THE LOG OF THE "MOEWE"—TALES OF THE HIGH SEAS
The Adventures of a Modern Pirate
Told by Count Dohna-Schlodien, her Commander, and Translated by Eugenie Martin
Everybody has heard of the Moewe, the German auxiliary cruiser which on two occasions at least stole through the British blockade and roamed about the Atlantic, sinking ships and occasionally sending a prize like the Appam into port. Count Dohna-Schlodien, the captain of this latter-day privateer, is a popular hero in Germany. These tales are translations of the gist of his exploits, as told in the Wide World Magazine.
I—STORY OF THE GERMAN MINE-LAYERS
"To lay mines along the enemy-shores and then make a cruiser-campaign." Such, briefly, were my orders when I was appointed commander of S. M. S. Moewe at the end of 1915.
It is easy to imagine my pride and elation.
To lay mines and injure the enemy's sea-borne trade! Neither of these duties was new to the German Navy.
The clamorous complaints in the daily newspapers, voicing the indignation of England, France, and Italy concerning the heavy losses sustained by their mercantile navy and cruisers, as well as against our interference with their over-sea connections, were sufficient testimony to the activity of our U-boats in the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea.