The Laconia

[Alan Judge]

For my shipmates who may not be aware the BBC are transmitting over 2 evenings Thurs 6th and Friday 7th
January next. A drama about the sinking of the Laconia a total of 3hrs. I think it should be very interesting and worth watching. For our overseas colleages the internet Iplayer could be useful. More details might be found here......
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xgjnm

Warm Regards, Alan

[Neil Morton]

Thanks Big Al,I'll can get BBC on line and if poss I'll be watching.I bet that wooly hat is getting plenty of use over there!!!

[Gulliver]

Alan,thanks for that,I certainly wouldn't like to miss it.

I actually did a post on the LAKONIA(it is spelt with a 'K') two years ago,and is a very timely remembrance of that Christmas 46 years ago when 128 lives were lost on what should have been a festive cruise......

Gulliver

Post is here:-

MS LAKONIA..A Far from Festive Cruise....
As we prepare for the Festive Season, I look back to a young 11 year old Gulliver and still remember with both fascination and horror of news about Lakonia 's Christmas Cruise in 1963.
45 years ago today was the eve of her departure from Southampton- many of her elderly passengers would never return,and there was much selfless bravery amongst those passengers,and of some of her far-from-professional crew.Others behaved appallingly.
Many acts of bravery too from her rescuing ship's crews. Something I've always remembered when I later went to sea.

Were any of you in the vicinity at the time....or even involved in the Rescue?

Cheers! Davey



http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joh...rnevelt_(ship)
www.ssMaritime.com/jvoch8.htm

[Jim Brady]

Is the documentary about the Laconia (with a C) which was sunk by a UBoat in 1942 or the Lakonia (with a K) which Gulliver is talking about?
Regards.
Jim,B.

[Gulliver]

Is the documentary about the Laconia (with a C) which was sunk by a UBoat in 1942 or the Lakonia (with a K) which Gulliver is talking about?

Regards.
Jim,B.

Sorry Jim

"Spank me with a damp copy of Sea Breezes"-I got me Lac(k)onias wrong I think,both tragic incidents,but I think the docu of the Laconia would be the one being shown--more gravitas and sensationalism,if you know what I mean?......
Apologies to Alan.

[Jim Brady]

Gulliver,just checked it out,it is a Docu/Drama of the 1942 incident.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Captain Kong]

From what I can remember, Captain Sharp who survived the sinking of the Lancastria took command of the Laconia. she was torpedoed in the South Atlantic with around 800 Italian POWs and other passengers on board. He did not survive.
The German submarine surfaced and the Captain realised that hundreds of people were in the water. He got the lifeboats tied up in line and all the others who could not fit in the boats sat on deck of the submarine and began to tow them to Angola. He gave a broadcast to all ships he was making for a neutral port, in Portugese Angola to land them and requested immunity while he was doing so.
An American bomber from Ascension Island heard the broadcast and flew there then bombed the sub and lifeboats.Killing hundreds.
This became known as the Laconia Incident from which Adolf Hitler said "No more Mr Nice Guy" or words to that effect. All U-boat Commanders were ordered to leave no survivors, this cost the lives of hundreds of British Merchant Seamen. many being machine gunned in their lifeboats.
Stupid Yanks again in warfare.

[Hugh]

Hello Capt,
Just to correct something if I may.

Nowhere within the Laconia Order is there any mention of orders by u-boat commanders to leave no survivors. That would have been akin to sanctioning murder on the high seas and more like the warfare that the Japs practiced. The order meant that commanders were not to put their boats at risk by aiding the survivors. This is entirely different to leaving no survivors.

The Laconia Order

"All efforts to save survivors of sunken ships, such as the fishing out of swimming men and putting them on board lifeboats, the righting of overturned lifeboats, or the handing over of food and water, must stop. Rescue contradicts the most basic demands of the war: the destruction of hostile ships and their crews.
The orders concerning the bringing-in of skippers and chief engineers stay in effect.
Survivors are to be saved only if their statements are important for the boat.
Stay hard. Remember that the enemy has no regard for women and children when bombing German cities! "

The last para of War Order 154

"Do not rescue any men; do not take them along; and do not take care of any boats of the ship. Weather conditions and proximity of land are of no consequence. Concern yourself only with the safety of your own boat and with efforts to achieve additional successes as soon as possible. We must be hard in this war. The enemy started the war in order to destroy us, and thus nothing else matters."

It is public knowledge that many u-boat commanders gave aid to the survivors of sunken ships right through the war with only one documented case of deliberate act of murder and the perpitrator of that incident was shot by firing squad.

A letter on my website that may be of interest.

http://www.sscityofcairo.co.uk/merten_letter.php

I will look forward to the documentary; i hope it does justice to actual events.



Regards
Hugh

[Captain Kong]

Hi Hugh, thanks for the correction,
I did start by saying " From What I Can Remember" I didn t have time to do the research..
I was on my way out to go to Fleetwood when the thread caught my eye or I would have made a different comment.
But nevertheless this did cause the deaths of many merchant seamen, It is common knowledge that a U-boat Commander did machine gun survivors and another did ram their lifeboats, tho` I agree that not all of them were bad fellows, some passed on water and food etc or gave directions to the nearest land.they were just doing a job.
Cheers
Brian.

[E.Martin]

Will be watching the sinking of the Laconia,I hope Alan Bleasdale have got things right.
Was reading today that alot of the Italian POW's were massacred by their Polish guards,
also they seem to be making a hero of the captain of U156.
The pilot of the American bomber gets some flak for attempting to sink U156,but that was why he was up there looking for Uboats to sink.