Raider: the story of Felix von Luckner

Felix von Luckner was a child aristocrat who ran away to sea, he captained the last square-rigged sailing ship ever to serve in combat, he sailed 3,000 kilometers across the Pacific in a lifeboat. He also led the most embarrassing jailbreak in NZ history.Felix Von Luckner led a very interesting life. He was a child of aristocracy who ran away to sea. He fought in the biggest naval battle of the First World War. He captained the last square rigged sailing ship ever to be used in combat. He sailed three thousand kilometers across the Pacific in a lifeboat. He single-handedly saved his hometown from destruction during WWII. And he punched a member of the Gestapo straight in the face.He was also responsible for what probably ranks as the most embarrassing prison break in New Zealand history. Oh Felix ... where to even begin?THE RUNAWAY ARISTOCRATFelix Von Luckner was born in June 1881 to a family of German military aristocrats but didn't really seem to enjoy his childhood in the lap of luxury. At 13 years old, he ran away from home and jumped on a Russian sailing ship. According to his autobiography he spent the next few years getting into adventures all over the world. Some of these stories are obviously made up - but others are probably true. Life aboard a sailing ship in the late 1800s was often dramatic and dangerous ."It was the final fling of tall ships as a commercial entity, so they were often undermanned. Very hard work, very dangerous work. People did die quite regularly." explains Sam Jefferson, author of The Sea Devil, a biography of Von Luckner.Von Luckner himself was seriously injured in a fall from the rigging on the high seas (by then he was about 17). He ended up stranded in Jamaica with a broken leg and no money. But when he was begging for food on the beach he saw something on the horizon which changed his life - a beautiful white ship. It was SMS Panther - a brand-new warship of the German Imperial Navy.Some friendly sailors from the ship helped him get back on his feet, he travelled back to Germany and enlisted with the Navy. Eight years had passed since he had left home and when he returned to his parents it was as Naval Lieutenant Felix Von Luckner. THE SEEADLERVon Luckner's most famous exploits came in World War One as captain of SMS Seeadler, the last square-rigged sailing ship ever to be used in combat. …Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details