SMS Geier Incident

SMS Geier Incident
Part of Part of Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I
SMS Geier
Date October 1914 – November 1914 Location Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, United States Result SMS Geier and Locksun interned
Belligerents
United States Territory of Hawaii Japan	Germany
Strength
United States Territory of Hawaii Fort Shafter Fort Kamehameha Japan Japanese cruiser Hizan Japanese cruiser Asama	SMS Geier Collier Locksun
Casualties and losses
None	All crew of the ships were interned

The SMS Geier Incident was an incident involving an unprotected German cruiser named the SMS Geier and a collier ship named the Locksun that went into Honolulu during World War I. This increased some tensions between Germany and the United States during the war.

Background

She sailed out from British Singapore which Britain did not yet declare war on Germany and tried rallying with Maximilian Von Spee and the East Asia Squadron. She met up with a British steamer and captured her but not sink her. After Japan declared war on the German Empire, The SMS Geier was being hunted and forced to go into Honolulu which was owned by United states who was still neutral at the time.

United States reaction

The United States had a law anouncing that Belligerent nations could only have ships in American ports for under 24 hours. The Americans had Fort Shafter and Fort Kamehameha to enforce this. The captain of the ship, Karl Grasshof claimed that the ship was in need of boiler and machine repairs. The state of department inspected the ship and gave them 3 weeks to repair the ship. If time ran out the ships would be interned.

Japanese involvement

When the SMS Geier was still being repaired, two Japanese ships the Hizan and the Asama were outside of Honolulu waiting to meet the SMS Geier head on. On the day of the Geier’slast day there, a lot of bystanders who were mostly Japanese living there were awaiting a full blown battle between the Germans and the Japanese. However this did not happen and the captain gave up the ship to the Americans.[1]

Aftermath

After the crews of the ships were interned, they were all fairly welcomed by the people living on Oahu. On April 6, 1917, the Americans finally joined the war and turned the ship into the USS Schurz.