SMS Gneisenau Far East Photo Collection, 1910-1911

33 Comments

1. A truly interesting site well worth visiting.
   I always did like these old pictures and very pleased to see them here.

2. Thank you very much for posting your collection of SMS Gneisenau photos. The photos and captions have helped me greatly in identifying many of the photos in a similar collection which I have from my grandfather.

   My grandfather, Peter Pley, served onboard the Gneisenau from November 1910 to June 1913. As a remembrance of his service time, he made a similar photo album to the one Ernst Franke made. Unfortunately, my grandfather did not provide captions for any of the photos and they are not in chronological order. Together with his album are the two printed log books from the Gneisenau covering 1910 to 1913, and the play-like narrative of the crossing of the equator ceremony:

   Obersteuermannsmaat Lorenz, “Die Ausreise SMS Gneisenau nach Ost-Asien und die fahrten auf der ostasiatischen station, 1910-1911-1912”, (Tsingtau, China: Adolf Haupt Buchdruckerei, 1912);

   “Reisen SMS „Gneisenau” 1912-13”, (Tsingtau, China: Adolf Haupt Buchdruckerei, 1913); and,

   “Linientaufe and Bord S.M.S. „Gneisenau” am 13. Januar 1913 auf der Reise von Labuan nach Batavia”, (Tsingtau, China: Deutsche-Chinesiche Druckerei und Verlagsanstalt Walter Schmidt, 1913).

   Some of Ernst Franke’s photos are the same as my grandfather’s, but you have many additional photos. Some of my grandfather’s photos do not appear in your collection. I have prepared captions and notes to go with the photos I have. Unfortunately, I do not have scanned digital images of the photos. Also, I have prepared an English synopsis of the two log books giving the date, location, and usually the activity. This synopsis has helped me to identify and date many of the photos more accurately.

   On your website, you indicate that your photos are from 1910-1911. I assume that Ernst Franke was part of the crew change at the end of May 1911, and left Tsingtau on the transport vessel SS Nekar for the return trip to Germany. From the crew lists in the 1910-1912 log book, I note that Ernst Franke and Peter Pley were in the same stoker watch for about seven months, and in the crew list, they appear in the same group within the watch. They would likely have know each other by sight and name, and probably have stoked together.

   In 1913 at the end of his service time, my grandfather returned to Germany. He was discharged to the reserve with the rating of Oberheizer, leading stoker. In civilian life, he was a Fabrikschlosser, a machinist. In less than a year WWI started, and he was recalled to the navy. During the war, he served as a machinist in the 2 Kompagnie, II Werfdivision, (2nd Company, 2nd Dockyard division) Wilhelmshaven naval dock yard, building and repairing U boats.

   Again, thank you for posting your Gneisenau photos.

   Peter Fischer

   • WOW! I’m stunned. I’d love to see the things you have some day — including the log books, the narrative, and the extra photos, and I’d be happy to help you get it all online somewhere if we can figure out a way to do that. Ernst was my grandfather and he also ended up as a machinist during the war. He worked in Kiel, and some of his story is chronicled in the postcards he sent to his girlfriend (later my grandmother), which I’ve also posted (http://www.thefrankes.com/wp/?page_id=527). He later worked at a Nedinsco (The Netherlands) building periscopes while living across the border in Kaldenkirchen. In 1930 he came to the United States and worked at Kodak and then Kollmorgen Optical, where he did the same kind of work.

     I have hundreds of pages of letters from the 30’s. I’ll keep an eye out for your grandfather’s name in them as I go through them — just in case they remained in contact.

     Thanks so much for your post!

3. Thank you for the interesting catalog! I’m enjoying looking at similarities and differences between what we have and your postings. My grandfather, Carl Eduard Krause, compiled yet another album of his S.M.S. Gneisenau travels during the years 1910 to 1911. I am currently in process of posting scanned images of these photos online. I’ve had captions to work with that have been translated to make the content of the photos more accessible. Many of the Krause album photos do not appear in your catalog, such as some taken in India and Africa. The are also several photos of crew members that I don’t see.

   I’m wondering if my grandfather’s name might be listed in log books and what his rank was.

   This website preparation has been a task that my husband and I have been working for over 2 years now. Maybe this serendipitous find will spur me on! I’ll let you know when the Krause album is available for viewing.

   • That’s great, Kathleen! I’m very much looking forward to seeing it, and I’d love to link to it from my site or include any other information you have. I’m going to be adding additional photos and documents from Peter (another commenter on this post) as well to help fill in the collection. I’ll see if I can find a reference to your grandfather in the documents as well. Thanks for posting!

     • Hello–I sent a link to the Krause Gneisenau album. Did you receive?

   • Kathleen,

     Thank you for posting your grandfather’s Gneisenau photos on-line. I enjoyed them.

     The name Krause appears in both the 1910-1911-1912 printed log book and the 1912-1913 printed log book. The 1910-1911-1912 log book, page 7, “V. Division”, shows, “Mtr. Krause”, Matrose, or ordinary seaman, Krause. The 1912-1913 log book, page 41, “X. Division. Hülfsmasch. [auxiliary machine] Division.” shows, “Hzr. Krause’, or stoker Krause.

     Unfortunately, the crew are listed only by their rating and last name. Whether one, or the other, or both Krause entries are Carl Eduard Krause, your grandfather is unclear. If your grandfather was on board SMS Gneisenau only in 1910-1911, then I would assume that the first entry is your grandfather’s, and that he was an ordinary seaman. There were crew changes, that is a new draft of conscripts arrived from Germany and a draft of conscripts who had completed their term of service returned to Germany, on 27 May 1911, 30 May 1912, and 23 May 1913.

     I hope you find this information helpful.

     Peter Fischer

     • Hey,

       my great-grandfather Erich Riesebeck was also a crew member of the SMS Gneisenau. Unfortunately I have no photos, so thank you for your work!

       But I have the log book from 1910-1911-1912. There he is listed in the “IV. Division” as “Ob. Mtr.”. Peter, could you tell me, if he is also listed in the log book from 1912-1913?

       Generally, how did the crew get back to Germany? Did they have some specific crew changes? And if they had, are lists or other documents available?

       Thanking you in advance!

       Anne Riesebeck

       • Hallo Anne,

         die Kinder vom Darsse-Ort ( 3 Jungen und 2 Mädchen),
         sind die Cousins und Cousinen meines Opas.
         Mein Opa hieß Bruno Franz Max Levien,geb. 02.01.1897
         in Greifswald/ Wieck.Patenonkel war Johann Wilhelm Eduard
         Riesebeck Oberleuchtfeuerwärter vom Darsser-Ort.
         Die Patentante von Deinerm Urgroßvater Erich hieß Fredericke
         Levien. Martha Christine Fredericke Riesebeck geb. Levien ist dei Tante meines Opas.Leider weiß ich nicht Ihre Geburtstort.Kannst Du mir eventuell helfen.
         Die Geburtsdaten der 5 Kinder vom Darsser-Ort habe ich alle.

         Gruß Thomas

       • Anne Riesebeck,

         I have only just seen your question, since I had not looked at theFrankes.com website since 2012.

         No, your great-grandfather Erich Riesebeck does not appear in the log book from 1912-1913. I think it most likely that as an “Ob. Mtr.” he had finished his required military service and returned home to Germany in 1912. The 1912-1913 log book states that: on 1912 May 19, the departing Gneisenau crew contingent left the ship for barracks in Tsingtau; on 1912 May 20, the steamer Patricia arrived at Tsingtau, mole 2 with crew replacements; and, on 1912 May 27, the Patricia sailed for home (Germany) with the departing contingent, and as she passed the Gneisenau was given three “Hurrahs” by the remaining Gneisenau crew.

         The crew contingents returned to, and new contingents arrived from, Germany on commercial steamships. At Tsingtau for the Gneisenau, there were crew contingent changes on 1911 May 27, 1912 May 30, and 1913 May 23 May. No doubt at the time, there would have been lists of the men in these contingents, but I do not know if any of these lists still exist or where you might find them.

         At this time in Germany compulsory military and naval service had been the norm for a long time (and ended only in 2011). At the age of 20 a man could expect to serve 2 or 3 years of training and active service. After this they would return to civilian life, but could be re-conscripted in the event of war up to the age of 45, with younger, more recently trained men being called up first. The men in contingent changes were mostly ones arriving of departing as part of their compulsory service.

         I hope you find this information helpful.

         Peter Fischer

4. Hello,

   I have a copy of the picture called Kameraden von “Gneisenau” & “Kaiser Franz Josef” in Tsingtau from your SMS Gneisenau Far East Photo Collection, 1910-1911! It was send in October 1911 by some Oskar Kasimir from Tsingtao to my great-uncle who served on the S.M.S. Kaiser Franz Josef I. So far I was not able to determine where and why the photo was taken. Thanks to your web I know more about it! Do you know something about the origin of the picture? I am writing a book about my relative and will publish the photo there probably. My first “navy” book see here: http://www.mare-czech.cz/naklweb/knihovna/MK-Plavcikem.pdf

   Best regards,

   Jiri Osanec

   • Excellent! I’m afraid I don’t know much about the picture except for the caption that I posted. I can check later to see if anything was written on the back, though. I’ll take a look at your book a bit later — very interested…

5. I forgot to say that my great-uncle (a brother of my grandmother) is on the picture, too. Unfortunately he is not on the second very nice picture called Kameraden von “Kaiser Franz Josef” bei uns zu Gast. But I would appreciate if it would be possible to publish the photo in my new book, too. Of course a better resolution would be necessary for it. I can send you my copy of the first photo including its back side.

   Best regards,

   Jiri Osanec

   • That would be great. I’ll contact you via email and we can discuss.

6. My Uncle Carl Edward Krause 1888-1977 (died in Houston, TX) was a young sailor on the Crown Prince’s 1910-1911 tour to the far east. He has a scrapbook like yours. I am going tomorrow to scan its contents,
   Do you have a list of the sailors on board the Gneisenau?
   When the war broke out in Aug 1914, he was in the port of Houston on a German merchant marine ship. They gave the guys a choice of leaving the ship or going in to custody. My uncle settled in Houston. His wife lived to 105 years of age. I am interested in the further pics you have. I only saw the 2 sets of 16. Have you posted more?

   Randy

   • Randy,

     The names of all the sailors on board the SMS Gneisenau appear in the printed log books. Those on board from 1910 to 1912, appear in the “1910-1911-1912” log book, pages 1 to 12, in total 773 men. The ship’s company as of May 1913, appear in the 1912-1913 log book, pages 29 to 41.

     The name Krause appears in both the 1910-1911-1912 printed log book and the 1912-1913 printed log book. The 1910-1911-1912 log book, page 7, “V. Division”, shows, “Mtr. Krause”, Matrose, or ordinary seaman, Krause. The 1912-1913 log book, page 41, “X. Division. Hülfsmasch. [auxiliary machine] Division.” shows, “Hzr. Krause’, or stoker Krause.

     Unfortunately, the crew are listed only by their rating and last name. Whether one, or the other, or both Krause entries are Carl Eduard Krause, your uncle is unclear. If your uncle was on board SMS Gneisenau only in 1910-1911, then I would assume that the first entry is your grandfather’s, and that he was an ordinary seaman. There were crew changes, that is a new draft of conscripts arrived from Germany and a draft of conscripts who had completed their term of service returned to Germany, on 27 May 1911, 30 May 1912, and 23 May 1913.

     I hope you find this information helpful.

     Peter Fischer

7. Muy interesante e importante todo lo aquí expuesto. En mi país, Chile, se desarrollaron importantes hechos durante la primera guerra mundial, como son “La batalla de Coronel”, “El hundimiento del Dresden” y la “Guerra de Corso”.
   En el año 1926-27 visitó mi pais el SMS “Berlín”, del cual me gustaría que pudiera subir fotos de los departamento interiores del buque y también de su tripulación.
   Muchas gracias y Felicitaciones por tan digno trabajo.
   Atte: Carlos C
   Saludos

   • Carlos,

     Sí, los acontecimientos que mencionas son importantes.

     Para ver fotos de Berlin SMS, hacer una búsqueda en Internet Google por “SMS Berlin fotos”. Por desgracia, no parece haber ninguna fotos del interior o de la tripulación de SMS Berlín, pero hay muchos otros.

     SMS de Berlín fue un crucero ligero Bremen-clase de la Marina Kaiserliche, llamado así por la ciudad de Berlín. Ella fue colocada en Kaiserliche Werft de Danzig en agosto de 1902, puso en marcha el 22 de septiembre de 1903 y comisionado el 4 de abril de 1905. Sus naves hermanas eran, SMS Hamburgo, Bremen, Lübeck, Munich, Leipzig, Danzig y SMS.

     SMS Berlín servido más en el extranjero hasta 1911, contestando a la flota en 1914. Durante 1915 y 1916 por un período corto fue utilizado como un minador. En 1917, se convirtió en un barco costero defensa. Después de la Primera Guerra Mundial, fue modernizado en 1921-1922 y luego se desempeñó en el Reichmarine como nave de entrenamiento para los viajes en el extranjero entre 1922 y 1929. En 1924-25 ella cruzó a América del Sur. En 1935, en Kiel, se convirtió en una nave de alojamiento para las tripulaciones de submarinos y se trasladó a Hamburgo, en el mismo papel. En 1944, fue bombardeado y hundido. Levantado en 1947, fue llevada al Skagerrak, cargado con municiones de gases no deseados y hundido 31 de mayo 1947.

     Puede encontrar más información acerca de SMS Berlín, incluyendo los detalles técnicos, en
     http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/sms_berlin.htm

     Espero que encuentre útil esta información.

     Peter Fischer

     • Peter; por problemas que no vienen al caso comentar, después de tanto tiempo te escribo. Tengo algunas fotos del SMS BERLÍN cuando estuvo en Chile, en el puerto de Corral, en donde se ve a la dotación paseando junto a gentes del puerto. Si son de tu interés dime donde las publico para que las veas. Creo que son interesantes por lo distintas a lo que se ve siempre. Un abrazo a la distancia y a cuidarse. Saludos.

8. […] Yet Another S.M.S. Gneisenau Photo Collection on theFrankes.com website (contains many different photos) […]

9. I am a grandson of Stanisław Nowaczyk, one of the participants of the Gneisenau trip to Tsingtau. Around 1956 I listened to Grandpa’s stories, read his travel diary, watched an album about Ceylon. I recognized my grandfather on one of the photos on your website. I am constantly looking for new information. Best regards, Zbigniew Jakubek, Wrocław

   • That is so cool! Thanks for sharing this. 🙂

   • Zbigniew Jakubek,

     Your grand-father Stanisław Nowaczyk is listed in the Gneisenau’s “1910-1911-1912” log book, page 8, “1 Heizerwache” (first stoker watch) as “Ob. Hzr. Nowaczyk”, leading stoker Nowaczyk. He does not appear in the 1912-1913 log book.

     I think it most likely that as an “Ob. Hzr.” he had finished his required military service and returned home to Germany in 1912. The 1912-1913 log book states that: on 1912 May 19, the departing Gneisenau crew contingent left the ship for barracks in Tsingtau; on 1912 May 20, the steamer Patricia arrived at mole 2 with crew replacements; and, on 1912 May 27, the Patricia sailed for home (what was then, for your grandfather, Germany) with the departing contingent and as she passed the Gneisenau was given three “Hurrahs” by the remaining Gneisenau crew.

     The crew contingents returned to, and new contingents arrived from, Germany on commercial steamships. At Tsingtau for the Gneisenau, there were crew contingent changes on 1911 May 27, 1912 May 30, and 1913 May 23 May. No doubt at the time, there would have been lists of the men in these contingents, but I do not know if any of these lists still exist or where you might find them.

     At this time in Germany compulsory military and naval service had been the norm for a long time (and ended only in 2011). At the age of 20 a man could expect to serve 2 or 3 years of training and active service. After this they would return to civilian life, but could be re-conscripted in the event of war up to the age of 45, with younger, more recently trained men being called up first. The men in contingent changes were mostly ones arriving of departing as part of their compulsory service.

     I hope you find this information helpful.

     Peter Fischer

10. Very interesting personal naval history collection. Finding official documents from this period is of course very difficult since they were largely destroyed in the WWII. So I really appreciate this website. Thank you for sharing.

    I do not know if you are aware of this but I came across reference to b&w film footage existing of the voyage of S.M.S. Gneisenau to the Far East. Also found the ship had a form of money – coins – Schiffsgeld if you are interested.

    • I would love to hear more about this!

11. Sorry if this is a duplicate send .Very interesting personal naval history collection. Finding official documents from this period is of course very difficult since they were largely destroyed in the WWII. So I really appreciate this website. Thank you for sharing.

    I do not know if you are aware of this but I came across reference to b&w film footage existing of the voyage of S.M.S. Gneisenau to the Far East. Also found the ship had a form of money – coins – Schiffsgeld if you are interested.

    • Oh I’d love to see that! Thanks for the comment and sorry it took me so long to respond!

12. Hi,I found a photo album which shows similar photos to those above. Thea must have been taken by my grandfather Ernst Schöniger who was on the s.m.s. Gneisenau 1910-1911. I guess it was him.., still trying to solve the secrets our family…. Where can I find the crew list??
    Thanks for your help.
    Claudia

    • Hello again — This is why I need to check my website comments more often. 🙂 Let me see what I can find here.

    • Claudia Schöniger,

      The crew lists appear in the following two publications which are based on the Gneisenau’s log books, and were available to the crew:

      “Die Ausreise SMS Gneisenau nach Ost-Asien und die fahrten auf der ostasiatischen station, 1910-1911-1912”, by Obersteuermannsmaat Lorenz, (Tsingtau, China: Adolf Haupt Buchdruckerei, 1912), pages 1 to 10; and,

      “Reisen SMS „Gneisenau” 1912-13”, (Tsingtau, China: Adolf Haupt Buchdruckerei, 1913), pages 29 to 41.

      Crew members are listed only by their rating and last name, first names do not appear. I searched the crew lists for “Schöniger” but could not find that exact spelling. I did find the following names: in the 1910-1911-1912 log, page 5, III Division, “Ob. Mtr. Schönherr”, leading seaman Schönherr, and on page 9, “Hzr. Schönburg”, stoker Schönburg; and in the 1912-1913 log, page 39, VIII Division, II Wache, “Ob. Hzr. Schönburg”, and on page 40, IX Division, III Wache, “Hzr. Schönewerk”.

      I am sorry I could not be of more help.

      Peter Fischer

13. Hallo alle zusammen, ich habe seit Jahren ein Fotoalbum mit Fotos von der Asien Fahrt 1910-1911 in meinem Schrank stehen. Ich denke mein Großvater hat an dieser REise teilgenommen. Zum Teil sind die Fotos mit den von Ihnen aufgeführten Fotos identisch. Weiterhin habe ich auch einige Postkarten, die er an seine Eltern in Norddeutschland schrieb.Sein Name war Ernst Schöniger. Ich habe gesehen, dass hier auch Briefe eingestellt sind, die an einen Ernst geschrieben wurden. Aber das mag auch nur Zufall sein.
    Claudia

    • Hallo Claudia. Entschuldigen Sie bitte mein nicht-so-gut Deutsch. Mein grossvater hiess Ernst Franke, so er war warscheinlich ein anderer Ernst. Ich wurde gern mehr horen!

14. This is so wonderful to read! My great great uncle August Meyer was on this trip – he played the tuba. In the family we have an album but as another commented without any information and not in order. I am interested to know about when the Giesenau picked up the crown prince and princess? The crown prince was to head all the way to Vladivostok according to a newspaper article on Trove. Another article written by Lady Wilson explained that the trip for the crown prince was cut short – unclear whether for ill health or some sort of misdemeanour. We have a great many treasures from Japan – a house, several tea sets, lacquer box, tray and albums. I should love to know if anyone has information on the return to Germany and whether others also have such souvenirs?