[ Page 5 ] Ships steaming alone were always at the mercy of an Armed Raider. On many occasions it was not possible or practicabte to send off a distress signal. To break radio silence tended to make the victim yery vulnerable to withering gunfire, and extra loss of life for her crew members.
As a case in point, 'Turakina." firstly did not stop when ordered. She broadcast a distress message, and, when engaged by gunfire, she bravely returned that fire with her single stern gun. But, she was to pay a high price for this resistence. Out of a crew of 57, only 21 were picked up, and 7 of those were wounded.
The loss of"Turakina," brought lively radio traffic from Brisbane, and between ships and aircraft and Weyher decided to take himself away from this area and made for the South west corner of the Australian continent, where it had been reported that on average, some 50 ships per month could be expected to pass tirough the area.
"Orion" was sighted by a Hudson of the Royal Australian Air Forcewhich was working out of BusseIton but Weyher merely continued to cruise a weseterly course, and on the 9th. of August was ordered via radio to rendezvous in a month's time in the Marshall lslands with the Supply ship "Regensburg." He had a long way to steam and set off to the east on his way to carry out this command from his control in Germany.
On the 4th. of October "Orion" fell in with the Norwegian "Ringwood" who was making for Ocean Island, having sailed from Shanghai in ballast with the intention of loading phosphates on her arrival. Alas she was not destined to make it, the vagaries of war deciding her fate, and she was scuttled
Four days later, "Orion" met up with her fellow raider "Komet" together with the tanker "Kulmerland" and the three ships steamed in line abreast just far enough apart, so that any enerny ship was unable to pass unsighted between any two of the German ships. Using this fotmation some 100 miles of oecan were scoured at any one time.They sailed to the junction of Cook Strait/Panama and the juncton of Auckland/Paname but found nothing. They then moved Southward some 300 miles, but again drew a blank. This group of ships now decided to move againstNauru, the phosphate lsland.
However, on the 27th of November, at 0300 (3 A.M.) a large ship, all blacked out, was sighted. It proved to be the "Rangitane" of 16,712 tons, carrying 303 passengers and crew. She was bound for Liverpool via the Panama Canal with 14,000 tons of butter and frozen meat. She was the largest passenger ship to he sunk by German Surface Raiders during the war.
On the way to Nauru, the "Triona" was despatched via a Torpedo. This action was subsequently criticised by their Gernnan control as a waste of a Torpedo. At such a distance, not really knowing the prevailing circumstanees, it is difficult to sit in judgement on the Captain or Captains involved in a specific action. Surely the man on the spot must have freedom of action to fight his ship as he sees fit, as long as he is always mindful of the safety of his command and his crew.
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