Daily Event for February 8, 2008

The 287' four masted steel barque L'Avenir was built in Germany in 1909 for a Belgium company and used as
a training ship sailing between Europe and Australia. When the Great War began she was laid up at Le Havre, France where she stayed until May 1915 when she sailed to New York. She survived the war and in 1932 was sold to a Finish owner, resold in June of 1937 to the Hamburg-America Line and renamed Admiral Karpfanger.

The ship was totally refurbished and in 1938 she set sail for Australia on her maiden voyage for her new
owners. This was a training cruise and no doubt many of the 33 cadets on board would have gone on to serve
in the Kriegsmarine in the second world war, but she never made it home.

She sailed from Port Germein, South Australia on Feb. 8, 1938 with the cadets, 23 crew and 3,500 tons of
wheat bound for Hamburg, her radio generator was known to be malfunctioning, but radio contact was
maintained until Mar. 1 when the last message was received, they reported "all is well", after this message
she was not heard from again.

It was thought by the Hamburg-America Line that the ship was near Cape Horn and at their request the Bahia
Blanca, an Argentine ship, was dispatched to search for her, they found nothing. Some time later some
wreckage from the Admiral Karpfanger was found on Navarino Island, but this gave no conclusive reason for
he loss. Most speculate that she hit an iceberg and foundered shortly after.
© 2008 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com


L'Avenir, date and location unknown.
January 1938: A group of cadets from Admiral Karpfanger seen at the Holman farm in Port Germein, South Australia. From left to right; Hubert Hösel, Rolf Newburger, Hansgeorg Nebling, Heinz Dierks, Georg Gretges and Günther Ruhkiek (front).

(This never before published photo may be the last image ever taken of these men as the ship sank with all hands after leaving Australia. Its existence has been unknown outside the Holman family until now. Many thanks to Mark Holman for allowing MaritimeQuest to publish this photo.)
(Photo courtesy of Mark Holman)
© William R. Holman all rights reserved
Story of the photo.

The Admiral Karpfanger was loading wheat at the Port Germein jetty and we went to have a look because some of our bagged wheat was in the heap and may have been loaded onto the ship. These cadets were given permission by the captain to have some time off and visit our nearby farm. We entertained them with home made cooking which they ate with great relish! The three hats were borrowed from inside the house for the photograph. This was probably the last time these lads were able to set foot on land as the ship sailed from Port Germein and disappeared.

My late father, William "Ray" Raymond Holman, took the photo in January 1939. He later related the story above, he also related the fact that at this time both the cadets and he were not aware of what was to come with World War II beginning later the same year. Most of them look to be teenagers and would never know the misery of war.
-Mark Holman 2010

Gedenktafel
In Erinnerung an das gefallene Besatzungsmitgliedr der Admiral Karpfanger
"In memory of the fallen crewmen of Admiral Karpfanger"

Name
Rate
Notes
Albertsen, Thomas Hans
Leichtmatrosen
Beaver, Wolf Dieder
Leichtmatrosen
Bellingen, Karl
Leichtmatrosen
Borgwardt, Fritz
Jungen
Bruer, Kurt
Segelmacher
Dierks, Heinz
Jungen
Düsing, Werner
Jungen
Eilers, Heinz F. A.
Jungen
Endersfelder, Hubert
Jungen
Eylmann, Feodor
1. Offiziere
Frick, Klaus
Jungen
Fröhling, Günther
Messejungen
Goele, Helmut
4. Offiziere
Gretges, Georg
Jungen
Grögor, Hans
Jungen
Häussler, Günther
Messejungen
Heger, Joseph
Jungen
Heitchen, Dr. Ernst-Walter
Schiffsartz
Ship's Doctor
Holm, Erwin
Jungen
Hösel, Hubert
Jungen
Husen, Gustav von
Jungen
Jensen, Jens
Jungen
Klinkhardt, Lothar
Jungen
Knoch, Max
Matrose
Kollwitz, Dr. Erich
Navigationslehrer
Navigator
Koop, Heinz
Zimmermann
Kröger, Ralf
Jungen
Lache, Gustov-Heinz
Matrose
Lammers, Hans
Jungen
LeCourte, Heinz
Jungen
Lenz, Karl
Oberheizer
Linder, Johannes
Leichtmatrosen
Lippert, Ekkehard
Jungen
Lorenzen, Christian
Matrose
Miehlmann, Jürgen
Matrose
Moeltgen, Joachim Degen
Jungen
Müller, Joseph
Leichtmatrosen
Nebling, Hansgeorg
Jungen
Neuburger, Rolf
Jungen
Nilsdotter, Alex
Oberheizer
Oether, Herbert
Matrose
Oppermann, Reinhold
Jungen
Pfeiffer, Gustav
Koch
Piper, Otto
2. Offiziere
Plath, Otto
Steward
Rauen, Friedrich
Matrose
Roye, Klaus
Jungen
Ruhkiek, Günther
Jungen
Schäberle, Walter
Matrose
Schmiga, Günther
Jungen
Schneider, Hans Bruno
Jungen
Schönberg, Hans
3. Offiziere
Trappmann, Siegfried
Matrose
Vogel, Peter
Jungen
Walker, Reinhold
Kapitän
Commanding Officer
Weiss, Hugo
Kochsmaat
Werth, Theodor
Jungen
Wiechmann, Hans
Jungen
Wittmiss, Wolfgang
Leichtmatrosen
Zanger, Herbert
Jungen


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