Ten months in a German raider

by John Stanley Cameron

The Wolf's method of getting away from Kiel was unique. Each day about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, she would up anchor and steam out of Kiel harbour, manœuvring outside and having gun practice, returning each night to anchor in the harbour. This procedure was kept up for over three weeks, until finally one night the Wolf failed to return. During these three weeks nobody was allowed ashore or to hold any communication with the shore. Even the German naval authorities did not know the date she was to sail, until she had gone. All this goes to prove that the German Naval Department had considerable respect for the Allied Intelligence Department.

On leaving Kiel the Wolf went through what is known as the "Big Belt," a passage through Denmark into the Kattegat, from there along the Danish coast across the Norwegian coast, and out to the Atlantic between the Farrows and Iceland. On returning to Germany she merely retraced her course, the only difference being that she passed through the "Little Belt," a very narrow piece of water, one-half of which is German territorial water and the other half Danish.

From where I used to sit on deck outside my quarters I could see the other prisoners aft on the poop, at that time some two hundred of them. Over half of them had no shoes, socks or overshirts, and fully one-fifth of them wore no undershirt. I asked a couple of them why they did not wear a shirt in that blazing tropical sun. They told me that they had only one shirt apiece and that the sweat rotted them so fast, that they were going without shirts at present and saving them till the weather got cold. Three times a day each squad flunkey (a squad consisted of fourteen prisoners) would troop up to the galley amidships and get their rations for the meal—a kettle of alleged tea or coffee, black bread, and at noon a kettle of goulash, resembling a soft stew. I had been on board the Wolf for some time before I finally got the chance to sneak down below aft and see what the prisoners' quarters were like and have a talk with some of the men.

The prisoners' quarters on the Wolf were located aft in the cargo hold, and had their only entrance under the poop, on the main deck. The quarters themselves were reached by means of a narrow ladder only, and this ladder was built in such a manner that not more than two persons could pass up or down at the same time, or one person up and one down simultaneously, thereby guarding against a concerted rush in event of an escape being planned.

Over the entrance or hole in the deck leading to these stairs was slung a heavy iron hatch or cover, in such a manner that it could be dropped into place instantaneously by one of the guards. This hatch would effectually close the only exit from the quarters where there were over two hundred prisoners confined. Also the closing of this hatch would cut off nearly one-half the air supply; during the times when this hatch was closed, when the Wolf was passing through some danger, the suffering in the hold from lack of air was often intense. Even under normal conditions the air supply was inadequate. It was probably 8:30 P.M. when I was there, and I would judge the temperature to have been between 118 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and the reek of feet, breath and bodies was something awful. On this particular night, I should judge from one-quarter to three-eighths of an inch of sweat was on the floor, and when the vessel rolled there would be a thin scum of liquid running from side to side. The walls and ceiling were literally running water, which was caused by moisture drawn from the bodies of the men by the hot iron sides of the ship and the deck overhead. Combine stale tobacco smoke with this atmosphere, and it was a wonder to me that a human being could exist in it.

At this time everybody was herded into the one compartment—captains, mates, engineers, firemen, sailors, cooks and flunkies, all together—white men, niggers, Turks, Greeks and Japanese. At night everybody slept in hammocks and during the day these hammocks were "made up" and piled away in one corner, thus leaving enough room for several rough plank tables and benches to be set up. There were no lockers or any compartments where a man could put his spare clothing or shaving gear, therefore no man's gear was safe from theft. A man who didn't have a shirt would steal one from a man who had two; this made it impossible for a man to have any more clothes than just what he stood in. Later on many of the men were given empty cases or boxes and fixed them up to keep their spare gear in.

The sanitary arrangements at this time were very poor, there being only three toilets for all hands. Certain squads of men would take turns in keeping these quarters clean, the whole place being thoroughly scrubbed out three times a week. I mean thoroughly in the full sense of the word. Everything moveable, excepting the clothing boxes, was taken on deck, then the room scrubbed with heavy brushes and sand. Next the tables and benches were scoured with sand and canvas, the hammocks scrubbed and the various tin dishes used for food were scoured bright. After everything was dry it was put back in place and the prisoner officer made an inspection. It was very seldom that he found anything to complain of, as the men seemed to welcome this house-cleaning as it gave them something to do to occupy their time. Reading material was very scarce, so the time passed very slowly.

There was supposed to be a regular daily routine; but owing to the many interruptions, such as gun practice, fire drill, boarding drill and drills with small arms, this routine was not always carried out. At 5:30 A.M. all the prisoners were waked up and by six o'clock all the hammocks were made up and stowed away. Then the tables were set up in place and the table laid for breakfast. At seven o'clock the squad flunkies would get their gear ready, and promptly at 7:20 breakfast would be ready. Immediately after breakfast the dishes were cleaned and the quarters given their regular daily clean up. Usually during the forenoon, after their work was done, the prisoners were allowed to go up on deck and enjoy the fresh air. Dinner at 12:30 noon, coffee at 3:30 P.M., and supper at 6:30. Very seldom was anybody allowed on deck after coffee. At 8:00 P.M. all lights were extinguished excepting three, one over the steps at the exit and two at the back of the quarters.

The distribution of the fresh water was also very poor. Each prisoner was allowed half a gallon per day for washing, drinking and bathing purposes. This amount, properly conserved, will answer the purpose, but unfortunately the method of distribution was so poor that not all got their regular allowance; and the loss of this water caused the unfortunate ones great inconvenience, especially during the time that the Wolf was in the tropics. Many of the men used tea to brush their teeth in; and I have heard of cases where tea had been used for shaving purposes, but imagine these cases to be rare.

While there, a Captain of a big British oil tank steamer that had been captured and sunk told me the following piece of history. I afterwards verified this and can vouch for its truth. While the Wolf was lying at Sunday Island undergoing repairs to her boilers, the prisoners were furnished with fish hooks and line and a couple of jolly boats and allowed to row into the rocks and catch fish. Each boat, of course, was in charge of an armed sentry. After fishing they would return to the Wolf each night. On the night before the Wolf was to sail two men, the chief mate and first assistant engineer of the S.S. Turitella, dropped overboard and swam for the shore. Before leaving the vessel these men had secreted on their persons a supply of fish hooks and lines, a small hunter's hatchet, two large sheath knives each, matches and a good supply of tobacco. The matches and tobacco were securely wrapped in waterproof oilcloth. Just at dusk, as the prisoners were being ordered below, these two men slipped over the side, sliding down a rope into the water. They then swam under the stern and climbed up on the rudder and sat there in such a manner that they could not be seen from on deck. A confederate in the meantime had taken care of the line hanging over the side. About nine o'clock, when it was good and dark, they again slipped into the water and swam for the shore some half a mile distant. There is a strong current setting parallel with the shore in this particular locality and, as the water is infested with sharks, the betting among the men was two to one that neither of them would make it.