Graf von Götzen.

This is coolbert:

Here also from the East African Campaign another sideshow of a sideshow. Yet one more German naval action from the era of World War One [WW1].

The Battle of Lake Tanganyika. Warships afloat on one of those Great Lakes of Africa, geographical features a result of the earth splitting apart - - The Great Rift Valley.

Lake Tanganyika becoming a battleground, movement of troops on the lake vital as part of the East African campaign. Smaller sized cargo ships and ferries, commercial vessels during peace time impressed into military service, in particular the Graf von Götzen equipped with a 105 mm rapid fire naval cannon as salvaged from the demolished SMS Konigsberg!

That Graf von Gotzen having been built in Germany, broken down into pieces, taken by railroad across the interior of African to Lake Tanganyika, reassembled [1913] and performing yeoman duty during the war!!

"The Graf von Götzen was built in 1913 . . . After a preliminary assembly she was taken apart and shipped in parts to East Africa to serve as a passenger and cargo ferry"

"the Götzen . . . had been additionally armed with a 105 mm (4.1 in) auto cannon from the SMS Königsberg, the Germans had complete supremacy of the lake in the early stages of the war. The ship was used both to ferry cargo and personnel across the lake, and as a base from which to launch surprise attacks on Allied troops."

German gun crew manning that rapid fire 105 mm gun. NO turret, just gun shields.

The Battle of Lake Tanganyika an English victory. The Graf von Götzen scuttled, the German not willing to allow their warship to fall into enemy hands. The Graf von Götzen later re-floated by the British subsequent to the end of the war, the ship again performing yeoman service as a commercial vessel, AND MOST SURPRISINGLY SO STILL SERVICING PASSENGERS AND CARGO ALMOST ONE HUNDRED YEARS LATER!! now called the MV Liemba.

"It [Graf von Götzen] was later re-floated and used by the British and is still in service today plying the lake under the Tanzanian flag."

The East African Campaign was indeed a sideshow of WW1 and the Battle of Lake Tanganyika even more so without question!

coolbert.