SMS Eber-complete history in Brazil.

[Cristiano de S.O Campos]

Hi

the SMS Eber was sunk in coast of Bahia, in my country, Brazil.


I´m translate direct for english.Sorry for some errors, i use goolge translator to help me.

EBER HISTORY:


Gunboat SMS Eber Sea Baltico, Dantzig, (former-Gdansk), May of 1914 gunboat SMS Eber was constructed in 1902/03, dislocated 977 64.1 ton and had m of total length, 9,70 m of silenced mouth and 3,62 of. Its maximum speed reached 13,5 we. As well as its sister SMS Panther it made use of two cannons of 10.5 cm, four of 88mm and more six cannons of fast shot of small bore and machine guns. Its fuel, as well as the majority of the other units of surface of the world-wide fleets, was the rock coal. It had two chimneys. In the international context it was treated of small account to a ship and without great military value. Probably its main mission age to perhaps show the presence of the flag and, for this reason, arrives the Lüderitz port of the colony of the Southwestern Africa, in June of 1914. Gunboat SMS Eber enters in the dry dock berth of the great military port to be prepared for a long cruise. After almost one month, with the clean hoof and painted, tested the armaments, the machines and just installed radio system telegraphy. Finally replenished and municiada part with destination German ace colonies in Africa Occidental person. Pparently, its plan of action would be identical to the one of its sister SMS Panther, who celebrizou itself, in 1911, in the Incident call of Agadir, port in territorial waters of Morocco and later it disappeared. In 1913, the rumor that the SMS Panther is shipwrecked or is sunk, probably for the proper crew in the estuary of the river the Congo, next ran the Togo, but in the reality, it survived to the war and it was sell in 1931 to be disarranged. Many conjectures had been made on the envolvement of the SMS Panther in the events, between which of that its armament and the ammunition had been transferred previously to some merchant ship bigger and faster than it would act as privateer. Passed five years, with the world already in war, the suspicion the SMS Eber would fit as true when its military equipment and crew had seted "to liner" CAP Trafalgar transforming it into cruiser auxiliary, or privateer, having the Atlantic as action area, jointly with cruisers SMS Karlsruhe and SMS Dresden.



EBER ARRIVED IN BAHIA- BRAZIL.


The aggravation of the international tension incited by the murder of archduke Francisco Ferdinando, heir of the Austrohungarian throne, in 28 of June, took the world first the great world-wide war. In day 4 of August, of the start of the hostilities with England, the SMS Eber as we said, met in Lüderitz, the south of the Africa Occidental person, but how much its activities until this date, the magazine "Marine Rundschau" clarifies many points, but not all. Soon in the beginning of 1º World-wide War the SMS Eber became it the sea comboiando some coal ships for supplying of the privateers and the fleet of the Atlantic of almte. von Spee. In the reality, it had solely suspicion on its operations in this period - it would have sunk three inglêses merchants? After three weeks of navigation the small ship received orders to meet with the great one ' to liner ' of passengers CAP Trafalgar, HAMBURG SÜDAMERIKA NISCHEDAMPSCHIFFAHRT GESELLSCHAFT, (Cia de Native of Hamburg Navegação Sulamericana de Navios to the Vapor) in waters of the Brazilian island of Trindade and to transfer its cannons, machine guns and the ammunition and most of its crew in way to adapt it to the war of corso. It initiated the transference in day 31 of August of 1914 and left, completed the mission, disarmed and with a minimum garrison of thirty men (about one hundred they had folloied the armaments) between them some not apt for combat full previously in the CAP Trafalgar. The Eber, now merchant ship, spread the flag of commerce and probably in day 10 of September, directed it the Bahia, in economic march of 11 we, where if it interned in day 14 of September of 1914, or either, in the same day of the battle between cruiser auxiliary English HMS Carmania and SMS CAP Trafalgar in the island of Trindade. In the Bahia, plus one he has left of the crew, 14 officers, sailors and foguistas had left the gunboat and had travelled for Rio De Janeiro. The 16 remaining men were necessary for the maintenance and insufficient garrison of the boat however for its movement. When arriving she was anchored in front to the "bank of the Pan", later was put into motion for the cove of Itapagipe. In that year the State of the Bahia was being governed for J.J. Seabra that assumes in 1912 and would resign in 1916 and the Intendant was Mr. Julio Brandão. How much to SMS CAP Trafalgar, curtíssima and without luck had as privateer a life. In 1º of August of 1914 it arrived in Buenos Aires and as it did not have conditions to come back to Germany, therefore France decrees the general mobilization and soon it would enter in the conflict, received orders to act as corso. The armament and the military crew would be supplied by the SMS Eber and would operate in narrow contribution with the cruisers Karlsruhe and Dresden in the attack to the ships allies passing through in the South Atlantic. In day 22 of August the CAP Trafalgar weighed anchor for Montevidéu where if it supplied and "it raised chainses" for the meeting with the gunboat. In day 31 of August of 1914, in the island of Trindade, it had the meeting with gunboat SMS Eber and soon they had initiated the transference of men and equipment and the works of installation of the weapons in ' liner '. In day 14 of September of 1914, when Eber merchant arrived in port in the Bahia, they must have finished the service in the new privateer, transferred coal it coal ship Eleanore Woermann and initiate the training of the garrison in the use them military equipment. To the being discovered for cruiser auxiliary English HMS Carmania, also "liner" armed, it made use of fuel and training the battle lasted about one hour and stocking, with an almost previsible end, therefore the German ship only made use of the two cannons of 102 mm, four of 88mm and six machine guns of gunboat SMS Eber, while the HMS Carmania made use of 8 cannons of 152 mm, with bigger reach, being four in nose and four in the poop. The German warship not possuía control of central shot. It was a singular combat. The HMS Carmania always presented the nose with lesser silhouette to SMS CAP Trafalgar, and exactly thus, without the advantage of the cut of the ' T ' obtained the victory, favours to the biggest bore and reach of its cannons. SMS CAP Trafalgar, was defeated suffering serious and serious you damage motivating its commander, the Captain of Wirth Corvette to appeal the drastic measures in order to prevent the capture for the English - it commanded that the house of machines was mined. Executed the order, to 11h 10m of day 14 of September of 1914, with the spread flag, without if relieving, to the sound of it I in accordance with sing of the crew the tradition of the combats of the frigate-the-candle of the last century (N1) (Letter of a member of the crew to the Teamses - London - 22/12/1914, I opposed cited 3) it sank leading I obtain its 16 dead ones. In the beginning of the combat the SMS Carmania intercepts a signal of TSF (Telegrafia Sem Fio) emitted by its contender, making with that its commander to assume that it sailed for neighborhoods one of the cruisers of the navy of German war. ' liner ' armed English it had received 380 impacts, some in the line dágua and loses 9 men beyond the 26 wounded. Without conditions for combat, the British commander concluded that he was not apt to face very superior a German cruiser in armament and training, possibly the SMS Dresden or the SMS Karlsruhe, therefore decided to leave. He had lost all its instruments of direction and of transmission of command for the house of machines. The trip would be long, for this the command of the HMS Carmania did not lose time, immediately left the area taking the destination of Gibraltar and certainly it requested protection therefore had found cruiser HMS Cumberland that them comboiou until the final destination (Letter of a member of the crew to the Teamses of 8/12/1914 - I opposed cited (3). After the war, one knew that the HMS Carmania, with great difficulty, obtained to arrive close to the Archipelago of Abrolhos where it met with cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Bristol. The team of maintenance of one of the cruisers made emergency repairs. In this half time cruiser auxiliary English HMS Macedonia arrived at the area that folloied until Gilbraltar. The TSF signal saved the crew of the looser, giving to the coal dealer Eleanore Woermann to who directed age the message and that it was in the neighborhoods, the chance to collect the survivors. It was a full trip of tension, burlando the cruisers that patrolled the South Atlantic until arriving in port in Buenos Aires overloaded with hundreds of men (279 officers and sailors), many wounded seriously (Letter of a member of the crew to the Vossische Zeitung of 22/12/1914 - I opposed cited in (3).



BAHIA DE TODOS OS SANTOS,AGOSTO 1914



The Eber former-gunboat when arriving Salvador, requested internment and anchored to the plaza. Passed some days the Port administration authorizeed its internment in the cove of Itapagipe, but it needed, for its movement that the crew was complemented with sailors of some anchored merchant ships in the port. The chosen point to anchor, was placed approximately equidistant of the edges next to the cove and in front to the tamarindeiros of the Ribeira. According to a estimate sufficiently exaggerated of periodicals of the time, the place had 15 meters of depth, but in the nautical letter Nº the 1101 of the Navy department indicated maximum is of 10,5m (To see map in the Annexes). They could not have joined better anchorage for the defense of the Eber, therefore, of that point, the Germans visualized to the distancia any boat that if approached. There she remained anchored per almost 3 years. Brazil enters in the war Bay of All the Saints, 26 of October of 1917 When the torpedeamentos of the Brazilian ships had been initiated, the President of Brazil, Mr. Venceslau Braz, was afflicted by the war of the Contested one led by Miguel Lucena de Boaventura, the Monge, conflict this that involved the states of the Paraná and Sta, Catherine, and also with discipline in the Navy, in face of still felt Revolt of the contribuía Chibata that for the afrouxamento of the command lines military man and civilian In 25 of October of 1917 President Venceslau Braz sent the Message the Congress communicating the sinking of the room ship Brazilian, the Macau and requesting, in face of the continuity of the aggressions to our merchant ships disarmed, the State of War with Germany and adding that "it will order to occupy the German warship that is anchored in the port of the Bahia" (7) (17) (N4)(N6). The periodicals had published and the garrison of the Eber former-gunboat took knowledge that the hour of the combat was next. He was evidenced the unpreparedness, or perhaps the inertia of our Armed Forces, on this day of the Declaration of War to Germany. All the city wise person, of mouth in mouth, that the crew would not deliver the Eber - that she would be sabotaged, sunk or set on fire. It would not be surprise, therefore it is the decision that if waits of a commander of a ship of war when making the internment of its boat in the port of a foreign nation with the possibility of this, to the long one of the time, to become enemy, as well expôe Sir Cyprian Bridge - "In persons, and, even lives, in compact bodies of men actuated by corporate feeling or esprit of corps, like you see to their particular occupation threatened with abolition." (Nobody, and more still, no compact body of men acting with associative or espirito feeling of body, likes to see, its half of work threatened of elimination). If Brazil intended to possess itself of the former-gunboat would have to after assault it minutes the Declaration of War, and, not as it happened, therefore the tension came increasing in the ratio where the Brazilian ships went being torpedeados. Unhappyly, in them it seems that planning or training of the troop for the waited eventuality had not been made. With the Germans it was different. They had foreseen an assault the Eber and as they made use of time for the planning of the sinking or the sabotage, the disciplined and trained garrison militarily did not waste it. The Navy of War of Brazil was destreinada and dismantled, but in worse conditions it met Merchant, by the way, everything this was happened again in the beginning of the last war. Our commanders of merchant ships knew exactly that the risk to be torpedeados or cannonaded was very great, thus, in its majority not even exercised its crews for rescue, resulting in many deaths that could be prevented. Let us come back the Eber. To the few its garrison was conjuring of edge the important papeis. They had sped up the activities in the days that they had preceded to the Declaration of War and probably they had destroyed Books of Codes (Criptografia) and had transferred to the consulate Disciplinas, Norms and Procedures, maps, Target log book, and some objects of value, such as óticos sextants and other instruments that had been collected "in lanchinha special for the secretary of the consulate and Mr. Nicolas Berckerath"(sic). The German plan that would be rank in practical in the war case, must have been argued many times for the garrison so that at the opportune moment that now it was come close, calmly it was executed and error-free. They would open the valves of the compartments you stanch e, in order to hinder the access them forces of assault to the bilges, the time of closes interrupting them the overflow, would provoke a fire in the workmanships deceased. All chemical preparation, remained to wait the arrival of the Brazilian troops for land or sea, and that so soon perceived the sentries placed in strategical points in the cove they would give the alarm. For the sea, which had to reefs in front of the church of the Penha, the boats, exactly of small been silent, not to run aground, are obliged to follow the canal that takes them until next the plant to fabrics of Platform, and alone in that point they have access the cove. Therefore, of the moment where the shout of alert of the situated sentry in the deck of the Eber communicated the arrival of the boats with the troop of the Navy, the germanic crew would have about thirty minutes until the boarding, or either, time enough for the commander with its comrades of weapons to set in motion the plan of the fire and the overflow of the bilges. In turn, in case that the members of the crew perceived the arrival of forces for land, the time interval would practically be the same, therefore the attacking Brazilians would have obligatorily to embark in saveiros, small boats or gigs and to row or to sail until where they were anchored. As he was of if waiting, he did not exist the factor surprise, and as consequence the possibility of easy capture of the former-gunboat! We do not know if the Germans had taken the precaution additional to mine the hoof in order to destroy the boat quickly, in the case of an attack of surprise to the Eber, for the Brazilians exactly thus, as she saw herself, the crew did not menosprezava our capacity of combat, for the the opposite, in overestimated them. Undeniably the members of the crew had known to prepare themselves for the evident battle that would come. In face of the rumors that ran in the city, since the previous day, the periodical "the Afternoon" decided to investigate what it was if passing and shortly afterwards half-day, sent two reporters for the area. The two youngsters, had freighted a boat and using the shirt of one of the clubs of I row if they had approached to the Eber and they capsize when the crew spread fuel in the deck. They had come back quickly to the land and they had communicated the writing and this in turn informed to the Commander of the E region to the Port administration, and had as reply that "to the ten and half hours, Mr. Admiral Cleto Japi - Assú that it witnesses the first preparativeses of the accident, made delles scientes to Mr. Port authority that, unhappyly was inhibido of acting because it does not receive orders special in this direction from the Ministry of Marinha."(sic) the affluence of people in Itapagipe increased, as if the people waited some event abnormal person. The garrison of the gunboat alerted with the unusual increase of people was prepared to deflagrar the plan of destruction to any instant. "In this way all chemical preparation, would wait that the federal forces if approximassem to occupar the ship and then other tanks would open valvulas of setes and would set fire fire to querozene thus to hinder the entrance of any person on board until the tanks were completely full and the Eber afundasse."(sic) the hour arrives! The crew did not wait, she did not have another solution - they were arremetessem in direction to the ocean would have to pass in front to the port where destroyer MB Pihauy was anchored and unarmed they could not enter in combat. The eleven hours had opened the valves! The small gunboat started to sink! "Ace 14:30 minutes, already the gunboat almost had a handspan above of the fluctuation line...". Our plan of attack the Port authority intended to embark, to the eighteen hours, a troop with reservists and sailors of destroyer Piauhy, occasions in the port, to occupy the gunboat, and also, in order to prevent that some member of the crew of the Eber ran away for land, to send, more early, for terrestrial transport, an armed squad. Thus it was made but alone the 17 hours, when the gunboat already was flooding its bilges has 6 hours more than! The squad commanded for captain Meira followed of ' tram ' Had delay in the departure of the "tram" and the troop alone arrived at the Ribeira to the 18 hours. When disembarking of the transport they had been perceived by the German sentry, a sailor musician, probable former-member of the crew of the CAP Trafalgar, that ran until the beach, dived, swam about ten meters and through shouts and signals it informed to its embarked friends the arrival of the Brazilian force. Immediately of edge, "they had set fire fire to kerozene that it was found in the poop and calmly they had started to pass to the gig that was brought alongside to the back of the ship." They had if moved away some meters when they had noticed that the flames reached more than a meter little, they were not intense and restricted to the poop. They had come back calmly on board and they had completed the service under the sights of hundreds of people and the 21 soldiers of the squad, commanded for Captain Meira Pine that had not provided small boats for the assault to the gunboat. Intensified the flames that would hinder the access on board made use troops to close the valves of deep, had returned its gigs, had hoisted the candles and had left in direction to the estuary of the cove. To the 19 hours, or either, passed about 8 hours of the beginning of the overflow and forty minutes of the fire of the Eber and the escape of its members of the crew, it broke of the Port administration a composed force of thirty squares of the Naval Shot (troop inexperienced reservist and) commanded for Captain Tenente Pliny Rock that the 20 hours arrived at the place. When arriving the Itapagipe, only remained to appreciate the smoky deck of the gunboat to the water level and to promote the capture of the crew. They had been captured, thirteen members of the crew between them the Temporary Commander, As Shaumburg Machinist and as it describes the Report of the Minister of State of the Businesses of Navy - 1918, "collected to the Quarter as prisoners of war, 5 officers, 3 sergeant majors and diverse members of the crew of the Gunboat Eber and CAP Trafalgar." The federal authorities that have about two years, in 1912, had bombed the defenseless City of Salvador, had not had ability to capture an unarmed enemy boat. We do not capture the gunboat that could in serving them in the rivers of the Amazônia or our oceanic ports, therefore the Brazilian fluvial fleet was small obsolete e and the germanic ship, for minor that were, would represent a compensation for our torpedeados ships. We lose the battle that did not have! The Eber was the only interned germanic warship in our ports. Others forty and five merchant ships German had asked for asylum and also had been captured when entering in the war, of these, about two terços had been sabotaged, but they had appeared other problems. We could not use our canine tooth of war, as Saldanha of Gamma tells - "a difficulty in its use Appeared still more: they were in the black list of the allies, citizens the capture." "to obviar this situation and to give use better to the ships, thirty of them had been chartered, with crew, to France.

http://www.naufragiosdobrasil.com.br/1g ... strang.htm
http://www.brasilmergulho.com/port/nauf ... /007.shtml

[Chris Dale]

Hi Cristiano,
Thanks very much for posting so much local knowledge on the fate of the SMS Eber.
Cheers
Chris

[Cristiano de S.O Campos]

Chris

Thank You, my friend, i put these text because SMS Eber was a station ship in DSWA.

The text was well translated?

Can you understand the text?


Cheers

Cristiano.

[Chris Dale]

Hi Cristiano,
To be honest the text is quite difficult to read in English. There's some of it I can't make out at all. But with a little pateince I got through it and I think I understand the story! Thanks for posting it.
It's interesting to read that there was nearly a battle between German sailors and Brazillian soldiers in Brazil. I never knew all this.
But that's not your fault, that's the Google translator's fault. One day they'll get online translation perfect. I'm sure that day will be a happy one for all of us on this Forum....
Cheers
Chris