A German Commerce Raider

[Ian Malcolm]

I want to get this clear, Louis. Did they machine-gun the lifeboats?

Ian

[Lou Barron]

No they did not machine gun the only lifeboat at that time we did not know what sunk our ship it was when they put their search light on us we did think their were going to machine guns us in fact i think some of the guys got out of the lifeboat but as the raider came very close and a voice rang out that they were going to pick us up it was just as well it was a calm sea .As we got along side of the raider they lowered a jacob ladder and a couple then a voice ask if there were any wounded and the second mate told them we had two women and two boys and a couple of wounded (me included)a couple of the German sailors came down and put a rope around a the women and boys one by one and lifted them onto the raiders deck .This is what i could not understand they blew hell out of us then treated us in a very humane way

[Keith at Tregenna]

always interested and learn from you.

k.

[happy daze john in oz]

Soldiers and sailors acting under orders. But they were still human and at times i am sure there were thing occurring they did not like. But humane people will always react in that manner.

[Ian Malcolm]

Thanks, Louis. The only thing I'll alter in what I've written is that 50 of you were landed at Singapore.

Best wishes

Ian

[Lou Barron]

Our time on the raider was to come to end after being on the raider for a couple of weeks they told us they were going to transfer usto their supply ship(Charlotte Schliemann) a tanker .
If we thought that Britain rules the seas on that day in beautiful calm weather somewhere in the South Atlantic i would have changed my mind the Raider plus another raider ( Stier)two supply ships and three Uboats all to gether as they started to transfer us in motor boats it must have taken hours .That when things went a bit pear shape .We thought where is the bloody navy now

[Roger Dyer]

Hi Lou' and Shipmates,,

Between the years 2003 - 2006 an archive of World War Two memoirs written by the public was gathered by the BBC. The archive has 64 categories covering aspects of the war experienced by members of the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces, the Merchant Navy and also the folk on the home front. Possibly it is something many of our members are familiar with, but I only became aware of this wonderful archive about two years ago. Frequently I visit the sight to indulge in the fascinating stories of ordinary folk swept up by an extraordinary war. Some of the stories are very short, whilst others are long. Some are well written whilst others are less so, however, all combine to record the wonderful spirit of the British people during a time of great adversity.

Last week, I was reading a story in the 'Book' category entitled 'A Child's War' by Michael Charnaud. Well written, it is an unusual, often harrowing, account of a ten year old boy who, with his mother, became a prisoner of both the Germans and the Japanese from May, 1942, until August, 1945. It was April, 1942, when Michael and his mother boarded the passenger steamer 'Nankin' 7,131 grt, in Melbourne, Australia, intent on making passage to Ceylon where the boy's father was a tea planter. Having travelled round the coast to Western Australia they eventually left Fremantle on the 5th May and headed out into the Indian Ocean. On the 10th May, the
'Nankin' was machine-gunned by a solitary Arado sea-plane belonging to the German commerce raider 'Thor' 3,862 grt. A short time later the 'Thor' commenced firing on the 'Nankin' causing damage to the bow and making it necessary for the order to 'Abandon Ship'. Most of the passengers and crew were able to get away in the lifeboats and were later picked-up by the 'Thor', the crew of which treated their captives well. Boarded by the Germans, the Nankin was able to be 'patched up' and towed to Yokahama. Eventually, after further trials and tribulations which included further transfer to other German ships, Michael, his mother and the other passengers were also taken to Yokahama where on 10th July they were handed into the 'care' of the Japanese. A long train journey followed which took them via Tokyo further north to the Fukushima Internment Camp which was to become their home for the next three years.

It was whilst reading Part 8 of this fascinating story that my interest was heightened by mention of Lou's old ship the 'Gloucester Castle'. Having in mind that it might be of interest to the members, not least of all our mate, Lou', I have taken the opportunity to copy several paragraphs from Michael's account, but before doing so I must type the following to comply with copyright requirements.

WW2 PEOPLES WAR IS AN ONLINE ARCHIVE OF WARTIME MEMORIES CONTRIBUTED BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND GATHERED BY THE BBC. THE ARCHIVE CAN BE FOUND AT bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar

CREDIT FOR THIS ACCOUNT IS GIVEN TO THE AUTHOR, MICHAEL CHARNAUD, WW2 PEOPLE'S WAR.

..................' During the afternoon of our first snowfall, we were surprised by the appearance of four new prisoners, survivors from the
'Gloucester Castle'. This tragic ship of 8,006 tons was on a voyage from Birkenhead to Capetown with military supplies and was attacked during the night of the 15th July, 1942, by the raider "Michel' under the command of Korvettenkapitan von Ruckteschell who had commanded 'Widder' in the North Atlantic two years before. Many of his former crew were with him on his new Danish built vessel which carried two Arado seaplanes and also a motor launch which was fitted with two torpedo tubes and was often used in action with devastating effect. The Michel had approached without warning in the dark, and at very close range fired two torpedoes followed by salvos from her 15cm guns. The vessel sank in under ten minutes, after the starboard side was an utter shambles. Only the lifeboats on the port side survived and as these were being hurriedly lowered, the ship capsized and sank about 600 miles NNW of St.Helena taking all the remaining boats with her. Out of 154 persons on board only 61 survived including four passengers out of the twelve on board. They were Pat Radford a buxom fair haired 19 year old girl, who had lost both her father and mother in the action;
Marion Sparke and her 10 year old son, Graham, whose father was working in Capetown in the port, and a 16 year old boy, Andrew White, who also had lost his mother.

All had been in the water for over an hour, whilst the Michel's crew tried with searchlights and launches to pick up the odd lone survivors, some badly wounded, with everyone screaming for attention and help in the inky blackness of a mid-Atlantic night. They recalled the horrors of that encounter which was one of the cruellest actions of any German raider, using quite an unpardonable use of force on defenceless civilians. After spending a fortnight aboard Michel, they were then transferred to the German tanker 'Charlotte
Schliemann' which departed with a hold full of prisoners. The strongest and fittest 50 of these were dropped off in Singapore to work as dock labourers, with the rest being taken to Japan. In Yokahama harbour they were then boarded on the Nankin, which now had been renamed ' Leuthen'. This was our first news that our ship had arrived safely in Japan. After a fortnight on board the four passengers were sent first to Osaka and from there to Kobe in an Internment Camp in a former hotel, where they were allowed to visit the shops, go for walks in the country and played tennis and had excellent food. After a fortnight of this luxury they were abruptly dispatched to our camp to enjoy themselves under the pleasant regime of our salubrious resort! A most bitter pill for them to swallow especially after their earlier horrific capture.

I was to become very friendly with young Graham who was only just a year younger than myself and we became good pals doing everything together, including being repeatedly punished by the Japs. For the last two years of our imprisonment I was to share a room with him as well as the Greek Captain."

Michael informs the reader that his friend Graham Sparke survived the war and by the lack of anything to the contrary, one assumes that Graham's mother and the two other passengers from the 'Gloucester Castle' also survived. Micheal's story which is in 20 parts is a good read, like so many others to be found on BBC-WW2 People's War website and I recommend it to those who may be interested.


.........................Roger

[Keith at Tregenna]

Did come across the German Commerce Raider Michele once or twice in my research for Barry related losses of ships and men for my monthly pieces in our local press for the Year of the Convoy (2013)

Think Lylepark was one will remind myself:

Her raiding career:

First cruise:

1942-04-19 Patella 7,468 GRT
1942-04-22 Connecticut 8,684 GRT
1942-05-20 Kattegat 4,245 GRT
1942-06-07 George Clymer 7,176 GRT
1942-06-11 Lylepark 5,186 GRT
1942-07-15 Gloucester Castle 8,006 GRT
1942-07-16 William F Humphrey 7,893 GRT
1942-07-17 Aramis 7,984 GRT
1942-08-14 Arabistan 5,874 GRT
1942-09-10 MS American Leader 6,778 GRT
1942-09-11 Empire Dawn 7,241 GRT
1942-11-02 Reynolds 5,113 GRT[5]
1942-11-29 Sawokla 5,882 GRT
1942-12-08 Eugenie Livanos 4,816 GRT
1943-01-02 Empire March 7,040 GRT

Second cruise:

1943-06-15 Høegh Silverdawn 7,715 GRT.
1943-06-17 Ferncastle 9,940 GRT
1943-09-11 India 9,977 GRT

MORE AT LINK: German auxiliary cruiser Michel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

K.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Lylepark SS was a British Cargo Vessel of 5,186 tons built in 1929 by Scotts Greenock, Yard No 540 for Denholm Ltd. She was powered by a steam triple expansion engine 3 cyclinder giving 534nhp. Engines by shipbuilder. On the 11th June 1942 she was sunk by German Raider MICHEL in the South Atlantic.

Lyle Park 1942: (SS Lylepark on June 11 1942. Although most of the crew were captured by the Armed Raider Michel, her Captain Lowe was rescued and eventually returned to the UK. the 5,200 ton Lylepark from Glasgow, ex New York for the Cape carrying 8,000 tons of useful warlike stores. She was immediately struck in the charthouse and on the boatdeck by the Raider's shells, and fires caused her abandonment. All the crew bailed out, except Captain Low, and his Chief Officer, both wished to avoid captivity. These two intrepid sailors used a boat's falls to lower themselves into a damaged lifeboat, still alongside. It promptly sank under them, the two officers swam away, the Chief Officer taking refuge on a raft, the Captain almost worn out, at last, found a raft. The Raider steamed past, watching Lylebank burn. By dawn the ship sank, and Michel had gone).

K.

[Lou Barron]

Thank you Roger for your article about the the four passengers who survived the sinking of the G]Castle i often wondered what did happen to them thank you