# laconia



## aleddy

Has anyone information on the liner that burnt and sank as laconia


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## ruud

Ahoy aleddy,

LACONIA (September 12, 1942)

British Cunard Line luxury liner (19,695 tons) converted to a transport ship, was torpedoed and sunk by the _U-156__, _commanded by Kptlt. Werner Hartenstein. The ship was carrying over 1,800 Italian prisoners of war captured in North Africa and guarded by 160 Polish guards, former Russian prisoners of war. Also on board were 268 British military and civilian personnel including 80 women and children. About 500 POW's were killed instantly when the torpedoes hit the prison holds. Over 200 survivors were picked up by the _U-156_ helped by the _U-506_ and _U-507_ and then the U-boats in turn were attacked by an American four-engined Liberator of the USAF 343 Squadron from the US base on Ascension Island. Even though they displayed a large Red Cross flag, the plane dropped three depth charges. Altogether, including the crew, 2,732 persons were on board the _Laconia _when attacked. A total of 1,649 lives were lost including the captain, Rudolf Sharpe (ex-Lancastria). Vichy naval craft picked up 1,083 survivors. This incident caused the German Naval Authorities to issue the 'Laconia Order' by which all U-boat captains were forbidden to pick up survivors. At the Nuremberg Trials, Grand Admiral Doenitz was accused of a war crime by signing the order, but was acquitted on that charge only to spend 11 years and 6 months in prison for other war crimes.

And a link:
http://www.uboataces.com/battle-laconia.shtml

http://wernerhartenstein.tripod.com/U156Laconia.htm

It seems that the Url's don't work, in that case just type the name :
*wernerhartenstein* in Google and you will find the story about the Laconia


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## hawkey01

Alreddy, as Ruud has given you all the info on the British Laconia, I was wondering if maybe you were thinking of the Greek Lakonia. Originally built for Nederland Line in 1930 as the Johan Van Oldenbarnevelt. Sold to Greek line in 1962. On Dec19th 1963 she sailed for a Christmas cruise from Southampton,
carrying some 650 passengers. Off Madeira she caught fire and subsequently sank with the loss of 90 passengers and 31 crew. 
Regards
Hawkey01.
I actually posted a picture of her yesterday.


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## aleddy

*Laconia*

Hi Ruud
Hi Hawkeye 01
I really had this one upside down and inside out.
The wartime occurrence I did not know of and I shall look for more information on that, by coincidence at the moment I am reading Lusitania by Colin Simpson Published 1972, old I realise, and more recent information is available but I am enjoying the read.
I had thought until you both put me straight that the 63 sinking was the Cunard Laconia and it was strange that the new owners had retained her original name.
Even thought it had happened in 59 when I was still at school because I knew I was home in Belfast at the time, just so happens when it happened in 63 I was home in Belfast on leave and between ships
Cheers fellas
aleddy


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## Bruce Carson

Hi:
Wikipedia has thumbnails of the 'Lakonia' burning:

http://tinyurl.com/ledtt

Bruce C.

There is something wrong with pasting process of the URL: it keeps picking up before and after the address.
Copy and paste:
http://tinyurl.com/ledtt


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## aleddy

Hi Bruce,
Got that url and filed it in favourites for later reading.
Did'nt she get big changes during her 58 refit.
Cheers
Ted


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## picktish bull

Hello ruud,

I am researching the Laconia sinking as i am writing the story of one one her survivors and have asked for help as to her itinery and dates from Suez to the pointy of attack. i was interested to see your reply in 2006 to a thread from aleddy in which you said that the master of the Laconia, Rudolph Sharpe was ex-Lancastria. was he the Master of the Lancastria when she was attacked at St Nazaire or had he left her by then. i knew a survivor of the Lancastria too, who sadly died last year.

Thanks for your help, 
pictish bull


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## fred henderson

To clear up the understandable confusion, there were two passenger ships, with very similar names, that sank with considerable loss of life. Both tragedies are covered in detail in my SN Directories articles. 

The Cunard intermediate liner Laconia was torpedoed in 1942. The aftermath of her sinking was highly controversial, as will be seen in: -
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/Passenger_Ship_Disasters_-_Part_7#Laconia

The loss of the Greek Line cruise ship Lakonia through fire in 1963 was also controversial, as will be seen in: -
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/Passenger_Ship_Disasters_-_Part_2#Lakonia


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## picktish bull

Hello Fred,

Very many thanks for your link to the Laconia. That is extremely helpful and I am very grateful to you. Am I able to use the photograph of the Laconia, please to illustrate my text?

Interesting to see that Rudolph Sharp was the master of the Lancastria as well and very sad that he was lost on the Laconia, having survived the terrible loss of life on the Lancastria. 

kind regards, 
pictish bull


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## Ron Dean

hawkey01 said:


> Alreddy, as Ruud has given you all the info on the British Laconia, I was wondering if maybe you were thinking of the Greek Lakonia. Originally built for Nederland Line in 1930 as the Johan Van Oldenbarnevelt. Sold to Greek line in 1962. On Dec19th 1963 she sailed for a Christmas cruise from Southampton,
> carrying some 650 passengers. Off Madeira she caught fire and subsequently sank with the loss of 90 passengers and 31 crew.
> Regards
> Hawkey01.
> I actually posted a picture of her yesterday.


hawkeye - I well remember the J.v.O.
I posted on the thread SS/MV Lakonia in January of this year, an extract of my posting is as follows:-
I remember that on entering the port of Rotterdam, we jumped the queue ahead of the "Nieuw Amsterdam" (the Dutch flagship at that time) and the "Johan van Oldenbarnveldt" - an immigrant ship which was later sold to Greece and renamed the "Lakonia". The Lakonia caught fire & sank with the loss of 117 lives in the Atlantic 250 miles west of Gibraltar whilst on a Christmas Cruise in 1963.
I remember comparing the pictures blazoned on the front page of the newspaper, with one I had taken 5 years previously of the J.v.O. and subsequently reading that it was the same ship.

I note that the loss of life figures I quoted are at variance with yours. I'm not sure where I sourced the information for my figures.

Ron.


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## hawkey01

Ron,

just read yours. I truly cannot remember now where I got my research figures from. However it is a difference of 4 total. A sad loss of life which ever is the definitive number.

Hawkey01


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