Monday news

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Monday, September 29, 2003

*Shrimpers complain about harvest of Gulf mud New turtle protection devices have annoying downsidd
-Dauphin Island Mullet Wrapper, 9-28-03

SS Athenia, First Casualty of the U-Boat War on the 3rd. of September 1939.

On the 3rd. of September 1939, war between Britain and Germany had barely begun when Oberleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp in command of U-30 attacked, and subsequently sank SS Athenia, mistaking her for an Armed Merchant Cruiser.

We have already made the acquaintance of Lemp earlier when he was in command of U-110, which was captured by HMS Bulldog, when they also grabbed the U-Boat's Enigma Coding machine. Lemp had died in that action.

This 13,500 ton passenger ship had on board, 1,103 civilian passengers, including 300 US citizens hoping to escape the war which had just descended upon Europe.

German radio had alerted all the Kriegsmarine ships at sea, that war was in force between Germany and Britain, and that they could begin hostilities without waiting to be provoked, but keeping in mind the Prize Rules. Lemp's boat was on patrol North West of Ireland. Athenia had been sighted outward bound from England, and Lemp dived his boat, and through the periscope noted this ship was blacked out, was zigzagging, and appeared to have guns on deck. His assessment was that he had found a legitimate target, an Armed Merchant Cruiser, although the Prize Rules stated a shot across the bows should be made, Lemp fired off two torpedoes.

One hit, one missfired, he took his boat down to avoid the possibility of the defective torpedo coming back to bite him. He soon surfaced, as his target was not sinking immediately, he set off a third torpedo, which missed. Lemp was now able to compare the silhouette of his victim with his Lloyd's Register, only to find out his mistaken identity, he had fired on a passenger vessel, not an Armed Merchant Cruiser at all.

Lemp now intercepted a plain text message from the stricken vessel, identifying herself as Athenia. He  decided not to report to base about this sinking and his mistake, and slipped away, although the Prize Rules made it quite clear he should be offering aid to his victim. Three merchant ships in the vicinity came to Athenia's rescue, as did three Royal Navy destroyers, these were: Knut Nelson, City of Flint, and Southern Cross, the destroyers, Electra, Escort and Fame.

Berlin found out about this attack from news reports, and knowing that U-30 was the only Boat in that area, were soon able to pin this error on her. Hitler now wanted a cover up. He did not wish to have another event like the Lusitania affair from WW1 coming back to haunt him, plus Donitz, and his U-Boat arm. Goebells spread the word that it was the British that had themselves torpedoed Athenia, in their attempt to bring the United States quickly into WW2 against Germany.

After the Athenia affair, U-30 had been damaged as a result of a brawl with two British destroyers after the sinking of the freighter Fanad Head, Lemp limped back to Wilhelmshaven with his command, arriving there on the 27th. of September. He now took off for Berlin to report to Donitz and own up to his mistake. The Germans went to great lengths to cover up this event, even to falsifying Lemp's war diary, and removing the page that reported his action against Athenia.

At the Nuremberg Trial, Donitz had to face accusations about hushing up this attack, which in fact killed 118 passengers and crew members.

This was a sorry affair in the annals of the U-Boat war, committed in the first few hours on the very first day of WW2, on the 3rd. of September 1939.