''Hermann von Wissmann'' was a German steamer on

Lake Nyasa Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest fre ...

named after the German explorer

Hermann von Wissmann Hermann von Wissmann may refer to: * Hermann Wissmann (1853–1905), German explorer and administrator in Africa ** ''Hermann von Wissmann'' (steamship), a German steamer ** Hermann von Wissmann (ship, 1940), became in 1950 the Belgian Kamina * He ...

who had raised funds for the vessel to be built in 1890 as an anti-slavery gunboat. The attack of the British lake-steamer on ''Hermann von Wissmann'' while it was on a slipway at

Liuli Liuli, formerly known as Sphinx Hafen (german: Sphinxhafen), is a settlement on the Tanzanian shore of Lake Malawi in the Mbinga District of Ruvuma province. It is notable for being the site of the first naval action of World War I. The sphinx roc ...

, was the first naval action of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The British disabled the vessel briefly in 1914, then in 1915 completely put the vessel out of action. ''Hermann von Wissmann'' had a smaller sister vessel, named after Wissmann's wife, , on

Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. ...

.Reports on the administration of Rhodesia: 1889/92-1900/02 British South Africa Company - 1899 "The German steamer " Hedwig von Wissmann " is already launched and has been under steam. Although built and controlled by the German Government this vessel, like her sister ship the " Hermann von Wissmann " on Lake Nyasa, ." This smaller vessel was involved in the exploits of

Geoffrey Spicer-Simson Captain Geoffrey Basil Spicer-Simson DSO, RN (15 January 1876 – 29 January 1947) was a Royal Navy officer. He served in the Mediterranean, Pacific and Home Fleets. He is most famous for his role as leader of a naval expedition to Lake Tanga ...

which were the basis of ''The African Queen'', a 1935 novel by

C. S. Forester Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (27 August 1899 – 2 April 1966), known by his pen name Cecil Scott "C. S." Forester, was an English novelist known for writing tales of naval warfare, such as the 12-book Horatio Hornblower series depicting a Roya ...

and the 1951 film of the same name starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. From 1916 to 1920 the boat served as , then from 1920 as the cargo steamer ''Mlonda'' until it was scrapped in 1950.

References

External links

*The History Guy explains the role of this ship in the battle for Lake Nyasa
The History Guy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hermann von Wissman Gunboats of the Imperial German Navy Steamships of Germany Lake Malawi 1890 ships Ships of Tanzania Lake Tanganyika