Annie-Larsen
Affair
As part of a series of attempts by the Ghadar Party between 1914 and 1917 to create a Pan-India rebellion against the British during WWI (which is also referred to by many as the Hindu-German conspiracy), a gun running ( illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations) plot that was planned in United States. The plot also involved conspiracies with the “Irish Republican Brotherhood” (was a secret organization dedicated to the establishment of an “independent democratic republic” in Ireland between 1858 and 1924) and the German Foreign office.
In 1914 German chancellor Theobald von
Bethman-Hollweg authorized German activities against India. The German effort
was headed by Max von Oppenheim (archaeologist and the new head of the
Intelligence Bureau for the east). Oppenheim established contact with Har Dayal
of the feasibility of the project and was able to establish contact with the
Ghadar party in US. In an October meeting of the Imperial Naval Office, the
consulate in San Francisco was tasked to make contact with Ghadar leaders in
California. Naval lieutenant Wilhelm von Brincken was able to establish
contact, through Tarak Nath Das and an intermediary named
Charles Lattendorf, with Ram Chandra (President of Ghadar party
between 1914 and 1917).
The entire plot was planned to execute the
shipment of arms from New York to Galveston via the Mallory Steamship Company,
(an Irish-American shipping Firm), from their by train to San Diego and finally
shipped to India via Burma.
Hans Tauscher
(an agent of the Krupp-a german family famous for production of steel, arms and
ammunition) was to provide small arms and ammunition worth $ 200000 to German
Military captain (Franz von
Papen). The true destination was not revealed to the customs
official “Charles Martinez”.
Martinez hired a sailing vessel (a shooner)
named “Annie-Larsen” . The hatched conspiracy created was that the arms
were meant for the warring factions in Mexico J. Clyde. Hizar (a Colorado
attorney) in charge of placing the arms on board Annie Larsen, posed as a
representative of the “Carranza Faction”.
Since Martinez was no unaware of the real
intentions which included a Trans-pacific voyage, Annie-Larsen was not suitable
for the same and accordingly a German Naval Officer (Frederick Jebsen) arranged
for “SS Maverick” which was purchased stating that it would be used for "American-Asiatic
Oil Company", a fake oil-trading company. The ship was deployed between
China and Borneo.
The Annie-Larsen was to transfer its
shipment at a meeting place decided as Scorro Island near Mexico after
which SS Maverick will proceed for its destination. The Maverick had hired crew
composed of sailors from two German ships interned at San Fransico. An American
by the name “John B. Starr-Hunt” served as the supercargo of Maverick
and was under the orders to scuttle the ship if challenged by Allied warships. The
impression at the docks was that the ship was to relieve congestion in the East
Indian Coconut industry, in Java and Borneo.
As per the plan, from Scorro Island, the
Maverick will transfer the arms for transshipment to India. There, the
arms would be provided to Hindu nationalists, who had formed the Ghadar Party
for the purpose of overthrowing the British Raj in India. The Germans,
with support from Irish nationalists, sought to divert British and Allied
forces from the main theater in Europe. The execution went terribly wrong,
with the Maverick getting delayed in the dockyard for a month which forced in
the Annie Larsen waiting at Scorro Island for almost a month, to the Mexican
mainland for replenishment. Mexican officials engaged in the Mexican revolution
got suspicious on the schooner and delayed the shooner’s (Annie Larsen)
departure again for Scorro Island. On the other hand, while even in the
dockyard, continuous suspensions led the authorities survey the Maverick
multiple times by customs and security only to find empty hold. But before it
finally started for Scorro island, it received an additional crew of 5 Indian
Ghadarites with fake Persian passports and large amounts of Ghadarite
literature tasked to create contact with Indian revolutionaries to arrange for
arms to Indian mainland by Ram Chandra. when the Maverick finally reached the
Scorro island for a rendezvous, it couldn’t stay there for long, because of the
British surveillance after it attracted the attention of the Royal Navy and the
US Navy. Soon, finding no other option, the Annie Larsen was sailed to quiet
port of Grey Harbor, Washington for further instructions, only to be caught
by the customs officers when the arms were discovered. While the arms were
seized, the German Agent on board escaped. The Maverick after reaching Scorro
island, still waited for 29 days for the return of Annie Larsen, during which
it was visited by the Royal Navy ship: HM Kent. The Ghadarites were forced to
burn the revolutionary literature in the boiler room when the Kent’s crew
searched the ship. The plot was thus
foiled. The ensuing Hindu-German Conspiracy trial was one of the largest and
most expensive in US history to that date. Defendants consisted for
numerous German agents and Indian and Irish nationalists. Over one
hundred witnesses testified. On the last day of the trial, which was
closely followed by the press, the chief Indian conspirator was assassinated by
one of his fellow defendants, who was then shot and killed by a US
Marshal. In a postscript, the once-again obscure Annie Larsen was
grounded and lost on Malden Island in the central Pacific in 1918.
Another claim says, returning to San Diego
after failing to meet the Annie Larsen, the Maverick was
directed by Fred Jebsen to proceed to Hilo, Hawaii,
where it was redirected to Johnston
Island by the German consulate for a second effort to
rendezvous with the Annie Larsen. And on the other hand Annie Larsen which
actually went to Acapulco for replenishment, made for Socorro Island again.
However, in adverse weather, this attempt failed as well, and after twenty-two
days Scheultzer gave up, choosing to make for the northern port of Hoquiam, Washington.[1][9]However,
this failed too and it was subsequently directed to Anjer, Java.[8][9] At
Anjer, a German operative named Theodore Helfrichs was instructed to dispose of
the ship. However, it was seized by Dutch authorities. Starr-Hunt and four of
the Ghadarites attempted to flee in a ship, but were captured by the British
cruiser HMS Newcastle. Taken to Singapore,
Starr-Hunt confessed his role in the plot.
About Annie-Larsen
The three-masted schooner Annie Larsen was
built in Port Blakely, Washington in 1881 to carry lumber up and down the
Pacific coast. Many similar vessels were used for the same purpose during
this period of rapid development in Washington, Oregon, and California.
Its mundane existence changed forever in 1915 when it was chartered to a Los
Angeles shipbroker with secret ties to German intelligence. Through a
series of middlemen, the Germans had acquired a load of surplus US Army rifles
and ammunition. The arms were shipped to San Diego and loaded onto the
Annie Larsen in February 1915. Plans called for the schooner to
rendezvous with the freighter Maverick near Socorro Island, Mexico and transfer
the arms for transshipment to India.
Reference: Wikipedia
https://www.maritimeprofessional.com/blogs/post/annie-larsen-affair-14761