SS Laconia

1942

Hartenstein's rescue, the American bomber, the Laconia Order Location: Atlantic Ocean, off Ascension Island · Coordinates: 5.05°S 11.38°W · Casualties: ~1,658 · Survivors: ~1,117 · Depth: 4,850 m · Cause: submarine torpedo — Torpedoed by German submarine U-156 (Werner Hartenstein, commanding) on the night of 12 September 1942 while carrying 1,800 Italian POWs, British troops, and civilians. Hartenstein surfaced, tied lifeboats to his U-boat, broadcast in English that he would not fire on rescuers, and was bombed mid-rescue by an American B-24. Admiral Dönitz issued the 'Laconia Order' in response. · Fate: abyssal · not located · Type: troopship · former Cunard liner · Tonnage: 19,695 tons · Crew: 436 · Flag: United Kingdom · Launched: 1921 Former Cunard liner, by 1942 a British troopship. Torpedoed by U-156 under Werner Hartenstein west of Ascension Island on the night of 12 September 1942. When Hartenstein discovered she was carrying 1,800 Italian POWs alongside British troops and civilians, he surfaced, tied lifeboats to his U-boat, and broadcast in English that he would not fire on rescuers; an American B-24 then bombed the U-boat mid-rescue. The Laconia Order that followed prohibited U-boats from rescuing survivors for the rest of the war. 1,658 dead of about 2,725 aboard. The Vessel The SS Laconia was a British Cunard Line passenger-cargo liner, built at the Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson yard at Wallsend between 1921 and 1922 and commissioned on 9 May 1922. She was 183 metres long, 19,695 gross tons, and powered by twin quadruple-expansion steam engines producing approximately 12,000 horsepower. Her peacetime accommodation was approximately 350 first-class, 350 second-class, and 1,500 third-class passengers, plus a crew of 475. Laconia had been originally built for the Cunard Line's Liverpool to New York transatlantic service; her subsequent service before the Second World War had included the Mediterranean winter cruise trade and the Boston to Liverpool route. By September 1939, she had been requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport and converted to an armed merchant cruiser for the Royal Navy's Northern Patrol operations. The armed merchant cruiser conversion included: addition of eight 6-inch guns; installation of anti-submarine equipment; modification of the passenger accommodation for military use; and addition of basic armour plating at critical points. From 1939 to 1941, Laconia served with the Royal Navy's Northern Patrol in the eastern Atlantic. In 1941, she was reconverted to a troop transport role under the Ministry of War Transport: her role became the transport of Allied personnel between British and Mediterranean theatre destinations. Her master on her final voyage was Captain Rudolph Sharp, 55, a career Cunard Line officer. The Disaster At approximately 22:10 on 12 September 1942, the German submarine U-156 under the command of Korvettenkapitän Werner Hartenstein detected Laconia at approximately 7,000 metres range. U-156 was on her fifth war patrol in the South Atlantic and had been ordered to engage Allied military shipping. Hartenstein's attack was conducted from approximately 2,500 metres range using U-156's bow torpedo tubes. Two torpedoes were launched at approximately 22:22; both torpedoes struck Laconia on the starboard side amidships at approximately 22:23 on 12 September 1942. The torpedo damage was catastrophic. The two torpedoes opened a combined breach of approximately 18 metres along Laconia's starboard hull below the waterline, flooding multiple watertight compartments simultaneously. The ship began to list to starboard within minutes; her wireless equipment was damaged by the explosions and only emergency short-range signals were transmitted; her lifeboat evacuation commenced under rapidly deteriorating conditions. The specific tragedy of the subsequent evacuation was the treatment of the Italian prisoners. The prisoners had been housed in below-deck spaces and were the most difficult category of complement to evacuate. Some of the British guards were reported to have deliberately obstructed the Italian prisoners' access to the lifeboats; others to have assisted. The specific pattern of evacuation substantially disadvantaged the Italian prisoners relative to the British, Polish, and civilian