[ Page 4 ] On May 1, the equator was crossed, then Cape Horn rounded on May 21, as"Rocos" headed for New Zealand waters, having been ordered to operate off Australia and New Zealand from mid June to the end of September, at that time to rendevous with a Supply ship in the Caroline Islands, and then go via the Indian Ocean into the Atlantic.
The life of a German commerce raider was a lonely one, their only contact with home was the radio, or when meeting up with a Supply ship, the unchanging seascape always there, a vigilent lookout being mandatory to avoid being surprised by a hostile Naval ship or discovered by an aircraft, but the latter was much safer than the former.
By June13, "Orion" was off Auckland, where she laid her nest of mines. In due course, they had snared the "Niagara" of 13,415 tons, the "Port Bowen," 8267 tons and the smaller "Baltavia," just 1739 tons. A good return for a relatively small outlay
On her way to the meeting with "Winnetou" her Supply ship, "Orion" stopped the Norwegian Motor Ship "Tropic Sea" wiith a load of Australian wheat bound for the US. A prize crew and 55 prisoners they were carrying were put on hoard, and the ship sent home to Germany. Having almost made it, she was stopped by the British Submarine "Truant," and was then scuttled. Such were the vagaries of the war at sea!
"Truant" picked up the prisoners from the 'Haxby," a Sunderland Flying Boat from Coastal Command collected some Norwegians - the remainder including the Gerrman prize crew made it ashore into Spain.
"Orion" spent many fruitless days on the trade routes of the Pacific, but the seas remained bare. On August 10, she sighted the phosphate carrier "Triona," off Brisbane, Australia. This ship quickly altered course 18O degrees and made off in the direction that she had come from. Captain Weyher believed his ship was not fast enough to catch up with "Triona" before nightfall, and, as she had not sent out an alarm signal, he wanted to keep his presence In the area a secret.
Weyher now decided he would take a look at "Nouema" although lighthouses on the coast were unlit, he found the street lighting ablaze, and useful for navigation's purposes, just as Gerrnan U-Bloats were assisted by city lights on the East coast of the US, before Pearl Harbor
"Orion's" Arado aircraft had been forced down on the ooean by fuel pump defects, and most of August 14 was spent searching for it. Finally it was found and recovered, and the pilot reported that 3 ships were alongside in Noumea. "Widder" a sister ship to "Orion" had been reported to be at large by the British so Weyher changed his ship's appearance by cutting down 2 derrick masts, and rigging a further mast aft.
"Orion" now headedl south and 2 days later came across a vessel heading for Noumea, the tropic darkness descended, and the ship switched on her navigation hghts. "Orion" followed suit, then by signal lamp ordered this ship to stop, and not to use her radio. A warning shot soon reinforced the "Stop order," It was the French ship "Notou" of 2,489 takingb 7 hits from the Raider's gunfire, and torpedoes.
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