bit of 20th Century Darring-do!

One funny thing Luckner mentions in his book was that the ostensible mess room of Seeadler was on rails and the idea was if they were being stopped by a british vessel, to just have the whole mess room drop down a deck to stun the prize crew and re take the ship

Since an empty holds on a merchant ship would be suspicious, I wonder what cargo they took on the way out. And, ah, I might be a puritan, but that 'S' is prounouncec as "Z' (I am quite surprised that Drach made such a slip)

Ah being underestimated truly a great superpower. Who would believe you were taken by a sailing ship in the age of steam and steel?

Very cool, I had no idea about the post-Seeadler escapades of the crew & captives.

How is this not already a movie?

@GoldenCroc

5 ай бұрын

According to wikipeda, it was seemingly somewhat made into a many parted TV series back in 1973 or so.

4:11 I always thought it carried 2 torpedoes but I think I read that on Wikipedia, just did a quick search and I think originally the wikipedia page had registered the armament of the 1890 SMS Seeadler, as the armament of this SMS Seeadler. At least the wiki has been changed to what it actually had now.

If it lasted for a little while longer imagine if she came across a armed sailing merchinman then there would have been a good old-fashioned age of sale gunfire Now that will be one the history books...

Am I interpretating things correctly? Did this ship manage to accomplish it's exploits over all that time and managed to do it without the loss of any lives to it's crew or the ships she took? If so that is mind blowing and good for them.

@gregorywright4918

5 ай бұрын

One radio operator was killed who tried to send a raider warning.

A worthy subject. As is Felix Von Luckner.

Sounds a good plot for a Film.

Sounds like a ripping good miniseries that needs to be made.

That's crazy it was so funky aboard that ship, that they had to drop off the prisoners instead of using them to operate the rigging.

@gregorywright4918

5 ай бұрын

I read somewhere they had over 300 prisoners.

How the hell can you have a prize crew of 1?! Can he ever go to sleep?

@Drachinifel

5 ай бұрын

A very cooperative crew 😀

This is so cool

That story would make a good movie.

Thanks 👍👍

What an odyssey at the end! Lol

Reads like a story straight out of the 18th century!

Comment support algorithm.

Never heard that the crew spoke Norwegian. But they were mainly from Schleswig and probably bilingual in Danish and German.

Must have been one crazy wave

I like the way you pronounce "Balmaha" !😆 But I've no idea how to render how it should be pronounced into print.

Might as well do CGC Eagle.

I had an old book about stories from ww1that actual had this raiders story in it and if I remember correctly in it they do stick with the rogue wave story

If this video had come from anyone else, I would not believe it to be true.