Monday news

By
Monday, September 22, 2003

No news today

The Navy's HERE . Rescue of 300 British POW's From Altmark. February 1940.

Altmark had acted as a tanker and supply ship for the German battleship Graf Spee, during her raiding cruise in the South Atlantic. British ships had accounted for this raider at the Battle of the River Plate, embarked in Altmark were a number of crews from British ships which had been sunk by the German battleship.

Altmark had managed to elude patrols and passing between Iceland and the Faroe Islands had arrived at Trondheim on the 14th. of February 1940. Once there, she needed to decide whether to make her way south, outside or inside Norwegian territorial waters, if she stayed inside, strictly speaking, her Prisoners of War would be entitled to be released, since these were neutral waters. Not worrying about any convention, Altmark proceeded inside Norwegian waters.

British Naval Force.
A British naval force led by Captain ( D ) 4th. Flotilla in HMS Cossack, with the cruiser Arethusa, and four Fleet Destroyers, Intrepid, Ivanhoe, Maori, and Sikh, sailed out of Rosyth on the 14th. of February 1940 at midnight, with orders to sweep the Skagerrak for German iron ore ships running up to Narvik.

They found nothing, the next day, the Admiralty received a signal indicating that the armed German supply ship Altmark, carrying 300 British POW's on board had passed Bergen at noon, her guns removed she looked like an innocent tanker.

C-in-C Home Fleet signals Cossack Force.
Sir Charles Forbes, C-in-C Home Fleet sent off a signal to Captain Philip Vian in Cossack,

"Altmark your objective. Act accordingly."

Cossack and her consorts sailed north, at Noon on the 16th. of February aircraft reports gave differing positions, and it seemed that different ships were being both sighted and then reported as Altmark. The ships were divided up, Arethusa with Intrepid and Ivanhoe, were sent off to scour a Northward Zone and Cossack, Maori and Sikh searched away to the south.

Frustration for the southern group, after a stern chase their quarry proved to be a Swedish ship, and despite a flood of aircraft reports, no one had actually sighted the wanted vessel. No firm information was held on board concerning the ship they were seeking, the only real clue, a picture of two ships in a Wardroom copy of the Illustrated London News, the caption read:

" German raider Altmark examines a neutral merchant ship in the Atlantric."

The text under these two ships did not indicate which one was Altmark, and it was assumed the the four masted ship in the foreground , rather than the tanker type ship further away, was the one wanted. Thus when a freighter with four masts was found it was thought to be Altmark, not so, it was the tanker type ship that was the actual one that the force should be hunting.

Officer in Arethusa comes to the rescue.
Finally salvation was at hand, a young officer in the cruiser Arethusa keeping a sharp lookout, spotted a shadowy shape passing close by, also present the mast and funnels of a torpedo boat, turning out to be an escort for a ship with a German ensign, on closing further, the name Altmark was clearly visible on her counter.

The Admiralty had signalled interception should be made in neutral waters, Captain Q. D. Graham in Arethusa, sent in his destroyers, but Altmark ignored orders to stop. There were two Norwegian torpedo boats shepherding the German ship, keeping the British destroyers from boarding. Now level with Josing Fiord, Altmark turned hard to port, increased speed,