The Strangest Warship Battle of WW1 - Africa's Lake Tanganyika
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- Опубликовано: 25 июн 2020
- The WW1 battle for control over Central Africa and access to the region’s vast natural resources pitted Germany’s Kaiserliche Marine against Britain’s Royal Navy in one of the war’s most unusual strategic locations. Situated between what was then the Belgian Congo and German East Africa, Lake Tanganyika is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world by volume. It had been dominated by German forces since the start of the conflict thanks to the deployment of two small warships. German naval control of the lake had effectively prevented any British offensives into German East Africa, and a new development threatened to put Allied territory at risk.
In April of 1915, John R. Lee, a British big-game hunter in Africa, observed Germany working a new vessel that would make the Germans nearly invincible on Tanganyika. The Graf von Goetzen was a converted and armed passenger ferry that was over 30-times the size of the warships Germany already had patrolling the area. Capable of carrying nearly 1,000 troops, the vessel could transport German Army units to any point on the lake, cutting transit time to hours versus the weeks it would take Allied forces to maneuver on land.
Together with Admiral Sir Henry Jackson, Lee came up with a bold idea to send two British steamboats on a treacherous journey to Africa to counter the threat. Sailed from Britain, packed on rail cars, dragged by oxen, and floated down a river, the makeshift warships would fulfill, as Admiral Jackson put it, [QUOTE] “the duty and the tradition of the Royal Navy to engage the enemy wherever there is water to float a ship...”
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“Hi Germany. Listen, we have a ferry of yours that was sunk in an African lake 90 years ago that practically no one has ever heard of. So, what we mean to ask is do you keep parts on the shelf for this or are they special order?”
LOL!
Vell Tanzania, do you haff the vessel model number? We can’t very vell locate any proper parts without it.
The number is located on the forward bulkhead.
Lol. WW1 Africa theater is the wildest war you ever read. From bees attacking both sides of war, aerial supply gone heart of darkness, to using ship guns on land battle, and reinforcing your own logistic by _attacking_ the enemy.
Wildlife created some unique problems. In areas with elephants they would use telegraph poles as scratching posts. When one would fall over, they'd move on to the next. Giraffes would walk straight through the wires, and flocks of thousands of birds would land at once and snap them.
When locals were used as runners to deliver messages they couldn't always tell one army from another. So they handed the message off to the first officer they could find. German dispatches were sometimes given to the English and vice versa.
Christopher Conard lol! 🦒
@call of duty ruined my life 987 me either but I guess that guy was there. So I believe him lol
Any good book covering it?
@@leafleap Check out the book written by the German commander. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_von_Lettow-Vorbeck
That is one of the best stories I've heard of on Dark Docs! The fact that the German Warship was raised & restored & is now a workable ferry in the region is just plain awesome! So instead of being a symbol of Imperialism and "controlling the area", the ship is performing a service for the people in the area.
"A man court martialed for wrecking his own ships, an inveterate liar and a wearer of skirts" we've all met people like that.
i kept thinking i hope there's a picture of this.
@@kirkwhite8600 There are many. He wore skirts all the time at Lake Tanganyika.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Spicer-Simson
He was also accompanied by a chimpanzee named Josephine. He was a real eccentric. Mad as a hatter.
In other words, a Scot!
It wasn't a 'skirt ' it's a KILT
Just read about him and what an absolute mad lad.
Good to see the ship is still kicking today, cant believe history like that is still around and operating.
Definitely gives me some warm fuzzies to see her on the water
Over here in long island New York on the North shore there's a ferry that takes you to Connecticut and it was actually a transport ship that was used on D-Day on Omaha beach
Lol well you wouldn't expect the people of africa to actually make something better to replace what was given to them, would you? Lol shit it might be 300 years before they get to making their own steam engines at the rate they're going!
@@mcconville6 meh thats just WWII garbage this is real history
it was german made which means it will last ,not like the junk we get from china
I read the book 'Mimi and Toutou's Big Adventure: The Bizarre Battle of Lake Tanganyika' a few years ago. It is a great story of this event.
Interesting... Thanks for posting this, I'll have to check it out
that title sounds like a children's book lol
The ship was sunk to avoid being sunk "task failed successfully"
Vindicator sounds like the “news”.
When failing upwards was still an undefined idea.
Guest: "Sir, is that your vessel on fire that I see??!!"
Spicer-Simpson: "Why, yes! Yes, I do believe you are correct. Jolly good show. More wine?"
=))
I love that you brought this video to us. I never knew about lake-fighting in WWI. Thank-you, Dark Docs.
Hats off to the men that preserved the history.
"Quickly scuttled to avoid having it sunk...."
"We weren´t sunk! We scuttled it first."
This is only half-true. The Graf von Götzen was bombed by a belgian airplane several times while in port and sustained some damage. Because the german troops were on retreat the decision was made to drag the ship out to deeper water and scuttle it to avoid it falling to the british.
@@christine16aushh That explains it, thanks
@@Taistelukalkkuna
You can't fire me, I quit
Having an interest in history, especially military history, I have really enjoyed your presentations. Keep up the good work.
One of the best videos I've seen on the Dark Channels. Exceedingly well-done.
It's a completely bonkers story that deserves to be better known. I've never encountered it outside a book about WWI in Africa, so kudos for doing it here. The Admiralty, it won't surprise you to learn, spat out their tea when they heard what the Commander had named his ships.
I wonder if CS Forester got the germ of an idea for The African Queen from the Lake Tanganyika campaign.
Believe you are right on this one
@@chrishuber7704 I checked the wiki page, and it states at the bottom that the MV Liemba was the inspiration for the Geraman ship in the African Queen. No citation for it, though, but it's a good bet. Forester read through old naval histories, and WWI was only 20 years in the past when he wrote it in 1935 so it wasn't even a distant memory at that point.
I can't remember if it was The History Guy, The Great War, or both, but at least one definitely confirmed this to be true. I take either source to be reputable, & their claims at face value
It wouldn’t be surprising in any way; Hornblower’s exploits were lifted from reports to the admiralty.
He did. The boat used in the film was actually present during these events.
What an amazing channel.
Absolutely stunning.
Many thanks.
Thank you for posting this.
yeah...................., lets drag a bismarck to rhine river, so france is untakeable
Ya
Well the Vikings dragged ships across land to get to rivers that they could not access by conventional means, just so they could continue raiding.
I know not the Bismark though.
It was nice that Dark Docs covered this, what I consider, a very untold story. I have only ever seen one other documentary about this history, but it didn't give as much detail about the German ships on the lake or how they were utilized. The documentary focused more on the delivery and use of "Mimi" and "Tutu," going into great detail about the journey across southern to central Africa and onto the Lake Tanganyika. The doc. also went into specific detail on how Spicer-Simson actually protected his two small boats by building a small, artificial harbor. When the Germans sent their first boat to investigate this harbor, that was when Spicer-Simson chose to strike with his two torpedo boats. The surprise attack by boats that could not have been on the lake (according to German intelligence at the time) is how Spicer-Simson was able to capture the larger German ship. Other off-hand details of the events around this mission included how the natives began to regard Spicer-Simson as almost a "living god" due to, not only his incredible battle tactics, but also his bizarre behaviors (such as taking ritual public baths.) The natives dubbed Spicer-Simson, "Lord of the Loincloth," due to his tendency to walk around wearing only a loincloth, and even going into battle wearing a skirt. One other impressive note worth mentioning (and another reason Spicer-Simson was so admired,) was the fact that, despite even the health risks that occasioned on the group (Spicer-Simson had recruited a specialized and very knowledged doctor for the journey due to the health risks that would be presented,) not a single man, English military or native recruit, lost their lives. Spicer-Simson was even able to minimize the number of casualties brought upon the German ranks and still complete his mission. Now that's a bad-ass "Lord of the Loincloth."
Awesome tale. Thank you for your research and excellent presentation
That was interesting. Thankyou for showing this documentary.
Body of water: _exists_
Royal Navy: *It's free real estate*
I don't know about that statement, "...Entered service in 2018..." 13:43. In 1964 I traveled on that MV Liemba from Kigoma to Mpulungu. She had been in service most of the time since she was salvaged in 1927, only except when she had a couple of re-fits.
service resumed, not entered. Listen to it again.
A snippet of the Ballad of Spicer Simson. I first heard about that nutjob from The Great War (They also have a great video on the Battle for Lake Tanganyika). What an absolute legend.
Excellent video. The only knowledge I had of this incident was from a Commando comic story I read when I was very young. Didn’t realize this really happened. Thanks for sharing. Subbed!
Growing up in Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, I have seen the Liemba at dock in Mpulungu, Zambia's port on Lake Tanganyika. My parents actually travelled on the MV Liemba in the late 1950's.
In 1966 I was nearly arrested for taking photos of the memorial near Kasama, Zambia, celebrating the surrender of von Forbeck's German forces to the district commissioner for that area of Northern Rhodesia at the end of the first world war. The photos I took also showed the bridge over the river. Zambia had declared all bridges off limits due to Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence, UDI, on 11th November 1965, as they feared sabotage of them to disrupt Zambia's export of copper.
For a fascinating read on WWI in east Africa I recommend looking up Lettow-Vorbeck, the German general who held his own against British Commonwealth forces until late November of 1918 with a force which, like those of his opponents, contained large numbers of native African troops.
This makes me want to see Young Indiana Jones again. Yes, that is fiction, but still...
Or, better yet, the African Queen with Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn.
This does sound very much like the African Queen.
yea, that was a really fun show, & surprisingly chockfull of interesting historical tidbits. wish we'd gotten a continuation of that, instead of the dumpster-fire that was Indiana Jones 4
Try "The African Queen". Humphrey Bogart and Kathryn Hepburn.
As much as I love Bogie and Kate Hepburn, in my opinion the better film that takes a lot from this true tale is "Shout at the Devil." Starring Lee Marvin, Roger Moore and Ian Holm. Check it out if you can. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
So technically, the MV Liemba is the last ship of the Imperial German Navy afloat?
and one of the oldest warships still in some type of service. the russians have some old sub tender from like 1915 they use.
The Belgians, bailing on a project in East Africa? Never!
Great story. Shame you had to use footage of ships that were out of place and time. Glad you highlighted this part of the World War. Many do not know that Africa was part of it. This action contained what could have been a major conflict.
Interesting story. Excellent narration! I enjoy your channel's content very much. God bless!
Very interesting doc. which I found very enjoyable. I would have enjoyed it much more if it had described the weaponry and performance stats of all the ships involved and a more detailed blow by blow description of the battles. You got me hot and bothered then left me hanging. Thanks for bringing attention to such an obscure theater of battle in WWI.
I enjoy these videos very much. I do wish that a few more facts about the battle were mentioned. Weapons, sequence etc.
I had the volume up at the beginning and the music made me shit my pants! Lol. Love everything about these old WWI/II series. Keep up the awesome work.
I want to hear more stories about Vietnam like a super dark doc or something in the u.s of a super secret cover up
I think that’s a legitimate position and desire but would you consider yourself a particularly stupid person?
Robert why would I consider myself a stupid person?
Super
Stefen Fuqua yep! It’s not just any cover up.... it’s a SUPER cover up.
Jordan also wears a SUPER tin foil hat
Sounds like the movie: The African Queen....lol
You're reading my mind.
The African Queen was based loosely on what happened.
@@Optionsaregood The book African Queen was written by CS Forester more famous for the Hornblower series. The German ship in both the book and movie is the MV Koningun Luisa. In the book the Germans behave more like WWI Germans and in the movie more like WWII Germans. I thought Robert Morley's role in the movie was great as were Hepburn and Bogart. I also enjoyed the book and recommend it.
"You crazy Psalm singing skinny old maid"!
By the way, salt really does make leaches drop off your body. I've done it & I got the idea from the movie.
I always get pumped when I see dark docs puts up a new video
Spicer-Simpson was an interesting man. He would live with locals on shore of Lake Tanganika as he plotted what to do with the Germans. He sank one gunboat, overpowered another and pressed it into service, the Germans greased and oiled one only to sink it in the of hope returning to it later. When refloated she was again refitted as a ferry, many years later.
Great content!
07:15 a “liar and a wearer of skirts”. Historians can be so unkind. A good job making an unpublicized battle very interesting. It shows far the tentacles of war extend. I appreciate the historical accuracy summary done by Dark Docs about the footage used. One of those ships built 100 years ago still carries passengers. Ready to go to Tanzania for a historic boat ride on the second largest lake in the world?
The 2004 book on this mission is a good read. If ever there was a man with a quirky disposition and habits it was Commander Spicer-Simson. Spicer-Simson was absolutely central to the success of the mission, but was also absolutely overwhelmed by the success of it. A really good story.
I liked that they returned it to the people of that region at the end
You mean GoPro was already around in 1914?! Lol! Seriously, love how y’all blend old footage with newly shot b-roll
Great! Also conflict on and around Lake Nyasa/Lake Malawi
One thing I have never understood about Germany's ww1 overall strategy is why on earth they didn't seek a favorable friendship with Belgium, especially given Belgium's strong role in the world raw rubber market given Belgium's control of the Congo area.
Excellent documentary.
I have seen the Graf Gotzen a few times in my years in Tanzania, still steaming up and down the lake.
The Graf von Gotzen is still sailing lake Tanganyika! Now called the MV Liemba. Amazing engineering. Qua heri, rafiki!
For the love of god please get your thumbnail maker to stop with the red circles and arrows, it makes this channel look like low effort clickbait.
Fascinating stuff. I grew up in in East Africa in the 1950s and '60s. I do wish you would speak a little more slowly, I am now an old man and can not listen that fast. I still have vivid memories of the local folks and their love of colour and dance.
Anyone know what purpose the markings on the side of the ship have at 8:38 ?
At first I thought they where bullet holes but I think they might be to indicate locations for welds or rivets.
Can you do a video on Operation Highjump in 1946 and the USS Liberty incident of 1967 please?
Everyone needs to see USS Liberty
the real story of the USS Liberty is not allowed to be told.
Always fascinating. The life of the mind is better with a great guide.
What? That made zero sense what so ever
If only Bogie and Hep had been there! What a movie!!!
What an amazing story, sinked, salvage and still working. They don't make it as they used to.
Efrain Morales sunk
Wow! What a history that ship has had!
from being an armed passenger ferry, to being a warship, back to being a passenger ferry, the Graf von Goetzen certainly had an interesting career. At least it now gets to serve its original role once again.
What an incredible history of a single ship 9boat/ferry) that is over a hundred years old and still in operation.
What a history for that last vessel. Fought in the first 'total war' then suck, found, raised, risked scrapping, saved, restored, and now has a quite civilian life.
A rather dignified and honorable retirement.
@@Angel9932 Indeed it is.
One of your best stories mate.
I find it really interesting the vessel was raised by the Brits ,I would love to learn more about that. the raising the damage & repair etc
Great Doco and History.
Good video, some informative posts, too!
Rich man rolls the dice and the poorman pays the price
Dick Head Yea but that was over 100 years ago, it's not like it's happening today 👀
@@James-oo1yq lol
Maybe the poor man should educate himself 😒
That is some good obscure history right there.
Spicer-Simson was a hot head, a bragging, self-centered often reckless chap who otherwise was considered a fine officer. It's not as if we Yanks haven't had officers such as he in the ranks of the Yanks.
You must read "An ice cream war" by William Boyd, it's exactly the setting of his novel
Wow, that's a crazy story!
That's one old ass ferry still taking on passengers
Simson sounds like he'd be awesome, dangerously awesome to hang out with 😬
For weird battles, please do the one where , during ww2, the British armed merchant vessel Carmania engaed the German Cap Trafalagar, which was disguised as the Carmania at the time.
Introduction showed WW2 scenes, which recur throughout the film.
Strange indeed. I only know this because you told me. Ty
I believe the Germans hardly lost a battle in East Africa in WW1. In fact after the surrender of Germany in WW1, Germans in East Africa wanted to keep fighting.😷
Wish he could point out which ships are which in some of the photos. Even the Big game Hunter, was he in the middle or sitting on the right? Loved this though.
What an awesome operation, the resilience of those soldiers is without equal considering the logistical nightmare they faced. Who Dares Wins.
thank-you
Just to say that while the British Commander was clearly a little eccentric, none of his party lost their lives. Quite an achievement, while kicking the Germans off a landlocked lake in darkest Africa?
Being able to preserve the lives of all in his company, as well as minimize casualties to the Germans that he attacked, is the most impressive attribute of Commander Spicer-Simson.
It comes from an old phrase "Deepest darkest Africa" or maybe from the same source that christened Africa "The dark continent". The folk who live there are black. That's probably the source of it. I'd have thought you would know that.
This story was the inspiration for the film The African Queen, with Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. Bogart had served in the US Navy during WW1. I wonder if he had chance to talk to the British actor Peter Bull, who played the German captain in the film. Bull had served in the British Royal Navy during WW2 and had achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Commander.
The Liemba was greased before being scuttled. It was raised in 1924. In 1969 it had its steam engines replaced with diesel and as stated it still plies the waters of the lake. It was the inspiration for the "African Queen" movie and was part of the set.
Great history, but some of the film was not period. Those torpedo attack boats were from the second world war.
Yes, but they have to work with what they have got. WW1 footage is not readily available, especially in the public domain and especially of Africa.
Exactly, out of context. Might not be tons of WW1 footage for this region, but lots of other in context images etc..
I never sign in to google but I do just to like your videos.
not a single human from that battle lives, yet the ferry sails on. amazing
Skirt wearing ferry sails on
Btw Lee despite crafting the route the boats followed was so annoyed and upset by Spicer that one day he simply left. He not only left but sadly vanished from the historical record.
What's odd is Spicer a man of many faults and who made many false claims not only succeeded but brought every white man home. How many poor natives died is unknown. But technically it was the most successful operation of the entire war in terms of casulties. The video also doesn't mention a man who brought his Oxen all the way from South Africa which was a stunning feat in itself. Among other things on one occasion on the boat trip to Africa he told a Gentleman that he didn't know anything about stars and was quite wrong when he corrected Spicer. The person who corrected him was the Astronoma Royal of South Africa! Spicer was a fool, perhaps he succeeded because he was to stupid to realise the mission was impossible! Lastly his err. Uniform Skirts were lovingly made by his wife. A strange man indeed.
@Sharron Clark a kilt is a skirt worn by Scottish men it's a type clothing. He apparently insisted it was a skirt not a kilt it was made of light weight cotton not Tartan. He wore it to increase airflow and avoid infection. Apparently he wasn't ill at any time so it worked
HISTORY AT IS GREATEST PERIOD.
Wow! Why don't they make a movie of this?
My country would play a part in it.
12:30 quickly scuttled to avoid having it sunk as well...
I mean ehhh...
I highly recommend "African Kaiser" by Robert Gaudi. It is much more than a narrative of General von Lettow and the German perspective. The British accounts are very well explained.
This book reads like a yarn verses some dry history book.
OK, now for all the African Queen references and there are many, the actual boat used in film exists today in Florida. Not sure where but it is there. I'd love to see it. Here's an interesting thing, the area where it was filmed in Africa (Uganda, as I recall) is the area where Ernest Hemingway was when he took his last safari trip in 1954 and almost died.
Good story. Cheers
" The African Queen " . a classic ,
fiction based on fact.
Lake Superior in Michigan is the world's largest freshwater lake, followed by Lake Victoria in Africa then Lake Tanganyika being the 3rd largest lake.
Very interesting
Amazing
🤔..Wondering how it was possible to raise the Graf Von Goetzen if Tanganyika was as deep as they said.., especially in '27..? Either way, utterly FASCINATING story..!!
Also, S' Simson sounds like he must surely be related to Inspector Clouseau..!(?)✌🤠
So what was all that footage showing a pair of American PT boats cruising at high speed? Did you figure that anything that floats is good enough to use as a video source?
I wish that I had known this when I was in Kigoma and could have seen her.
I wonder how much of this ship is still original. I can not imagine the machine room to withstand decades under water.
This would make the perfect plot for a movie