Today in History

1917 NZ steamer captured by the Wolf

The Wairuna, a steamer en route from Auckland to San Francisco, was captured by the German raider Wolf and then sunk near the Kermadec Islands. The crew of 42 was taken prisoner.

The Union Steam Ship Company's Wairuna (3947 tons) was passing the Kermadec Islands when a seaplane flew overhead dropping a weighted canvas bag on the ship's forecastle head. Inside was a note ordering the steamer not use its wireless and to surrender to the nearby German commerce raider Wolf − or face attack. When the seaplane dropped a bomb 20 metres ahead of his ship, the Wairuna's captain had little choice but to co-operate, especially as the powerfully armed Wolf was now also approaching.

After transferring the Wairuna's 42 crew members, its cargo of live sheep, 900 tons of coal and other provisions to the Wolf, the New Zealand vessel was sunk by scuttling charges and shelling. An American schooner, the Winslow, which stumbled upon the scene was also seized and sunk, its 15 crew joining the New Zealand prisoners. One of the Wairuna's crew later died while in captivity in Germany; the remainder were liberated at the end of the war.

Image ref: 1/2-016640-G, Alexander Turnbull Library