Altmark

LAltmark is a Pétrolier - supply German which was used at the time of the second world war as nurse for the battleship Admiral Graf von Spee . It was destroyed in 1942 during an explosion on board.

Description

The Altmark belongs to a class of five tankers built by the Germany in the years preceding the Second world war. Its compartments could contain not only fuel but also vivres, ammunition and gasoline, the whole of a capacity of 14 000 T.

It was propelled by 4 diesel engines doubles Man-Diesel of 9 cylinders each one and Vulcan coupling developing 21 400 ch. Ils enabled him to reach the maximum speed of 21 knots and could traverse 15 000 Nm with 14 nodes.

The tanker not being a warship, it did not have which can of armament in the beginning, including two anti-aircraft guns of 20 mm and eight anti-aircraft machine-guns of 8 Misters It accepted later three guns of 150 mm on platform which were given to him by the commander of the Graf Spee . Those were placed behind the superstructures in the middle of the boat.

To carry out the fuel transshipments, it was equipped with a sleeve of supply.

History

With the beginning of the year 1939, the Altmark carried out operations off the coasts Spanish. It served as nourishes with the Graf Spee which operated then in support of the troops of the general Franco, against the republican troops.

Its mission

The mission of the Altmark was to be used as nurse with the Cuirassé of pocket Admiral Graf von Spee at the time of its countryside against the British tradind ships. With this intention, it installed at the beginning of the month of August 1939 accompanied by sound Sister-ship. They were to go to Port Arthur (Texas) in order to fill the tank with fuel for their mission to come then to take again the broad one.

It was located by British coastal guetteurs in the day of August 6th, but fault of information on its account the report/ratio was classified. It could thus join Port Arthur, to fill the tank then to join its waiting area in the middle of the Atlantic. The zone of meeting was defined by three points (23°N 38°W, 28°N 27°W, 25°N 40°W), that is to say halfway between Dakar and Trinidad.

Its countryside with the Graf Spee

Its first meeting with the battleship of pocket took place at the beginning of the month of September 1939. It followed it then by far along the African coast then in the South Atlantic. September 27th, the two ships separated.

After having run several cargo liners, the not knowing battleship what to make its prisoners decided to leave them under the responsibility of the Altmark which had much more place. It found on October 14th in order to remake the full one and to transfer the prisoners. They were again left the 16 after having transferred the prisoners from another ship. To find the 28 in the neighborhood of the island Tristan da Cunha, where the Altmark had received the order to be held. Then again on November 26th and on December 6th. With each time the Admiral Graf von Spee found the tanker, it remade the full of one fuel and with living and déchargait its prisoners.

December 6th, 1939 was the last time where the two ships was seen. Indeed, on December 13rd proceeded the Bataille of Rio of Plata which involved the Sabordage battleship.

The prisoners were locked up in the holds of the tanker and had a well defined timetable:

07:00: Alarm clock and toilet
07:45: Breakfast
08:30 with 09:15: Walk on the bridge
11:30: To lunch
14:30 with 15:00: Walk on the bridge
17:30: The
20:00: Extinction of fires

Release of the prisoners

After the destruction of the Graf Spee the tracking of the British ships referred on the Altmark which one knew that it transported the prisoners of the cargo liners run by the battleship. On the whole this one transported 299 men. The commander Dau was warned disappearance of the Admiral Graf von Spee by a telegram of the Lord High Admiral Raeder. He accepted the order to rejoin German water without breaking radio silence, by avoiding the zone located between the the Azores and the islands of the Cape Verde because of presence of many buildings combined at his research.

The commander of the tanker decided with the agreement of his officers to move towards the Cape, to transmit a message with the High command by knowing that it would be intercepted, then to make half-turn and to return to full power to Germany. He thus induced the allies in error in their making believe that he moved towards the Indian Ocean. However for some time the engines of the ship presented signs of tiredness and arrived close to the Cape, it became necessary to undertake repairs. Those were spread out Christmas day before mid-January.

Once the engines in operating condition, the Altmark went up towards north and passed without encumbers the most supervised narrowest zone and of the Atlantic. However on February 7th, 1940, whereas the tanker was near to the sea route connecting Halifax to the United Kingdom, it failed to be located by a British patrol, but he was not it. The following day it was in Icelandic water and the 14, it were in the sight of the Norwegian coasts on the level of Trondheim. But having announced its presence to the authorities by asking a pilot to guide it in this water, he saw himself answering that there was no available and one proposed to him to make stopover in a port. At the same time one identified a Torpilleur on the back of the ship. It was about the Trigg which ordered to him to stop the machines and sent an officer on board. The commander succeeds in convincing it that it transported only fuel, but the destroyer followed it and sent an officer again to raise questions. When this one went up, the prisoners including/understanding what occurred tried to be made hear but the commander Dau ordered to put the winches walks from there to cover the noise. He then decided to put course at the south by despizing Norwegian injunctions, knowing pertinently that the British ships present in the sector had been prevented. In the night of the 14 to the 15, it was again constrained to stop by the destroyer Snoegg then by the Destroyer Garm , its commander then ordered to him to leave Norwegian water. But the commander Dau continued on the same course and the following day the Altmark exceeded Stavanger.

However on February 16th, it was located by a reconnaissance aircraft of the RAF, which indicated the position of the tanker (58°17' NR 06°0' SE) to the ships of the sector of which the destroyer HMS Cossack and the cruiser HMS Arethusa which had received the order to find it. Towards 14:45, this last was in the sight of tanker. The commander Dau was not concerned with it because it was still in water of Norway. Moreover it was followed by the Canonnière Skarv which had the order to make respect this neutrality. But the British destroyer Intrepid opened fire on the tanker without another reaction on behalf of the Norwegian building that a warning statement sent to the British. The cruiser Arethusa was placed in order to be between the tanker and the coast but this one included/understood its intention and skirted this one to nearest and decided to enter the Fjord of Jossing took by the ices and to wait the night. It was followed by the drain-hole Skarv then by another.

Towards 22:00 HMS Cossack penetrated in the fjord. But aboard tanker one did not panic thinking that it was a Norwegian ship. Towards 23:10, after having lit his projector and having read the name of the ship, the commander of the tanker decided éperonner the destroyer in order to ruin it. But the commander Vian directing this last made swivel the ship and damped the shock and the tanker failed itself. It is the moment that the team of boarding chooses to go up aboard tanker. With 23:55, all the prisoners were aboard British ship which left the fjord by thinking that the ship was about to be scuttled, but it was not the case.

End of the ship

The shortly after the boarding, the Kriegsmarine organized the repatriation of its men. The strongly damaged building was repaired on the spot then rejoined the port of Kiel, on March 28th, 1940. Then the commander Dau was raised of his command.

He was famous Uckermark on August 6th, 1942. September 9th it installed France to join the Japan supplying with way the auxiliary cruiser Michel . It arrived at Yokohama on November 24th, 1942, where it became the ship of supply of the German raider Thor. This one carried out attacks against the tradind ships in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific.

September 30th, 1942, whereas it was with quay with dimensions Thor , an explosion occurs on board. This one was so powerful that it tore the ship right through. The explosion set ablaze the auxiliary cruiser Thor as well as the Japanese steamer Nankin and cargo liner Unkai Maru . The four ship were destroyed. The explosion made 53 dead. The circumstance of the explosion are not clear, but it would seem that oil vapors came into contact with chemicals used to clean the tanks

Officers having ordered the ship

Captain Heinrich Dau
…

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