Why Did the Yarrowdale Men Not Mutiny?`The prize crew of Germans was only eighteen men. The prize crew was selected from among the crew of the Moewe and their commander from the German navy was Lieutenant Badewitz. There were over 460 captured seamen from various British steamers and Noreweigian ships. You had a mix of French, American, British, and Norweigian and other nationalities aboard the Yarrowdale being taken back to Germany.
So how did 18 men control 460 seamen? They placed explosive charges in the engine room, on the bridge, and other places on the ship. They warned the seamen that they would blow up the ship if they mutinied. The ploy worked.
Lieutenant Badewitz was a Captain Bligh like character. Everyone aboard the ship feared him. He was lionized in Germany for bringing the ship full of prisoners back to port. The picture the author, Gary Cargill, displays here is a postcard that was sent around for publicity purposes. It helped to raise morale.
In another Cheops Books LLC publication, Key to Lawrence Special Edition, Dora had to deal with a similar situation aboard the Lusitania. The Arab saboteur threatened to blow up the ship if she did not hand over the Lawrence maps.
Lieutenant Badewitz