Public domain, Wikimedia Commons (State Library of Victoria, Allen Green collection)

Landmark· Mopelia (Maupiha'a)· French Polynesia — Society Islands

Seeadler Wreck (von Luckner, 1917)

16° 47.8′ S · 153° 59.1′ W

The remains of Count Felix von Luckner's German raider SMS Seeadler, a four-masted sailing ship, lie on Mopelia's western reef. A sudden wave drove her onto the coral on 2 August 1917 while she lay outside the reef to careen. Her crew and prisoners then lived on the atoll for months.

Society IslandsTahiti & Moorea

Practical

Coordinate from Tahiti Heritage's site map, on the reef southwest of the pass. Von Luckner's own account (quoted by Tahiti Heritage) describes the wave lifting the ship at about 9:30am and smashing her on the reef. Wikipedia attributes it to a tsunami and says the ship was a total loss. Tahiti Heritage shows 2010 dive photos of wreck debris, the anchor and a second cannon in the lagoon. Only snorkel or dive the reef side in calm conditions, with the dinghy attended, because the pass ebb runs out strongly nearby. One of Seeadler's cannons is displayed in Papeete. Take nothing: the wreck is a historic site.

Best for

WWI history by snorkel or dive in calm weather

Nearby