The Laconia Sinking - 1942

 On 12 September 1942, 130 miles from Ascension Island, the British ship Laconia was hit by a torpedo from  German U-boat U-156. The ship was carrying 1,800 Italian POW's. In addition there were also 160 Polish guards who were tasked with the care of those prisoners. There were also 268 British Sailors, soldiers and nurses, the majority of whom were women. There were approximately 2,200 souls aboard her. 

The ship was a Cunard liner pressed into service for the war  She was hit by a second torpedo and sank.

The ship's Commander, Captain Sharp, ordered the women, children and injured into what was left of the lifeboats, most of which had been destroyed by the second torpedo. The Italian POW's were mostly killed, though a handful did survive, along with some of their Polish captors. The Italian survivors were denied entry into the lifeboats and some were even shot and bayoneted by the Polish guards. Only 415 of the 1,800 POW's survived. Most of the British and Polish survived.

The ship then sank and Captain Sharp, along with the remaining Italian prisoners were still aboard. Those who escaped were adrift in shark infested waters along with the few remaining lifeboats, which were all full of the women, children and injured. There was little hope of rescue. It was just 40 years after the loss of the Titanic.

Here is where the story takes an interesting turn. The U--boat Commander, Kapitanleutnant Werner Hartenstein, upon realizing that there were civilians, as well as POW's aboard the lifeboats, and some adrift in the water, ordered his U-boat to surface and commence rescue operations. In addition he sent for other U-boats to come and assist in this operation. 

Again, another tragic twist of fate ensued. The other U-boats who came to assist him all flew Red Cross flags as required, and even signalled that a rescue operation was underway. In spite of this, by the following morning, with rescue operations still ongoing, a USAAF B-24 Liberator sighted the U-boats and the survivors. 

In spite of the Red Cross flags and the non coded message concerning the rescue, even listing the coordinates of the U-boats, in violation of their orders to remain at radio silence to avoid detection, the B-24 attacked both the U-boats and the survivors of the Laconia. 

Hartenstein even radioed the plane to apprise Captain Richardson on the B-24 of the situation. His message was ignored and the attack continued.  Later, when Richardson said he never received the original communication from Ascension, this proved that he was not telling the truth and that there was no excuse for his actions, which forced the U-boats to submerge with their decks crowded with injured and other survivors, including the lifeboats being towed.

The result of this incident led to the Laconia Order by Admiral Donitz, which stated that hereafter his U-boat commanders were not to rescue survivors after attacks. 

Even with Vichy French ships subsequently rescuing 1,083 persons from the lifeboats and taking  aboard those picked up by the four submarines, only about 1,000  survived the sinking. The rest were lost. As a result of Captain Richardson, as many people died from the Laconia's sinking than were lost by the Titanic. In total, 98 crewmembers, 133 passengers, 33 Polish guards and about 1,400 Italian POW's perished. 

Of Titanic's total of 2,240 passengers and crew, only 706 passengers and crew survived. 1,500 were lost.

War is hell, and this incident highlights the savegry of both sides. It also highlights the assertion that in war, there are no real winners.