River Gunboats
Page 27
Hermann von Wissmann being reconstructed at Mpimbi. (Photo from ‘Hermann von Wissmann, in Deutschlands grösster Afrikaner’, by Dr. A. Becker, Berlin 1913, via Holger Kotthaus)
Hermann von Wissmann pre-war, with what appears to be her original short-barrelled Krupp 4cm Kolonialgeschütz covered.
High and dry at Sphinxhaven for repairs to her hull. This is a photo taken by Captain Rhoades’ assistant Haynes. (Photo in the Malawi National Archives)
With the end of hostilities, in 1919 Hermann von Wissman was repaired by the British, who renamed her King George. Again renamed Mlonda in 1920, she worked as a cargo steamer until she was scrapped in 1950.
Launched:
1890 by Janssen & Schmilinsky, Hamburg. Reassembled 22 September 1893 Lake Nyasa.
Dimensions:
Displ: 100 tons; L: 26.5m/86ft 11in; B: 5.8m/19ft 0in; D: 1.25m/4ft 1in.
Crew:
10.
Power/Speed:
Single screw; 2-cyl compound steam engine 60ihp/8 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 4cm Kolonialgeschütz; By 1914: + 1 × 3.7cm L/30.
Fate:
Broken up 1950.
Kingani flying the flag of the Zoll-Verwaltung, the German Customs administration, which she hoisted when at Dar es Saalam. She is armed with a 37mm (1-pounder) QF, which would be replaced by the 37mm revolver cannon from Möwe when Kingani transferred to the lake in November 1914. This is the excellent live-steam model built by Gerhard Wicke. (Photo by courtesy of Gerhard Wicke)
Kingani alongside the gun raft at Kigoma. The vessel to the left is possibly the motor launch Peter. (Photo from the University of Frankfurt Archives)
The gun raft being towed by two German vessels. The one on the right is possibly the motor boat Peter (or Benz), aiding the Kingani (or Hedwig) to the left, out of the picture. The raft appears to have only one 8.8cm gun on board, so that dates the photo to 14 March 1915 or later. Note that the 8.8cm gun is turned to starboard, and that it appears to not have its gun shield fitted. (Photo from TANGANJIKASEE A Gunboat War in Deutsch-Ostafrika 1914 – 1916, by Dennis L Bishop and Holger Dobold)
Lake Tanganyika
SMS Kingani
Kingani and her sister Wami were built as customs cutters for German East Africa. Both were originally based at Dar es Salaam. Kingani was the first to be transferred to Lake Tanganyika while Wami followed her much later.
When the Great War began, Kingani was taken over from the civilian authorities, and formed part of the Lake Tanganyika naval command of Kapitän zur See Gustav Zimmer. In mid-November 1914 she took part in the raid by Kapitanleutnant Kendrick which put the beached British steamer Good News out of action in the southern part of the lake. In 1915, Kingani took part in offensive sweeps against the Belgian side of the lake, such as the raid on an entrenched Belgian position on 11 March. Three days later she carried out a diversionary patrol between Baraka and Uwira while the larger Hedwig attacked both places. Zimmer was concerned at news that the Belgians were building a large steamer of 700 tonnes, the Baron Dhanis, and Kingani was sent on fruitless missions to discover where her construction was taking place.
It was during the last of these that she was intercepted by Mimi and Toutou, on Boxing Day 1915. Unable to match the speed of the motorboats, and unable to range them with her single revolver cannon, the fight ended when a 3-pounder shell hit Kingani’s gun shield and exploded, killing her commander, Leutnant zur See Junge and an NCO. Two more hits killed another three Germans, and the surviving crew members waved a white cloth in surrender. Kingani was then accidentally rammed by Mimi coming in at full speed, but she stayed afloat long enough to be towed to the shore, where she sank. Her wreck was quickly salvaged and repaired, and once rearmed, and renamed as HMS Fifi, she joined the Allied flotilla in time for the arrival of Hedwig von Wissmann. For details of her service under the White Ensign, see GREAT BRITAIN.
Launched:
January 1894 by Jos. L. Meyer-Werft, Papenburg Hull No 92.
Dimensions:
Displ: 45 tons; L: 17.75m/58ft 3in; B: 3.65m/12ft 0in; D: 1.3m/4ft 3in.
Crew:
1 officer + 7 men.
Power/Speed:
Single screw; compound steam engine 85.5ihp/9.4 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 37mm revolver cannon.
Fate:
Scuttled off Kigoma 1924.
Hedwig von Wissmann
Hedwig von Wissmann was a smaller version of the Hermann von Wissmann on Lake Nyasa, and was named for explorer and administrator Hermann von Wissmann’s wife. The steamer was transported in pieces to Lake Tanganyika by 5,000 porters, and after reassembly was launched in September 1900. At the outbreak of war she was armed with the four 37mm revolver cannon taken from SMS Möwe in the Rufiji Delta. Up until her loss she was the most active of the German lake steamers, and was aggressively handled.
On 25 August 1915 Hedwig chased the Belgian steamer Alexandre Delcommune which sought refuge under the Belgian guns at the mouth of the Lukuga River. Oberleutnant zur See Horn, commander of Hedwig, nevertheless continued his attack on the Delcommune, scoring hits on the Belgian ship’s funnel and boiler, and her crew beached her.
The launching ceremony at Kigoma.
Hedwig proudly afloat on Lake Tanganyika.
Two 8.8cm guns, delivered by Möwe to Dar es Salaam, arrived at the German base of Kigoma, but they were found to be too large to be carried by Hedwig. Both guns were therefore mounted on a gun raft and towed at slow speed behind the steamer. Alternatively the raft could be towed by Kingani and Peter (or Benz) to allow Hedwig to manoeuvre independently.
On 23 August 1914 Hedwig engaged two Belgian 4.7cm guns near Albertville while the 8.8cm guns on the raft shelled the Delcommune, scoring forty hits, and effectively wrecking her.
In mid-November 1914 Hedwig was the lead vessel of the flotilla which destroyed the beached British steamship Good News.
On 1 February 1915 Hedwig scattered a column of Belgian Askaris with just one shell from her 37mm revolver cannon, but when her crew attempted to retrieve the stores dropped by the column, they came under heavy attack and only just made it back to the ship.
The next day saw Hedwig off the Lukuga, where she came under heavy fire from a pair of Belgian field guns and was forced to zig-zag to avoid their shells.
On the night of 26/27 February Hedwig landed a raiding party at Tembwe, and the following day provided covering fire for the assault group.
On 14. March 1915 Hedwig and the raft shelled Baraka. By this time the raft mounted only a single 8.8cm gun, the other having been sent to the Rufiji Delta to arm the Adjutant.
By June 1915 she had been rearmed with a 3-pounder (47mm) gun on the bow, which had been captured from the British in the Rufiji Delta, and a 37mm revolver cannon on the stern.
Hedwig closed the Lugaka on 1 December searching for the new 700-tonne Belgian steamer Baron Dhanis, and only just escaped damage from the two 12-pounder and two 4in guns now defending the river mouth.
Hedwig’s run of good fortune came to an abrupt end during the battle off Cape Kungwe on 9 February 1915 when, on another scouting mission she failed to turn up at the rendezvous point with Graf von Götzen. Seeing Mimi, Fifi and the Belgian Mosselback coming out to engage him, Hedwig’s commander Odebrecht had turned to lead them on to the much more powerful Götzen. Unfortunately, the Hedwig’s armament was out-ranged by the 12-pounder mounted on Fifi, which scored the first hit on the German vessel at 1130hrs. A second 12-pounder shell hit the boiler, immobilising her. To avoid her capture by the approaching British the crew set scuttling charges and abandoned ship. As they swam away, the Hedwig sank with her ensign still flying. Two German sailors and five native crew had been killed, and one sailor and two natives wounded.
Launched:
1897 by Schiffswerfte & Maschinenfabrik AG, Hamburg Hull No 360. 1898 dismantled and transported to Kigoma in packages not exceeding 30kg for hand portage and several parts up to
120kg for wagon transport. Reassembled 1900.
Dimensions:
Displ: 60 tons; L: 22m/72ft 2in; B: 4.65m/15ft 3in; D: 1.25m/4ft 1in.
Crew:
12.
Power/Speed:
Single screw; wood-burner 2-cyl compound steam engine, 60ihp/8 knots.
Guns/Armour:
August 1914: 4 × 37mm revolver cannon. June 1915: 1 × 3-pounder (47mm) QF + 1 × 37mm revolver cannon + towed gun raft with 2 × then 1 × 8.8cm SK L/30.
Fate:
Sunk off Cape Kungwe 9 February 1916.
SMS Graf von Götzen
The Graf von Götzen was the largest of the German gunboats on Lake Tanganyika, but she would never fulfil her potential as a warship. She was laid down in 1913 for the Ostafrikanische Eisenbahngesellschaft (East African Railway Company). A sister-ship, the Rechenberg, was ordered but would never be delivered because of the outbreak of the war.
In the usual pin-built manner Götzen was first assembled with bolts and tested, then dismantled for transport to Africa. Her parts, including 1,200,000 rivets, were packed into 5,000 waterproof cases, and despatched by cargo steamer from Hamburg to Dar es Salaam. From there the cases travelled by rail to the end of the line. From there, they were carried by native porters to the Lake.
On the slip at Kigoma, 250 African and three Indian workers reassembled her, under the supervision of three German technicians sent by the builders. She was launched on 5 February 1915.
Once completed, Götzen was initially armed with one of the 8.8cm guns transported to Africa on board SMS Königsberg (in order to arm a commerce raider). This was one of the guns formerly towed on the raft behind the Hedwig. In addition she carried two revolver cannons from the Möwe (scuttled at Dar es Salaam).
Graf von Götzen in her builder’s yard, with the rivet holes marked up and the parts numbered, ready for dismantling and transportation.
Being reassembled on the slipway at Kigoma.
Graf von Götzen, the ‘dreadnought’ of Lake Tanganyika, afloat and proudly flying the Imperial German naval ensign.
In July 1915 it seems she may have been attempting to tow away to the Germans’ base the beached British steamer TSS Cecil Rhodes, but the latter sank under tow.
After the Königsberg had been destroyed in the Rufiji Delta, one of her ten salvaged 10.5cm guns was mounted on the bows of Götzen, and the 8.8cm moved to the stern. Her armament now comprised the 10.5cm SK, the 8.8cm gun and one 37mm revolver cannon, formidable firepower which potentially enabled her to dominate the lake. However, this firepower would never be put to use. Kept as a ‘threat in being’ in Kingoma, Götzen was subjected to air attacks by Short float-planes operated by the Belgians, and although the bombs they dropped caused little or no significant damage, her days as a warship were numbered, as was German control of the lake in the face of growing British and Belgian offensive capabilities. By mid-May 1916 her armament had been reduced to just to two 37mm revolver cannons, the two heavier pieces having been passed to the Schutztruppe for use on land. Wooden dummies were mounted in their place to give the impression the ship was still armed.
The well-known photo of gun drill on Graf von Götzen’s forward 10.5cm gun, salvaged from SMS Königsberg which had been sunk by HMS Severn and HMS Mersey in the Rufiji Delta. This was the most powerful weapon afloat on Lake Tanganyika.
The 8.8cm SK L/30 on the stern of Graf von Götzen, originally carried to Africa aboard the Möwe, then mounted on the gun raft. (Photo from Website: https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=181475&start=15)
Graf von Götzen as armed in 1915, with funnel extension presumably offering increased draft.
On 26 July 1916 the Belgians cut the rail line to the coast and threatened to capture Kigoma. Zimmer therefore ordered the Götzen scuttled. The three German technicians who had overseen her construction secretly greased the machinery in case she should be refloated. Then they filled her holds with sand and carefully sank her at a depth of 20m in Katabe Bay, at 4°54’5’S, 29°36’12’E.
After a failed Belgian attempt to refloat her in 1919–20, by 1924 the British had succeeded in raising the Götzen, and found her to be repairable. On 16 May 1927 she entered service with the Tanganyika Railways and Port Service as a passenger and cargo ferry under the name of Liemba. During a refit from 1976–9 her steam power plant was removed and replaced with a pair of MAN diesels rated at 620bhp (460kW) each. After use as a refugee transport, she was withdrawn from service in 2013. There have been plans to renovate her or even to return her to Germany, but at the time of writing these efforts have come to nothing, and the old ship’s future is uncertain.
Launched:
Laid down 1913 by Meyer-Werft at Papenburg, on the River Ems. Transported to Africa. Reassembled and launched 5 February 1915 Lake Tanganyika.
Dimensions:
Displ: 1,575 tons; L: 71.4m/234ft 3in; B: 10m/32ft 10in; D: 3m/9ft 10in.
Crew:
4 officers + 30 crewmen.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; VTE steam engines, 500ihp/11 knots.
Guns/Armour:
At launch: 1 × 8.8cm SK; 2 × 37mm revolver cannon. From August 1915: 1 × 10.5cm SK; 1 × 8.8cm SK; 1 × 37mm revolver cannon. May 1916: 2 × 37mm revolver cannon.
Fate:
Still in existence 2017.
SMS Wami
Sister-ship to Kingani, Wami had also been built as a customs cutter for service at Dar es Salaam. In early 1916 Kapitän zur See Gustav Zimmer asked for her transfer to Lake Tanganyika, and she arrived overland by rail in February 1916. Wami was ready for action the following month. Following the destruction of Graf von Götzen, and the abandonment of the German naval base at Kigoma, Wami carried out a final mission transporting Askaris to the south of the lake. On 28 July 1916 while disem-barking her troops at Bukele, she was attacked by the Belgian gunboat Netta, commanded by Lieutenant Leenaers. Netta immediately attacked and scored hits, causing the Wami’s crew to scuttle her. (Lieutenant Leenaers in his report misidentified her as the Graf Von Götzen, which had been scuttled two days earlier at Kigoma.)
Wami loading a torpedo aboard SMS Königsberg. One of the cruiser’s steam pinnaces is on the right of the photo. (Photo from the University of Frankfurt Archives)
Launched:
1891 by Jos. L. Meyer-Werft, Papenburg.
Dimensions:
Displ: 45 tons; L: 17.75m/58ft 3in; B: 3.65m/12ft; D: 1.3m/4ft 3in.
Crew:
1 officer + 7 men.
Power/Speed:
Single screw; compound steam engine, 85.5ihp/9.4 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 37mm revolver cannon.
Fate:
27 July 1916 scuttled off the mouth of the Malagarassi River.
SMS Adjutant
Adjutant was one of three tugs of the German East Africa Line (DOAL), used for servicing the mail steamers arriving at Dar es Salaam and off the coast of Mozambique. She was also fitted with accommodation for up to six passengers.
The three had tried to break through the British naval blockade to reach neutral Portuguese territory in October 1914, but Adjutant was intercepted and seized by the cruiser HMS Dartmouth. She was then armed with three 3-pounder guns as a naval auxiliary during the British attempts to blockade the cruiser SMS Königsberg in the Rufiji Delta. In the course of these operations, on 6 February 1915 Adjutant came under fire from German field guns hidden on the river bank, her steering was disabled, she ran aground and her British crew were captured. The following day the cruisers Hyacinth and Pyramus shelled the stranded tugboat, but she was not seriously damaged, and the Germans managed to hide her further up the delta. There she was armed with one of the 8.8cm guns from Lake Tanganyika, and patrolled the river to prevent an attack on the Königsberg. Seven months after the destruction of the cruiser, on 19 February 1916 Adjutant escaped along the coast to Dar es Salaam, as it had been decided to transport her to Lake Tanganyika. Unlike the smaller Wami, she could not be carried
on the railway in one piece, so she was broken down into parts, using the lifting gear of the German postal steamer Tabora. The British saw the work in progress, and the battleship HMS Vengeance together with the cruiser Challenger shelled and sank the Tabora, in spite of the fact that she had been converted to a hospital ship.
Adjutant on the slip at Kigoma.
Despite this, Adjutant’s sections successfully arrived at the lake, but too late to affect the situation. She was still being assembled when the base was abandoned on 15 July 1916, so she was destroyed on the slipway to prevent her from falling into the hands of the advancing Belgians.
Launched:
25 November 1905 by Janssen & Schmilinsky, Hamburg, Yard No 463.
Dimensions:
Displ: 231 tons; L: 35.4m/116ft 2in; B: 7m/23ft 0in.
Crew:
21.
Power/Speed:
Single screw; 2-cyl compound steam engine, 350ihp/9 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 8.8cm SK.
Fate:
Destroyed at Kigoma 15 July 1916.
Lake Victoria
In 1914 the German authorities armed a tug, the SMS Muansa. She is reported to have been active in the very early stages of the war, but was heavily outmatched by the British steamers pressed into service and armed with 4in and 12-pounder guns, and does not show up in subsequent records.