RAIDER ATLANTIS * 7 SHIPS SUNK
3)RABAUL
Photo: Copyright http://rapidttp.co.za/museum
Built 1916
Tonnage: 5,618 / 9,475 tons
Cargo: 5600 tons of coal, war stores and 3 aircrafts
Route: UK - Table Bay - Alexandria
Sunk 14/May/41 by Raider Atlantis on pos. 19º 30"S 04º 03"E
9 Dead
47 Survivors
During loading at Liverpool large glass bottles of sulphuric acid were stowed as deck cargo on the after deck. The crew complained bitterly about this, as being highly dangerous as the bottles could be burst open, should we meet with enemy action causing severe danger to all personnel on board. Unfortunately we were totally ignored by the ruling authorities. Rabaul departed from Newport independent and unescorted.
The ship was captured at night when illuminated by searchlights refused to stop and was severely damaged by the Atlantis artillery. Her captain had no option but to stop and being searched whilst the crew hastily lowered the boats and boarded the Atlantis. Rabaul attempted evasive action during this confrontation, but was no match against the speed and armament of a top sophisticated and equipped German Surface Raider.
Ninety six-inch shells ripped into the ship before being sunk, after refusing to stop for a boarding party to take over the ship as directed by Atlantis. During the shelling of Rabaul all the bottles of sulphuric acid were smashed and the after deck was awash with acid.
On the night of May 13, in roughly the same sea-area where he had found and sunk the Scientist more than a year earlier, Rogge’s lookouts spotted a ship.
Receiving no response when closing with her and signalling to her to stop, Rogge ordered her to be illuminated by searchlight. Still seeing no reaction, he ordered Kasch to fire a warning-shot across her bows, fully expecting this to persuade her captain to stop. Instead, she turned and tried to escape, causing Rogge to open fire in earnest, making two hits and such devastation that the vessel quickly began to sink.
With fires sweeping through the ship, seven of her 54-man crew dead and the rest, including four passengers and nine wounded, hastily abandoning her, her captain signalled to the Atlantis for assistance. Thirty minutes after the action began the ship went down, the boarding parties rescued the survivors, but made no attempt to board the blazing vessel.
Identified as the 5,618-ton W.R.Carpenter Overseas Shipping Co. ship Rabaul, bound for Capetown from the UK with a cargo of coal, her peculiar behaviour when challenged was explained by the fact that the officer on watch was elderly and had hoped that if he ignored her, the Atlantis would get fed up and go away!
By Hilfskreuzer (Auxiliary Cruiser / Raider) - Atlantis (bismarck-class.dk)
Select nao autorizado. You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'and a.id <> 1738 order by ordem asc' at line 1