Krake was a Dutch sailing ship with the identifier ZK 14. It was bought by the German progressive pedagogue, bard and writer Martin Luserke. The former fishery vessel was deployed as his floating poet's workshop.Dr. Martin Kiessig: Die alte ZK 14 – Zu Besuch auf einer schwimmenden Dichterwerkstatt. In: Martin Luserke. Gestalt und Werk. Versuch einer Wesensdeutung. Philosophical Dissertation (doctor's thesis), University of Leipzig, Germany, published by J. Särchen Verlag, Berlin 1936. It cruised the shallow coastal regions of The Netherlands, (Germany), Denmark, Southern Norway and Southern Sweden as well as channels and rivers between North Sea and Baltic Sea. In harbours it was visited by a larger quantity of mostly younger people who attended readings and taletellings. Krake became very well-known during 1934 and 1938 and still is a topic in German literature, scientific literature, local museums, libraries,Krake. Johannes a Lasco Bibliothek (library) in Emden, East Frisia, Germany. archives,Krake . Schiffshistorisches Archiv (historic ship's archive), Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany encyclopaedias,Albrecht Sauer: Martin Luserke. Series: The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History. Oxford University Press, 2007. . and lectures.Die Lebensfahrt des Martin Luserke, lecture by Professor Kurt Sydow on the occasion of the 100st birthday of Martin Luserke, 3 May 1980, published as Die Lebensfahrt eines großen Erzählers – Martin Luserke (1880–1968), in: Jahrbuch des Archivs der deutschen Jugendbewegung Vol. 12, 1980. One of its later well-known visitors was German pilot Beate Uhse.Iris Hellmich: Auf den Spuren des Schriftstellers Martin Luserke. In: Wochenmagazin der Emder Zeitung, series: Emder erzählen, episode No. 127, 5 July 1997.
History Ebenhaëzer ZK 14 (ex ZK 74) The Dutch fishery vessel Ebenhaëzer with the identifier ZK 14 (ex ZK 74) was formerly owned by Betto and Maarten Bolt of Zoutkamp, The Netherlands. The ship's original name referred to Eben-Ezer. Between 1911 and 1934 the open was used to trawl fish, especially mussels, plaice, prawn and some herring. The ship's early history is not documented in its port of registry or home port.Archive of Visserijmuseum Zoutkamp (fishery museum), The Netherlands: Registration Card of Z.K. 14 Ebenhaëzer (ex Z.K. 74). Personal inquiry and photo by Daan Oostindiën of Zoutkamp, 9 August 2017. When Luserke bought the ship on 25 February 1934 it had reportedly been laid up for a long time.Iris Hellmich: Auf den Spuren des Schriftstellers Martin Luserke, published by: Emder Zeitung, weekly magazine, Series: Emder erzählen (sequence 127), 5 July 1997. Despite its construction of solid oak the ship was unkempt and already in a rather shabby condition. On its four-day-conversion tour to East Frisia in Northern Germany the cabin under deck broke down.Dieter Luserke: Mit meinem Vater Martin Luserke an Bord des guten Schiffes KRAKE-ZK 14 (1988)
Krake ZK 14 Luserke renamed the ship Krake (= octopus), inspired by many stone jars (in old German language called Kruke) he found aboard. Similarly, the ship's pet parakeet's name was named Kraki, which is a diminutive of Krake, later modified to Karaki.Dieter Luserke: Mit meinem Vater Martin Luserke an Bord des guten Schiffes KRAKE-ZK 14 (1988)
On wharf in Oldersum, East Frisia, the Blazer ZK 14 was completely restored, renovated and newly developed with superstructures like a wheel house and an elevated cabin roof on its foredeck to gain a bit more headroom for its crew and guests under deck. The vessel also got a new 2-cylinder Deutz engine. The ship's former identifier ZK 14 was inherited on its gaff sail while the identification on both sides of its bow was overwritten by its new name Krake. The vessel was partly painted white but its flat floor plate was painted in black. Any metal panelling was silvery.Dieter Luserke: Mit meinem Vater Martin Luserke an Bord des guten Schiffes KRAKE-ZK 14 (1988)
On Sunday, 15 July 1934, the ship was ready for the maiden voyage with its all-new engine. Martin Luserke and his fifteen-year-old son Dieter (1918–2005) boarded in Oldersum and went back to their home on the island Juist, which is one of the sandbanks which delimit the Wadden Sea. Dieter had been sailing since the age of six, and already had basic sailing skills.Dieter Luserke: Mit meinem Vater Martin Luserke an Bord des guten Schiffes KRAKE-ZK 14 (1988) In September 1934 Luserke registered his ship in Emden, East Frisia, which became the ship's new home port. Its registration shows an incorrect typification as a Tjalk.NLA AU, Rep. 239, Nr. A 316 Titel: Tjalk Krake – Juist, Laufzeit: 1934–1950, Klassifikation TeilB: krake, GEOB: Juist, Krake, Tjalk . State Archive of Lower Saxony, Aurich, East Frisia. The reason for it might be the ship's modification with superstructures which a Blazer typically lacks. However, Blazer and Tjalk are still not identical.Coen van Oostrom: Ronde en Platbodems – Schepen en Jachten. De Alk B. V., Alkmaar 1988. , p. 105f.R. Martens & F. Loomeijer: Binnenvaartschepen. Uitgeverij de Alk, Alkmaar 1977. .
Martin Luserke was dedicated to the fine arts but also possessed a hands-on mentality. In 1906 he was co-founder of Freie Schulgemeinde Wickersdorf ("Free School Community of Wickersdorf") in Thuringia and in 1925 had founded Schule am Meer ("School by the Sea") on Juist Island, both progressive boarding schools, the latter with the motto education by sea.Prof. Dr. Jörg W. Ziegenspeck: Martin Luserke – Notizen zu Leben und Werk des Reformpädagogen, lecture from 9 October 1988. He enabled his pupils to learn about sailing with the school's own sail boats (dinghy cruisers) or to signal using the flag alphabet. One of his educational goals was to encourage his pupils to develop earthiness, comradeship and a sense of team responsibility, leading to an autonomous personality. The latter turned out to be incompatible with Nazism. (See Volksgemeinschaft)
In spring 1934 Luserke's school had to close against the background of "Gleichschaltung" (Nazification) and Antisemitism. Martin's wife Annemarie had died in 1926, so he asked the youngest of his four children if he wanted to follow him at sea.Dieter Luserke: Mit meinem Vater Martin Luserke an Bord des guten Schiffes KRAKE-ZK 14 (1988) With a talented teacher as father his son Dieter felt he could easily quit school.Dieter Luserke: Mit meinem Vater Martin Luserke an Bord des guten Schiffes KRAKE-ZK 14 (1988)
To prepare, his son went aboard the 100-ton-sailship "Ostfriesland" (East Frisia) which anchored near Juist at that time, until July 1934. In 1931 his father had already completed a mate's certificate in Leer, East Frisia. Until August 1934 father and son both used Juist as their home port whilst school matters had to be cleared.
Later their trips with Krake went from the Dutch West Frisian Islands along the German East Frisian Islands and North Frisian Islands to Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the German islands in the Baltic Sea like Fehmarn, Hiddensee and Rügen, through Dutch, German and Danish channels, rivers and lakes like Lake Schwerin where they once spent the winter.Dieter Luserke: Mit meinem Vater Martin Luserke an Bord des guten Schiffes KRAKE-ZK 14 (1988)
Krake became well-known in the harbours since the ship was neither used for commercial fishery nor for cargo which was rather uncommon at that time of economic uncertainty. Younger people especially felt attracted to the readings and tale-telling aboard Krake. Luserke's stories developed with each telling, adapting according to listeners' reactions, and were finally written down. He had a typewriter and a small book inventory aboard.Dieter Luserke: Mit meinem Vater Martin Luserke an Bord des guten Schiffes KRAKE-ZK 14 (1988)
Another reason for the ship's reputation depicted an unusual decoration of its inner cabin walls. Harbourmasters and Customs officers who had to inspect the ship worked up curiosity for those strange figurative to symbolical carvings. Luserke created them during his time as POW in France between 1917 and 1918. They added to the theatrical effects of Luserke's taletelling and readings in a similar way than harsh weather conditions or the pounding of the waves against the ship's body. Luserke's use of ancient Norse and Breton myths and legends as well as dramatic ghost and Klabautermann stories from the coast provoked a certain thrill. The prestigious writer Carl Zuckmayer who felt an antipathy for him, regarded Luserke as "of extensive phantasy, originality, capability at the highest stage" with a tremendous talent "of artistics, especially theatric".Geheimreport (advance publication), in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 14 February 2002.Gunther Nickel, Johanna Schrön (Ed.): Geheimreport. Wallstein, Göttingen 2002, , p. 160.
His former pupils from Thuringia and Juist Island as well as teacher colleagues came aboard but also unknown guests like hitchhikers who attended the ship for free trips. Luserke integrated them in the daily work aboard which revealed his pedagogic background. One of his young guests aboard who later became well-known was Beate Uhse.Picture (undated): Martin Luserke (left), his former pupil Beate Köstlin (after marriage: Beate Uhse) and teacher Erne Wehnert (right) from Schule am Meer on Juist Island (later teaching in Ahrenshoop) aboard Krake. In her memoirs she wrote about Luserke as her most favourite teacher characterizing him as "appreciative", "generous" and "full of wit".Beate Uhse: Mit Lust und Liebe – Mein Leben. Ullstein Verlag, Frankfurt and Berlin 1989. , pp. 53–55.
The city of Emden fascinated Luserke, so there he rented a flat for himself and his son to hibernate.Acc. to his son Dieter Luserke he rented a flat near Falderndelft harbour in Emden at 4, Beuljenstrasse. He explored the city's library and archive for his historical research. Several of Luserke's books were written in Emden and its Falderndelft harbour, which went on became bestsellers during the 1930s and 1940s. In 1935 Luserke was awarded with Literaturpreis der Reichshauptstadt Berlin for his novel Hasko which reflects two historic sea battles of the Dutch Watergeuzen near Ameland Island and Emden.Martin Luserke: Hasko – Ein Wassergeusen-Roman. Franz-Eher-Verlag, Munich 1936. (new edition: ) The press became interested when in 1935 an Austrian press photographer came aboard for a home story.Press picture: Dieter Luserke (1918–2005) aboard Krake in 1935, published by: periodical Die Dame, Vol. 24 (September 1935), photographer: Lothar Rübelt.