Wikis
 Atlantis |
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| Career (Germany) |
 |
|---|---|
| Operator: | Hansa Line |
| Builder: | Bremen Vulkan |
| Launched: | 1937 |
| Christened: | Goldenfels |
| Homeport: | Bremen |
| Fate: | Requisitioned by Kriegsmarine, 1939 |
| Career |
 |
| Operator: | Kriegsmarine |
| Builder: | DeSchiMAG |
| Yard number: | 2 |
| Commissioned: | 30 Nov 1939 |
| Renamed: | Atlantis, 1939 |
| Reclassified: | Auxiliary cruiser, 1939 |
| Nickname: | HSK-2 Schiff 16 Raider-C |
| Fate: | Sunk, S Atlantic, 23 Nov 1941 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 17,600 (7,862 gross register tons (GRT)) |
| Length: | 155 metres (510 ft) |
| Beam: | 18.7 metres (61 ft) |
| Draught: | 8.7 metres (29 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 2x6cyl Diesel; 7,600 hp (5,670 kW) |
| Speed: | 16-knot (30 km/h) |
| Range: | 60,000 nmi (110,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Endurance: | 250 days |
| Complement: | 351 |
| Armament: | 6x150 mm,1x75 mm,1xII 37 mm,2xII 20 mm,4xTT,92mines |
| Aircraft carried: | 2x Heinkel He 114B |
The German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis (HSK 2), known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 16 and to the Royal Navy as Raider-C, was a converted German Hilfskreuzer (auxiliary cruiser, or merchant or commerce raider) of the Kriegsmarine, which, during World War II, travelled more than 161,000 km in 602 days, and sank or captured 22 ships totaling 144,384 tons. Atlantis was sunk on November 21, 1941.
She was commanded by Kapitän zur See Bernhard Rogge, who received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Such commerce raiders do not usually engage other warships, but rather seek to sink enemy shipping, similar to the work done by submarines. As such the measure of a commerce raiders success is both the tonnage destroyed and the time spent at large. In the former, Atlantis was second only to Pinguin and in the latter had the longest raiding voyage of any of the German commerce raiders in either world war.
Formerly a freighter named Goldenfels, she was built by Bremer Vulkan in 1937, and was owned and operated by the Hansa Line, Bremen. In late 1939 she was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine and converted to a war ship by DeSchiMAG, Bremen. and was commissioned as the commerce raider Atlantis in November 1939.[1]
This ship was 155 m long and displaced 17600 tons. She had a single funnel amidships. She had a crew of 349 (21 officers and 328 enlisted troops) and a Scottish terrier, Ferry, as a mascot. The cruiser carried a dummy funnel, variable-height masts, and was well supplied with paint, canvas, and materials for further altering her appearance, including costumes for the crew and flags. Atlantis was capable of being modified to 26 different silhouettes.
The ship carried one or two Heinkel He-114B seaplanes, four waterline torpedo tubes, and a 92-mine compartment. The ship was also equipped with six 150 mm guns, one 75 mm gun on the bow, and two twin-37 mm guns and four 20 mm automatic cannons; all of which were hidden, mostly behind pivotable false deck or side structures. A phony crane and deckhouse on the aft section hid two of the 150 mm guns, while the other four 150 mm guns were concealed via flaps in the side (Muggenthaler, pg 16 and Rogge [pg 46) that were lowered when action was needed.
Atlantis had dual, 6-cylinder engines, which powered a single propeller. Top speed was 16 knots (30 km/h).
From Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946
In 1939, Atlantis was part of the Hansa Line under the name Goldenfels. In 1939, she became the command of Kapitän Bernhard Rogge. Commissioned in mid-December, she was the first of nine or ten merchant ships armed by the Third Reich for the purposes of seeking out and engaging enemy cargo vessels. Atlantis was delayed by ice until 31 March 1940, when the former battleship Hessen was sent to act as an icebreaker clearing the way for Atlantis, Orion, and Widder.
| Ships sunk by Atlantis [2] | ||||||
| Number | Name | Type | Nationality | Date | Displacement | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scientist | Freighter | British | 3/5/1940 | 6,200 t | Sunk |
| 2 | Tirrana | Freighter | Norwegian | 10/6/1940 | 7,230 t | Captured |
| 3 | City of Baghdad | Freighter | British | 11/7/1940 | 7,505 t | Sunk |
| 4 | Kemmndine | Passenger liner | British | 13/7/1940 | 7,770 t | Sunk |
| 5 | Talleyrand | Motor vessel | Norwegian | 2/8/1940 | 6,730 t | Sunk |
| 6 | King City | Freighter | British | 24/8/1940 | 4,745 t | Sunk |
| 7 | Athelking | Tanker | British | 9/9/1940 | 9,550 t | Sunk |
| 8 | Benarty | Freighter | British | 10/9/1940 | 5,800 t | Sunk |
| 9 | Commisaire Ramel | Passenger liner | French | 20/9/1940 | 10,060 t | Sunk |
| 10 | Durmitor | Freighter | Yugoslavian | 22/10/1940 | 5,620 t | Captured |
| 11 | Teddy | Tanker | Norwegian | 9/11/1940 | 6,750 t | Sunk |
| 12 | Ole Jacob | Tanker | Norwegian | 10/11/1940 | 8,305 t | Captured |
| 13 | Automedon | Freighter | British | 11/11/1940 | 7,530 t | Sunk |
| 14 | Mandasor | Freighter | British | 24/1/1941 | 5,145 t | Sunk |
| 15 | Speybank | Freighter | British | 31/1/1941 | 5,150 t | Captured |
| 16 | Ketty Brøvig | Freighter | Norwegian | 2/2/1941 | 7,300 t | Captured |
| 17 | Zamzam | Passenger liner | Egyptian | 17/4/1941 | 8,300 t | Sunk |
| 18 | Rabaul | Freighter | British | 14/5/1941 | 6,810 t | Sunk |
| 19 | Trafalgar | Freighter | British | 24/5/1941 | 4,530 t | Sunk |
| 20 | Tottenham | Freighter | British | 17/6/1941 | 4,760 t | Sunk |
| 21 | Balzac | Freighter | British | 23/6/1941 | 5,375 t | Sunk |
| 22 | Silvaplana | Motor vessel | Norwegian | 10/9/1941 | 4,790 t | Captured |
| Sum: | 145,960 t | |||||
Atlantis headed past the North Sea minefields, between Norway and Britain, across the Arctic Circle, and after passing between Iceland and Greenland, headed south. By this time, Atlantis was pretending to be a Soviet vessel named Krim by flying the Soviet naval ensign, displaying a hammer and sickle on the bridge, and having Russian and English warnings on the stern, "Keep clear of propellors". The Soviet Union was neutral at the time.
After crossing the equator, on 24/25 April, she "became" the Japanese vessel Kasii Maru. The ship now displayed a large K upon a red-topped funnel, identification of the Kokusai Line. She also had rising sun symbols on the gun flaps and Japanese characters (copied from a magazine) on the aft hull.
On May 2 she met the British passenger liner City of Exeter. Rogge, unwilling to cause noncombatant casualties, declined to attack. Once the ships had parted, Exeter's Master radioed his suspicions about the "Japanese cruiser" to the Royal Navy.The radio code "QQQQ" was used, which indicated an armed surface raider.[3]
On May 3, Atlantis met a British freighter, The Scientist, which was carrying ore and jute. The Germans raised their battle ensign and displayed signal pennants stating, "Stop or I fire! Don't use your radio!" The 75 mm gun fired a warning shot. The British immediately began transmitting their alarm signal, "QQQ...QQQ...Unidentified merchantman has ordered me to stop," and the Germans began transmitting so as to jam the signals.
The Scientist turned to flee, and on the second salvo from Atlantis, flames exploded from the ship, followed by a cloud of dust and then white steam from the boilers. A British sailor was killed and the remaining 77 were taken as prisoners of war. After failing to sink the ship with demolition charges, guns and a torpedo were used to finish off The Scientist.
Continuing to sail south, Atlantis passed the Cape of Good Hope, reaching Cape Agulhas on May 10, here she discharged her load of 92 horned contact naval mines. Then she headed into the Indian Ocean. Intercepting a British radio message warning about "a raider disguised as Japanese", they adopted a new disguise, that of Abbekerk, a Dutch vessel.
On June 10, Atlantis stopped the Norwegian motor ship Tirranna with 30 salvos of fire after a 3 hour chase.[4] Five members of that ship's crew were killed, others were wounded. Filled with supplies for Australian troops in the Middle East, Tirranna was captured and sent to Germany.
On July 11, the liner City of Baghdad was fired upon at a range of 1.2 km. A boarding party discovered a copy of Broadcasting for Allied Merchant Ships, which contained communications codes. City of Baghdad, like Atlantis, was a former Hansa Liner, having been captured by the British during World War I.
At 10:09, on July 13, Atlantis opened fire on a cargo ship, Kemmendine, which was heading to Burma. Filled with whisky, Kemmendine was quickly ablaze and a boarding crew returned with only two stuffed animals. Lifeboats were taken aboard which carried women and children.
In August, Atlantis sank Talleyrand, the sister ship of Tirranna. Then she encountered King City, carrying coal, which was mistaken for a British Q-Ship due to its erratic maneuvering, which was caused by mechanical difficulties. Three shells destroyed the bridge, killing four merchant cadets and a cabin boy. Another sailor died on the operating table aboard Atlantis.
In September Atlantis sank Athelking, Benarty, and Commissaire Ramel. All of these were sunk only after supplies, documents, and POWs were taken. In October the Yugoslavian Steamboat Durmitor was taken and was loaded with documents and 260 POWs, and dispached to Italy-controlled Mogadishu. Lacking sufficient fuel, the steamer resorted to sails and, after a "hellish" voyage, made landfall in Somaliland on November 22, five weeks after departure. In the second week of November, Teddy and Ole Jacob were seized.
At about 07:00 on November 11, Atlantis encountered the Blue Funnel Line cargo ship SS Automedon about 250 mi (400 km) northwest of Sumatra. At 08:20 Atlantis fired a warning shot across Automedon's bow, and her radio operator at once began transmitting a distress call of "RRR – Automedon – 0416N" ("RRR" meant "under attack by armed raider").
At a range of around 2,000 yd (1,800 m) Atlantis shelled Automedon, ceasing fire after three minutes during which she had destroyed her bridge, accommodation, and lifeboats. Six crew members were killed and 12 injured.
The Germans boarded the stricken ship and broke into the strong room, where they found 15 bags of Top Secret mail for the British Far East Command, including a large quantity of decoding tables, fleet orders, gunnery instructions, and naval intelligence reports. After wasting an hour breaking open the ship's safe, to discover only "a few shillings in cash", a search of the Automedon's chart room found a small green bag marked "Highly Confidential" containing an envelope addressed to Robert Brooke Popham, Commander-in-Chief of the British Far East Command. The envelope contained the latest assessment of the Japanese Empire's military strength in the Far East, along with details of Royal Air Force units, naval strength, and notes on Singapore's defences (Rogge, pg 117)
Automedon was sunk at 15:07. Rogge soon realised the importance of the intelligence material he had captured and quickly transferred the documents onto the recently acquired prize vessel Ole Jacob, ordering Lieutenant Commander Paul Kamenz and six of his crew to take charge of the vessel. After an uneventful voyage they arrived in Kobe, Japan, on December 4, 1940.
The mail reached the German embassy in Tokyo, on December 5, and was then hand-carried to Berlin via the Trans-Siberian railway. A copy was given to the Japanese where it provided valuable intelligence prior to their commencing hostilities against the Western Powers. Rogge was rewarded for this with an ornate katana Samurai sword.
During the Christmas period, Atlantis was at Kerguelen Island, in the Indian Ocean. There they did maintenance and replenished their water supplies. The crew suffered its first fatality when a sailor fell while painting the funnel. He was buried in what is sometimes referred to as "the southernmost of all German wargraves" [5].
In late January 1941, off the eastern coast of Africa, Atlantis sank the British ship Mandasor and captured Speybank. Then, on 2 February, the Norwegian tanker Ketty Brøvig was relieved of her fuel. The fuel was used not only for the German raider, but also to refuel the German cruiser (Kreuzer) Admiral Scheer and, on 29 March the Italian submarine Perla. The Perla was making its way from the port of Massawa in Italian East Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, and to Bordeaux in France.
By April, Atlantis had returned to the Atlantic where, on April 17, Rogge, mistaking the Egyptian liner Zamzam for a British liner being used as a troop carrier or Q-ship, as she was in fact the former Bibby Liner Leicestershire, opened fire at 8.4 km. The second salvo hit and the wireless room was destroyed. 202 people were captured, including missionaries, ambulance drivers, Fortune Magazine editor Charles J.V. Murphy, and Life Magazine photographer David E. Scherman. The Germans allowed Scherman to take photographs, and although his film was seized when they returned to Europe aboard a German blockade runner, he did manage to smuggle four rolls back to New York. It is generally believed that his photos later helped the British identify and destroy Atlantis. Murphy's account of the incident, as well as photos by Scherman, were in the June 23 issue of Life.
After the Bismarck was sunk, the North Atlantic was swarming with British warships. As a result, Rogge decided to abandon the original plan to return to Germany, and instead returned to the Pacific.[6] En route, Atlantis encountered and sank the British ships, Rabaul, Trafalgar, Tottenham, and Balzac. On September 10, east of New Zealand, Atlantis captured the Norwegian motor vessel Silvaplana.
Atlantis then patrolled the South Pacific,[7] initially in French Polynesia between the Tubuai Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago. Without the knowledge of French authorities, the Germans landed on Vanavana Island and traded with the inhabitants. They then hunted Allied shipping in the area between Pitcairn and Henderson Islands, with a landing being made on the latter, uninhabited island. The seaplane from Atlantis made several fruitless reconnaissance flights. On 19 October, Atlantis headed back to the Atlantic, and rounded Cape Horn ten days later.
On October 18, Rogge was ordered to rendezvous with the submarine U-68, 800 km south of St. Helena and refuel her, then he was to refuel U-126 at a location north of Ascension Island. They met with U-68 on November 13. On November 21 or 22, Atlantis rendezvoused with U-126 and Kapitänleutnant Ernst Bauer came aboard to take a bath. It was around this time that Kapitänleutnant Ulrich Mohr, Rogge's adjutant, awoke from a recurring nightmare about a three-funnelled British cruiser.[8]
In the early morning of November 22 Atlantis was intercepted by the British County class heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire. The "Counties" were distinctive for their three funnels.
U-126 dived, leaving her captain behind. From 14 to 15 km away, outside the range of Atlantis's 150 mm guns, Devonshire opened fire. There is dispute as to whether Rogge ordered his ship to stop engines (Rogge, German Raider Atlantis, pg 190) It is believed that they were at this time posing as the Greek ship Polyphemus and had begun to transmit the British code RRR, not realising that recent Allied orders had changed this procedure, and the RRR signal should now be sent as RRRR.
After 20–30 seconds, 8-in (200 mm) shells began to arrive at their target. The first salvo missed, but the second and third salvos slammed into the ship. Seven sailors were killed as the crew abandoned ship; Rogge was the last off. Ammunition exploded and the bow rose, then the ship sank.
Devonshire left the area and the German submarine resurfaced and picked up 300 Germans and a wounded American prisoner, whom it began carrying or towing to Brazil (1500 km west). Two days later the refueling ship Python arrived and took on the sailors. On December 1, while refueling two submarines, the third of the British cruisers seeking the raiders, HMS Dorsetshire, appeared. The U-boats dived immediately. The crew of the Python scuttled her so the Dorsetshire departed and it was left to the U-boats to recover the crew. Eventually, by means of various German and Italian submarines, Rogge's crew was brought back to Germany.
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