Ill-fated 1916 arms ship recalled

On April 9, 1916, the Libau set sail from Germany with a cargo of 20,000 rifles to assist the Irish republicans; Captain Karl Spindler change the name of the vessel to the Aud to avoid British detection. From the article:

"Ill-fated 1916 arms ship recalled
Members of a Cork diving club yesterday placed a commemorative plaque at the site of a scuttled steamer that attempted to smuggle…
Olivia Kelleher
Mon, Apr 17, 2006, 01:00
Members of a Cork diving club yesterday placed a commemorative plaque at the site of a scuttled steamer that attempted to smuggle guns from Germany for the 1916 Rising. The Aud was captured and its arms cargo scuttled, while Roger Casement, who followed by submarine, was arrested when he landed in Co Kerry.

The Aud set sail from the Baltic port of Lubeck on April 9th, 1916, under the command of Karl Spindler and his crew of 22 men, all of whom were volunteers.

Laden with an estimated 20,000 rifles, a large supply of ammunition, some machine guns and explosives, it evaded British patrols, survived storms and arrived in Tralee Bay on April 20th, 1916.

The arms ship was trapped by a blockade and escorted towards Cork by the HMS Bluebell. At the approach to Cork Harbour, Capt Spindler scuttled the Aud using pre-set charges of explosive. He and his crew were arrested in a lifeboat and became prisoners of war.

Members of the Sovereign Club dived 35 metres to the sea-bed off Cork Harbour yesterday to place a plaque in the area where the Aud sank.

Spokesman for the club Philip Johnston described Spindler as one of the forgotten heroes of the Easter Rising. "I felt he made a good effort and I thought it would be nice to remember him."

The plaque placed at the site yesterday is inscribed in Irish, German, and English and dedicated to "Roger Casement, Captain Karl Spindler and the crew of the Aud."

All that remains of the steamer is the bow. During the second World War, the British navy depth charged the wreck in the belief that it might be a German submarine waiting to pounce in a vital shipping lane.

Ironically, Casement returned to Ireland to try to stop the Rising as he considered German help inadequate."