Karl Rose (naval Officer)
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Karl Rose was a naval officer in the German Imperial Navy who served under Karl August Nerger aboard the SMS ''Wolf'' during World War I. During the ''Wolf's'' 451-day sortie, Rose became Nerger's second in command after the death of kapitänleutnant Iwan Brandes. Rose was made prize captain of two separate ships during the voyage; the Japanese mailship ''Hitachi Maru'', and the coal freighter ''Igotz Mendi''. On 7 November 1917, the order was given to sink The ''Hitachi Maru'' in order to preserve what little coal there was for the ''Wolf's'' engines. However, Rose would soon be given command of another prize ship ten days later with the capture of the ''Igotz Mendi''. Rose would command the ''Igotz Mendi'' for the rest of the voyage back to Germany. Rose's fortunes would change when he accidentally ran his ship aground on the beaches of Denmark. While passing through a minefield laid by the German Navy, Rose spotted mistook a
lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...
for a German patrol boat. Eventually several Danish warships arrived and Rose attempted to pass the vessel off as a civilian German merchant ship. However, the Danish sailors were not fooled and refused Rose's requests to be towed, despite his best efforts to maintain control of the situation and return to the ship back to Wilhelmshaven as a prize. Once aground, Rose and the entire crew were detained by the Danish military police. This caused a great deal of political bitterness between Denmark and Germany. There was speculation that Kaiser Wilhelm II would declare war on Denmark for the Danish government's refusal to turn Rose and his men over to the Reich. Rose was held in Danish prison for the remainder of the war. After leaving the navy, became a merchant officer with the Hamburg America Line and served with them until he died.


Literature

* Peter Hohnen & Richard Guilliatt, The Wolf - The true story of an epic voyage of destruction in World War One, 2009, Bantam Press,


References

*Peter Hohnen & Richard Guilliat, The Wolf - The true story of an epic voyage of destruction in World War One, 2009, Bantam Press, *Roy Alexander: The Cruise of the Raider Wolf, Yale University Press, 1939 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Karl Year of birth missing Year of death missing Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I German merchants German prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Denmark German prisoners of war in World War I