The ship was at sea when war broke, so it followed the instructions issued on September 3 by the Admiralty, namely performing zigzag maneuvers to avoid possible attacks. At around 6:30 p.m. on the 7th, a submarine surfaced to starboard and shortly thereafter opened fire.

The ship’s 25 crew members were ordered to abandon the vessel and gathered in the port-side lifeboat. The commander of the U-boat, Günter Prien, ordered the shelling to cease when the lifeboat was being lowered, and then demanded the castaways approach. During their conversation, he authorized the British to return to the ship to lower another lifeboat if necessary. They could not, however, use the radio to call for help. Since the whaleboat they were in was certified for 35 people, the offer was refused by the British commander.

The German also offered food and water, but the castaways again declined. Prien further told them that the barometer indicated the good weather would continue and that he would notify the first neutral vessel he encountered of their presence.

The ship was sunk after around 40 shells had been fired.

At around 11 p.m., the castaways spotted the lights of the Swedish steamer Castor, which was searching for them after having received the SOS sent by Gartavon’s communications officer at the start of the attack.

Carlos Guerreiro