A2477018. DOyly kicked Heath off the ship and departed on missions to ferry Royal Air Force Gladiators and Hurricanes to Norway. She looked at me and said: What have you done with all your clothes? he says. World War II: The cargo ship (2,975 GRT, 1906) struck a mine and sank in the Mediterranean Sea north of Pantelleria. Some survivors claimed that a bomb had gone straight down a funnel, others thought bombs hit No, 4, 2, and 3 holds. Hammac was a steam tank ship built in 1920-1921 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation of Alameda for the United States Shipping Board as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The Glorious and her two escorting destroyers did not yet have radar, so Capt. Empire Morn killed 26th April 1943 after his ship hit a mine. What had happened was that Id lain there, grieving away, and my blood had stopped flowing. At 5 PM a shell slammed into the Gloriouss bridge, killing DOyly and most of the command crew. Five minutes later, in one of the longest-range hits in naval history, the Scharnhorsts third volley screamed over fifteen miles to slam straight into the Gloriouss flight deck, blasting open a huge hole that rendered it unusable and knocking two Swordfish bombers into the water. Most likely rammed and sunk Oct. 4; 1940 by Antonietta Costa (Italian Cargo ship) 60 NM ENE of Bari . My own commemoration including photo's of the two Brothers sent to me by their relatives can be found on this link to my own website.http://www.british-merchant-navy.co.uk/TOWER.htmAbout links. Its first two torpedoes missed, but the third scored a bulls eye, hitting the City of Benares. Chapter 4 Secret Session Speeches by Churchill provides extracts of five speeches made between June 20th 1941 and December 10, 1942, including one made in response to the sinking of HMT Lancastria on June 17, 1941. For the first few days after his rescue, he remained very weak as the Hurricane took the survivors to Glasgow. Colin acted quickly. The Story of the Evacuation in Britain, 1939-1945. It was no ordinary jacket. World War II: The cargo ship (7,405 GRT, 1914) was bombed and damaged in the Bay of Biscay off. Wynn does not clarify what materials he utilized from these sources and there are no footnotes, in-text citations, or endnotes. Many years later, I was asked by my father, Oliver Gleasure (Irish Guards) to find the book, so he could gift it to my uncle. All morning, Colin continued to heave corpses away from his boat. 11, two out of 11 children remained. The 224-meter long vessel still could only carry a smaller air group of forty-eight aircraft compared to larger U.S. fleet carriers. Britain Ship Losses 1940 This page records the details of every British ship lost during the two world wars, including pictures where possible. For the scuttling of RFA Oleander on this day, see the entry for 26 May 1940. At 3:45 p.m., crew on the German capital ships spotted the funnel smoke of the British warships and surged forward to close the distance. World War II:The auxiliary minesweeper (628 GRT) was scuttled at Le Havre, France. Decades after Apapa was lost , on the 15th of November 1940 the identically named MV APAPA was bombed and sunk by a German FW 200 Condor aircraft, two hundred miles from County Mayo in Ireland. The badly damaged Alexia was acquired by the Royal Navy and converted to the auxiliary escort carrier HMS Alexia, commissioned in December 1943.After the war, the ship was rebuilt for merchant service and renamed Ianthina in 1951. As a force-ten gale whipped the waves into a fury around the ship, an 11-year-old boy lay alone in his cabin reading The Beano and dreaming of adventure. Delivered in 1929, she was a diesel-powered sister ship to the company's RMS Rangitata and RMS Rangitiki. Afterwards, he turned his attention to the woman beside him. 1,596 Royal Navy and Air Force personnel died, many freezing to death awaiting rescue. They included Pioneer and Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Royal Engineers, and Royal Air Force personnel, some Polish and Czech troops, civilian refugees, embassy staff, employees of Fairey Aviation of Belgium and their families. My late uncle Richard Gleasure, an aircraft technician, was due to be on the SS Lancastria, rescue ship , but as his air force colleges were leaving with a full aircraft, several yelled to him to RUN, Quick,, as they then pulled him onto an already taxing plane through the floor door, he was saved. At 4 p.m. on June 8, 1940, the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious was cruising west across the Norwegian Sea towards the British naval base of Scapa Flow when her lookout spotted two grey blips over a dozen miles away on the horizon. Captain Rudolf Sharpe later lost his life when the ship he commanded, the Laconia, was sunk. There were only 11 survivors. I thought: Wake up, Colin! The notifications are not legally enforceable; hence, news editors could choose not to abide by them but, generally, accede to these notices. World War II: The passenger ship (2,113 GRT, 1908) was bombed and sunk in the Norwegian Sea (. Up went the bows and down she went.. World War II: The harbour defence vessel (608 GRT) was scuttled at Dieppe, France. NHF has decommissioned and is no longer accepting new members or donations. He then struck out to rescue another child but both disappeared in the swirling seas. The comments below have not been moderated. Below the waves, however, the convoy was being trailed by U-48, a German U-boat. Because of the losses of the other requisitioned transports, Captain Sharp postulated, based on the figure of 2,653 men he had rescued during Operation Alphabet that his ship could accommodate 3,000 persons. She was subsequently salvaged by the Germans and re-entered service as. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (1,256 GRT) was scuttled at Brest, France. All rights reserved. The City of Benares gave a great shudder and began to sink. However, in May 24, the Allies began evacuating forces in Norway due to Germanys successful offensives into the Low Countries and France. It stayed upright, but the big waves breaking over the bows quickly swamped it. Whatever the case, this event likely remains the largest single-ship loss of life in British maritime history, more than the RMS Titanic, which had an estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard and suffered over 1,500 fatalities. British Summer Time begins in March but do you wind your watch forward Sickening CCTV footage shows the moment two trains collided and burst into flames in horror smash Greek PM MPs demands the menopause is made a 'protected characteristic' like race or religion - but Equalities Commando, 28, 'told woman he met on dating app "I love it when you keep telling me to stop" as he raped and Charles evicting Harry and Meghan is the act of a King putting his country first: REBECCA ENGLISH reveals A royal princess at Eton? Ships Sunk or Damaged 1939 to 1941 due to war causes Chronological List of U.S. Even when coupled with the sinking of the RMS Lusitania off the south coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915 by German which killed 1,195, leaving 761 survivorsLancastria would apparently exceed the combined death total. She was carrying between 800 and 1,200 people, mainly refugees, and most were lost when her ammunition cargo exploded. Already 600 miles out to sea, the SS City of Benares was carrying Colin and 89 other child evacuees to the U.S. and Canada, where they could wait out the end of the war in safety. There are no actual transcripts of these speeches, but they have been reconstructed from Churchills notes given to Charles Eade. NHF members are being converted to members of the Naval Institute. 10 Historical Prophecies That Actually Came True 10- RMS Titanic Disaster. With a sickening lurch, 12 passengers were thrown from the boat and lost in the darkness. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (150 GRT) was scuttled at Lorient, France. The kindness of strangers: A LITTLE GIRL'S WAR BY WENDY Did U.S. university plan to create an intellectually King Charles hosts von der Leyen at Windsor Castle, AFA president gives passionate rant speaking about student debt, Gabor Mat: No Jewish state without oppressing local population, Amplified jet stream could lead to 'disruptive snow in places', Dashcam captures moment two cars collide on a roundabout, Putin orders intelligence service to find 'scum' who oppose him, Putin spy plane before being 'destroyed by pro-Ukraine Belarus group', Police search allotment sheds for Constance Marten's missing baby, Huge urgent police search for missing baby of Constance Marten, Moment police swooped to arrest Constance Marten's boyfriend, Police: Constance and lover arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, Moment supermarket cashier is attacked at work in New York. those of the BBC. Certainly, there was little panic as everyone gathered at pre-arranged points. York rescued 42 survivors but three more died aboard her. World War II: The cargo ship (4,499 GRT) was scuttled at Brest, France. What a story, and how lucky are we,born just after WW2, for the brave men and women, who fought for our freedom, Your email address will not be published. At Customs, they asked: Where are your passports? We laughed. We have details of 11 people who were on board. World War II: The ocean liner (28,124 GRT, 1932) struck a mine in the, World War II: The cargo ship (3,651 GRT, 1912) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The cargo ship (1,147 GRT, 1912) was bombed and sunk in the, World War II: The tug was scuttled at Brest, France. Object description. On the 8th June 1940, she was sunk 300 miles West of Narvik, by the . Your email address will not be published. Left to right, Kenneth Sparkes, Derek Capel, Freddie Steele, Billy Short and Howard Clayton, Far from being distraught at leaving his parents behind, Colin was excited at the prospect of stepping into a real-life Western: I thought of the sun and the hills. Then, one day, he developed an infection and had to be sent to an isolation ward to recover. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved, first carrier-launched naval air strike in history, North Korea: We Asked 27 Experts What They Think Will Happen in 2019. There was no emotional farewell. After being pulled up by a rope to the Hurricane, Colin was still so cold he could feel nothing below the waist. The 17th June 1940 saw one of the most horrific events of World War II and the single worst maritime disaster in British history. World War II: The coaster (397 GRT) struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with all seven hands. World War II: The armed merchant cruiser (17,046 GRT, 1925) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west . The rest of the convoy sailed on, obeying standing orders not to stay in a danger zone. By then the crippled Glorious was listing and turning in circles while being relentlessly pounded by German guns. However, some information about the Lancastrias sinking was made public within a matter of days, particularly six individual death notices in local newspapers. The ship was hit by a torpedo on the morning of 2 July, killing many of those on board. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Only one crew member from the Ardent, two from the Acasta, and thirty-six from the Glorious survived to be picked up by Norwegian and German forces. Chronological List of U.S. Some like it, NOT! There, he attended a local school until it was evacuated to Cornwall. In fact, the Northampton was secretly evacuating the Norweigian royal family to the UK, and commanding Vice Admiral John Cunningham had strict orders to maintain radio silence, and thus neither intervened nor relayed the message. Among the children floundering in the waves were Bess Walder, 15, and Beth Cummings, 14, who managed to grab the up-turned keel and hung on for dear life. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. His dreams, however, were rudely interrupted that night by a loud bang. For the scuttling of HMS Mashobra on this day, see the entry for 25 May 1940. please notify usmm.org @ comcast.net, Taken to Norway; Soviet Unio; Norway; released RMS was a sign of distinction and quality. The list of shipwrecks in June 1940 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during June 1940. World War II: The naval tug (100 GRT) was scuttled at Lorient, France. It was there that, suddenly, he began to relive the horrors of the sinking. Although he could no longer feel his hands, he helped a crew member heave her body out to sea. And the cowboys eating around campfires.. These advantages meant that battleships and battlecruisers were repeatedly sunk by carrier-based aircraft, from Pearl Harbor to Taranto to the Battle of the Philippines Sea. When Bess and Beth were rescued, their frozen fingers had to be prised off their capsized lifeboat. She was later salvaged by the Germans and entered service as. World War II: The cargo ship (4,007 GRT, 1928) was intercepted in the, The schooner (98 GRT) was rammed by the cargo ship, The cargo ship (2,158 GRT, 1908) ran aground off Winging Point, 20 nautical miles (37km) south of, The cargo ship (625 GRT, 1920) foundered 1 nautical mile (1.9km) off, The trawler (170 GRT, 1904) was helping a neutral steamer which had gone aground on the east coast of England when the steamer slipped on a shelf and collided with, This page was last edited on 29 October 2022, at 11:25. Ships starting with Ba", "The History of the Eastbourne Lifeboat Station", "Norwegian merchant ships 1939 - 1945, Ships starting with N", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_shipwrecks_in_March_1940&oldid=1118868228, World War II: The cargo ship (2,390 GRT, 1922) was intercepted off, World War II: The cargo ship (1,388 GRT, 1909) was bombed and sunk in the North Sea 12 nautical miles (22km) east by south of, World War II: The cargo ship (6,530 GRT, 1925) was intercepted in the, World War II: The cargo ship (2,818 GRT, 1929) was shelled and sunk in the, World War II: The cargo ship (695 GRT, 1937) was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea off. World War II: The Adua-class submarine (686/843 t, 1934) was depth charged and sunk west of Crete (3529N 2006E / 35.483N 20.100E / 35.483; 20.100) by HMSDainty and HMSIlex (both Royal Navy). World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (481 GRT) was bombed and sunk at Dunkerque, France, by Luftwaffe aircraft. However, an exact number of Lancastrias casualties may never be known. 39 days; Cargo removed, Crew 3; Japanese POW: 164; Died POW:12 including 4 lost on A pre-war photograph of the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff in Hamburg. Goodbye, Colin. He recalls feeling relieved that his buttoned-up family didnt go in for the kind of tearful scenes that were going on all around him. World War II: The cargo ship (5,041 GRT, 1939) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The coaster (668 GRT, 1899) struck a mine and sank two nautical miles (3.7km; 2.3mi) north of the, The cargo ship (2,744 GRT, 1906) ran aground on, World War II: The tanker (7,101 GRT, 1926) struck a mine in, World War II: The tanker (6,891 GRT, 1925) was captured in the, World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (85 GRT) was scuttled at, World War II: The naval trawler (131 GRT, 1929) struck a mine in the English Channel off. Early in 1923 the vessel together with two other . Rather than disengage from the hopeless fight, the Acasta peeled off from the Glorious and valiantly charged the Gneisenau. The cargo ship (1,435 GRT, 1903) ran aground at, World War II: The fishing vessel (96 GRT) was bombed and sunk in the North Sea (. The great betrayal: How journalist Isabel Oakeshott leaked Matt Hancock's WhatsApps after they worked Don't just stick to the Malbec! "Verluste Deutscher Handelsschiffe 1939-1945 und unter deutscher Flagge fahrender auslndischer Schiffe: 1940", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_shipwrecks_in_June_1940&oldid=1142243449, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, World War II: The cargo ship (4,220 GRT) was bombed and damaged in the North Sea 13 nautical miles (24km) off, World War II: The coaster (281 GRT, 1896) was bombed and sunk in the, World War II: The trawler (195 GRT) was bombed and sunk in the North Sea (. The list of shipwrecks in March 1940 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during March 1940. Many thanks. Initiated in 1889and then revised in 1911, 1920, and 1939it sets out offences related to spying, sabotage, and related crimes. She was later salvaged by the British, repaired and re-entered service. Meanwhile, Lifeboat 5 was making an uneven descent. 'Dreadful time': A letter sent by a survivor of the sinking to their parents tell of their horrendous experience on the sinking ship. World War II: The tanker (7,333 GRT, 1914) was scuttled at Brest, France. About 124,000 troops were assembling and the Admiralty had dispatched some 30 merchant vessels of all sizes to the rescue. His parents found out Colin was alive only when they spotted a photo of him in a newspaper. you see substantial portions of this page on the Internet or in published material Interestingly, 2040 or 2041 should also be when restricted British documents on the Pearl Harbor attack are made public. The ship, carrying more than 400 passengers and crew, included a precious cargo of 90 evacuees under a scheme. Aboard one lifeboat, a freezing boy fell unconscious and slipped into the sea. A history of Tyne shipbuilders and the ships they built", "Norwegian Homefleet - WW II, Ships starting with So through S", Egypt Red Sea Shipwrecks - The Umbria, A Veritable Time Bomb at 30 metres, Ned Middleton, alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (C), "Kriegsverluste Italienischer Handelsschiffe 1940-1943: Verluste Italienischer Handelsschiffe 1940", "British Admiralty War Diary, 11 June 1940", "Naval Events, June 1940, Part 3 of 4, Saturday 15th - Friday 21st", "HNLMS O 13 of the Royal Netherlands Navy", "Naval Events, June 1940, Part 4 of 4, Saturday 22nd - Sunday 30th". Empress of Ireland: Directed by Stephan Parent. Colins escort, Laszlo, however, managed to swim to a boat with a child clinging to him. The SS Goslar, a steamboat, was at port in Suriname when Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940, causing the country (then a colony of the Netherlands) to begin to intern German men living in the . Despite his mothers disapproval, Colin developed a curious desire to return to the sea. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. WHAT WAS THE MAIN SHIP? World War II: Operation Dynamo: The fishing vessel (39 GRT) was sunk in the North Sea at Dunkerque, France, by enemy action. She was built in 1936 and sailed for 30 years before retiring in 1967. Row 1. In another boat, a young mother had reached the limits of her endurance, but she never knew her babies were already dead, because she soon joined the growing list of victims. Photographs Beryl Myatt She was requisitioned as an accommodation ship in 1940, but was briefly removed from service in 1942 so she could play the part of the Titanic in a crude German propaganda film about the sinking of the famous vessel. Those who succumbed to sleep soon joined the growing numbers of the dead. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (464 GRT) was bombed and sunk at Dunkerque, France, by Luftwaffe aircraft. Officially, the Royal Navy maintains this was to save fuel. It was fourth English pounds. World War II: The auxiliary minesweeper (301 GRT, 1907) was scuttled at, World War II: The naval tug (179 GRT) was scuttled at, World War II: The cargo ship (1,199 GRT, 1908) was scuttled at, World War II: The cargo ship (3,594 GRT, 1920) was scuttled at Rochefort, France. The unusual disaster continues to evoke controversy, and even questioning in Parliament, decades later. In June 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed to a new trans-Atlantic evacuation scheme. Copyright 2011-2022 Naval Historical Foundation. World War II: The captured ex-Dutch coastal defence ship (5,002 t, 1904) was bombed and sunk at, World War II: The naval yacht (196 GRT, 1938) struck a mine and sank in the, World War II: The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean (, World War II: The cargo ship (1,888 GRT) was torpedoed and sunk in the, World War II: The tanker (7,011 GRT, 1922) was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay by, World War II: The cargo ship (5,154 GRT, 1918) was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay (, The cargo ship (2,724 or 2,608 GRT, 1929) collided with another vessel and sank in the. Naval Institute is maintaining and preserving the former Naval Historical Foundation website so readers and former NHF members can still access past issues of Pull Together and other content. They were in their dressing-gowns, with no life-belt, clutching teddy bears. Franconia was assigned to Lorient while Lancastria continued toward St. Nazaire but because of the tidal channel on the Loire estuary Lancastria had to anchor in the Charpentier Roads about 5 nm (nautical miles) southwest of the actual port. For any other comments, please Contact Us. Ardent was finally caught darting out for another torpedo run and set ablaze by repeated hits. The mine exploded sinking the vessel. For his part, Colin was starting to realise how hard it would be to marshal all the children into the lifeboats. Just as importantly, in an era where radar technology was in its infancy, airplanes were the most effective tool for scouting out vast swathes of the ocean to locate enemy fleets. Nevertheless, within hours of disembarking troops at Liverpool on June 14th, Lancastria was reassigned, along with the 20,341 gross tons liner Franconia, to Operation Aerial, the evacuation of British civilians, embassy staff, and support troops from France. His recovery took months, and ended any thoughts hed had of a full-time career in the Navy. Armed Guard Casualties From the 90 whod set out from Liverpool, there were only 13 survivors. Rangitane left Auckland on Sunday 24 November 1940, en route to Britain via the Panama Canal. There are 1,472 names on his list of the deceased, extracted from the War Graves website, but theCommonwealth War Graves Commission records 1,816 burials with more than 400 in France (Fenby 2005, p. 234) and the Lancastria Association identifies 1,738 individuals that died aboard the ship . Earlier that day the battlecruisers sank an oil tanker and a trawler. ss alexis ship 1940 sinking. Her classs lead ship, the Courageous, had launched the first carrier-launched naval air strike in history near the end of World War I. Those who survived the incident were instructed not to speak about their experience. World War II: The cargo ship was scuttled in, World War II: The tanker (4,995 GRT, 1913) was partially sunk by British commandos in the, World War II: The tanker (6,101 GRT) was scuttled at, World War II: The cargo ship (6,470 GRT) was scuttled at, World War II: The trawler (203 GRT) was bombed and sunk in the. Four chapters are personal accounts from survivors or their close relatives. Enough was enough, his parents decided, as the bombs began to fall. I stayed on board the ship in 2011 and have always found the history of the ship to be fascinating. Required fields are marked *. We said: If you want them, theyre 600 miles out at the bottom of the Atlantic! he recalls. A4103056. Information about the Lancastria sinking might be restricted by the Official Secrets Act. Sbastien Roblin holds a masters degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. 'This is the most ridiculous thing I've seen!' Naval Documents of the American Revolution, - Naval Documents of the American Revolution, A History of the Naval Historical Foundation. Buried Ben M' Sik European Cemetery, Morocco, Plot 59A. In 1940, these included Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers, Gloster Sea Gladiator fighters, as well monoplane Blackburn Skua monoplane bomber/fighters. As it grew lighter, he could see corpses floating around each lifeboat. The X-class lighter (160 t, 1915) was wrecked on this date. At first, he thought the Benares must have collided with another ship. Enclosed was a certificate, signed by Churchill, that commended him for brave conduct in the Merchant Navy. World War II: The armed merchant cruiser (17,046 GRT, 1925) was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west of. World War II: The cargo ship (440 GRT, 1903) was bombed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 13 nautical miles (24km) north of Tobruk, The troopship (2,427 GRT, 1928) suffered an engine room fire, exploded and sank in the, World War II: The cargo ship (4,127 GRT, 1920) was torpedoed, shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of Ireland (, World War II: The cargo ship (3,214 GRT, 1928) was torpedoed and sunk in the. Theyd just woken up.. SS Arizan Maru while being transferred to Japan, Japanese POW 4 - 2 killed on Wake by Japanese, Damaged-No damage [sources disagree on damage], Steamship (Ship confiscated by U.S. prior), Crew 1; 29 to Japanese POW camp: Died POW: 4. You may quote material on this The carriers tall crows nest was unoccupied; and only twelve of her eighteen boilers were kept active, limiting her speed. As it hovered over the waves, it suddenly lurched, then one end jerked downwards and was smashed by a wall of water. Some families, such as the Grimmonds from Brixton, South London, faced an almost unimaginable loss: five of their children Violet, Connie, Lennie, Eddie and Gussie had perished. When sent to newspapers or other publications it prevented particular information from being made public for reasons of state security. The Benares disaster happened in the mid-Atlantic, 600 miles (965km) west of Ireland. Battleships accompanied by other surface warships did directly engage carriers one more time in World War II during the Battle of Samar, though this time the U.S. carriers air wings participated in the fight leading to a very different, though no less dramatic outcome. The SS Andrea Doria was a flagship of the Italian Line. British and Allied evacuation vessels took Lancastrias survivors aboard, the trawler HMT Cambridgeshire alone rescuing nearly 900 souls. Captain Sharp would lose his life on September 12, 1942, when the HMT Laconia, was sunk northeast of Ascension Island off the coast of West Africa by Kriegsmarine U-156, a Type IXC boat then attached to the 4th U-boat Flotilla. Hold No. Andrea Doria, Italian passenger liner that sank on July 25-26, 1956, after colliding with the Stockholm off the coast of Nantucket in the Atlantic Ocean. The only sound was from a ball bearing hed placed in his bedside drawer, which was sliding ever more frantically from side to side. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. I could see people dying around me. September 3, 2020 Call it fate, coincidence, predestination, or just bad luck, somehow Michael McShane ended up on the British passenger liner SS Athenia during the first few days of September 1939. Her pointed bow still poked from below a raised flight deck. 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