German Raider Atlantis by Wolfgang Frank

Author:Wolfgang Frank [Frank, Wolfgang]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 2011-07-29T17:03:36+00:00

The Teddy, a 6,748-ton ship, was carrying 10,000 tons of fuel oil from Abadan to Singapore. I placed a prize-crew under Sub-Lieutenant Breuers aboard her and told him to take her to a rendezvous some five hundred miles to the south. Her Norwegian master, Captain Torlutken, said that he had five hundred tons of Diesel oil in his bunkers, but I left it until later before deciding whether Atlantis should take this over for herself or whether the prize should be sailed to Japan; visibility at the moment was too bad to start transferring oil and I did not want to risk being surprised. The moon had set and with frequent rain-squalls making the night still darker, it became difficult to manoeuvre the two ships. Then our first cutter had a mishap, getting a cable round its propeller so that it had to be towed in by another launch; and when that had been accomplished the second launch lost its rudder while on the way to take the rest of the Norwegians off their ship. An attempt to steer with ropes was not successful and in the end we had to launch yet another boat to take the orders to the prize-crew and to bring in the first one.

The captured tanker was sailed to position 'Mangrove', slightly south of the Equator, where we were due to meet her again after making a sortie into the Gulf of Bengal. I had also decided that we would take over her Diesel oil and 1,000 tons of fuel-oil and then sink her. I had reached this decision when I realized that the Teddy's five hundred tons of Diesel fuel would increase Atlantis's endurance by another two months. The need to be self-supporting was of paramount importance, more important than holding the Teddy in reserve for the oil-fuel-burning Orion. I should add that my decision was largely influenced by the complete lack of any comprehensive Naval Staff directive or pre-arranged code-groups concerning the capture of tankers, or of adequate foresight in planning mutual support between Diesel-engined and oil-burning raiders.

Almost at the same time the Pinguin had captured a tanker off Australia that was carrying 10,000 tons of Diesel oil. As there was no special groups for signalling about tankers, the Pinguin merely reported that her bunkers were topped up.

Had she signalled, 'I have 10,000 tons of Diesel oil available,' I would have known that she had more than enough fuel for Atlantis and it would not have been necessary to sink the Teddy; she could have been either despatched as an oiler for the Orion or sent to Japan.

Within twenty-four hours we had achieved our next success. After taking off in calm weather, the seaplane returned to report sighting an eastbound ship to the north. I at once shaped course to bring Atlantis up with her after dark. We worked up to full speed and as night fell with the usual suddenness of the tropics, the enemy appeared exactly as scheduled. At the same

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