Prince Eitel Friedrich in the service of privateer
Prince Eitel Friedrich is still under the Kaiser flag, but already occupied by the Americans. Artillery weapons are visible on the decks. Photo by Harris and Ewing/Library of Congress
On July 31, 1914, a message from the country was received on the passenger steamer Prinz Eitel Friedrich in Shanghai. It spoke of the need to disembark all passengers in Shanghai and leave mail, after which the ship was to go to nearby Qingdao, a German military base in northeast China.
Prinz Eitel (8797 BRT, shipowner of Norddeutscher Lloyd) arrived at Qingdao (today Qingdao) in Qiauchou Bay (today Jiaozhou) on 2 August, and there the ship's captain, Karl Mundt, learned that his detachment was destined to be converted into an auxiliary cruiser. Work began immediately - the ship was equipped with 4 105-mm guns, two at the bow and stern on both sides, and 6 88-mm guns, two on each side on the deck behind the bow mast and one on both sides of the rear mast. In addition, 12 37 mm guns were installed. The cruiser was armed with the old gunboats Iltis, Jaguar, Luchs and Tiger, which were disarmed in Qingdao from 1897 to 1900. At the same time, the personnel were partially replaced - the commander Luchs, the commander of a lieutenant, became the new commander of the unit. Maxi-
Milian Tjerichens and current captain Prinz Eitel remained on board as navigator. In addition, part of the sailors from the Lux and the Tigr joined the crew, so that the number of its members almost doubled compared to the composition in peacetime.
The name of this Reich mail steamer, intended for service in the Far East, was given by the second son of Emperor Wilhelm II - Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia (1883-1942, major general at the end of the 1909st century AD). It is worth mentioning that his wife, Princess Zofia Charlotte, in turn, was the patroness of the school sailing ship, the frigate "Princess Eitey Friedrich", built in XNUMX, better known to us as the "Gift of Pomerania".
On August 6, Prince Eitel set out on his privateer voyage. The first task of the auxiliary cruiser was to connect with the Far Eastern squadron of German ships, commanded by Vadm. Maximilian von Spee, and then as part of the armored cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the light cruiser Nuremberg. At dawn on August 11, this team anchored off the island of Pagan in the Mariana Archipelago, and there on the same day they were joined by those summoned by order of Vadma. von Spee, 8 supply ships, as well as the "Prince Eitel" and the then famous light ranger "Emden".
At a meeting held on August 13, von Spee decided to transfer the entire squadron across the Pacific Ocean to the western coast of South America, only the Emden was to separate from the main forces and conduct private operations in the Indian Ocean. Later that evening, the crew left the waters around Pagan, acting as agreed, and Emden set out on his assigned mission.
On August 19, the team stopped at Enewetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands, where the ships refueled with supplies. Three days later, Nuremberg left the team and went to Honolulu, Hawaii, then still neutral United States, to send messages through the local consulate to Germany and receive further instructions, as well as replenish the fuel supply with which he was supposed to get to the rendezvous point with the squadron - the famous, secluded Easter Island. Two now empty supply aircraft carriers that had been interned by the Americans also sailed for Honolulu.
On August 26, German troops anchored at Majuro in the Marshall Islands. On the same day they were joined by the auxiliary cruiser "Kormoran" (former Russian "Ryazan", built in 1909, 8 x 105 mm L / 40) and 2 more supply ships. Then vadm. von Spee ordered both auxiliary cruisers, accompanied by one supply, to conduct privateer operations in the area north of New Guinea, then break into the Indian Ocean and continue their operations. Both ships first went to Angaur Island in West Carolina in the hope of obtaining coal there, but the port was empty. Then Prince Eitel challenged Malakal to the island of Palau and Kormoran to the island of Huapu for the same purpose.
