Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

G’day Mac

Thanks for your emails. It seems almost certain that the Pfalz must have been the ship in question. If as stated that she was the only German ship in port when WWI began.

Mention is made in Standards of Power of the other codebooks which were obtained and there is a bit about Room 40.

It seems strange that the book obtained here in Melbourne is not mentioned by other writers. The date quoted in Standards of Power is also strange.

Direct quote from page 82.

"The first windfall came all the way from Melbourne, where a Royal Australian Navy party in civilian clothes walked aboard a German steamer on 11 August for a purported medical inspection. Her master was observed preparing to destroy the ship’s papers, which were taken from him at gunpoint. They included a copy of the codebook employed until March 1916 for communication between merchant ships and naval authorities. This valuable tome eventually got to the Admiralty by the end of October via various ships."

Why had the master not disposed of his secret documents in the days between the fifth and the eleventh of August?

Perhaps this was another German vessel which entered Port Phillip after war was declared.

Standards of Power was first published in 2000 so perhaps Dan van der Vat, the author, had access to information which had not been released previously.

I think everything I have read previously about the RN in WWI suggested that it was the increased amount of radio transmissions by the Germany Navy that suggested ships were putting to sea and provided an idea of the size of the squadron.

If you are interested I can scan the two or three pages from the book which are about the codebooks and Room 40 and email them to you.

Do you know anyone at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra who might be able to shed some light?

Regards
Maurie

Maurie,

Yes please those three pages would be of interest.

I have had E-Mail contact with Mary Pollard at the AWM Research Centre, and she was very helpful.

Best regards, 
Mac.