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Heroes


Attack

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The German raider Atlantis

At about 0555 hrs on 17 April the German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis opened fire on Zamzam from a range of about 3.5 nautical miles (6 km).[29] Nine 150 mm shells hit Atlantis' port side, injuring several passengers and crew, including the ship's doctor.[30] Zamzam's engine room was holed below the waterline,[29] causing her to list to port.[27] Her wireless aerials were destroyed,[29] and there was damage to her passenger accommodation, Master's quarters, and funnel. Atlantis ceased firing after about 10 minutes.[30]

Nearly all of Zamzam's passengers and crew abandoned ship, but shellfire had destroyed one lifeboat[30] and damaged two others.[31] The damaged boats were swamped shortly after being launched,[31] including that carrying Mrs Danielson and her children, all of whom ended up in the water.[20] Some passengers jumped from Zamzam into the sea.[17] The ambulance drivers looked after women and children, treated the wounded, and pulled people out of the sea into the boats and liferafts.[32]

When all the boats and rafts had been launched, Captain Smith was left on his ship with his Chief Officer, Chief Engineer, six ambulance drivers and a four-year-old girl who had become separated from her parents.[31]


Rescue

Atlantis rescued all survivors from the boats, from the water, and the group left on Zamzam. Atlantis' Captain, Bernhard Rogge, sent a boarding party aboard Zamzam that searched her chartroom and Master's quarters,[33] removed supplies and personal possessions. At about 1400 hrs the boarding party scuttled Zamzam with three explosive charges.[27]

Scherman was in lifeboat number one. He photographed Zamzam being abandoned, and after he reached Atlantis, a German officer encouraged him to photograph Zamzam being scuttled. Atlantis' crew confiscated some of his films, but he managed to keep four rolls hidden.[17]


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Dresden in 1937

The next day Atlantis met her supply ship, Dresden [de], to whom all Zamzam's survivors and their luggage were transferred except three who were too seriously wounded.[34] Atlantis and Dresden parted, but they met again on 28 April. A delegation of survivors met Rogge on Atlantis and asked for more food to be transferred to Dresden, and for the US and other neutral survivors to be put ashore in South America to avoid the danger Dresden would face when running the Royal Navy blockade to reach Europe.[35]

After conferring with his officers, Rogge said Dresden would look for a neutral ship to which to transfer survivors. Failing that, Dresden would approach the Brazilian coast and try to find a Brazilian coaster to take them. Only as a last resort would Dresden enter a neutral port to put survivors ashore. With that, Atlantis and Dresden parted again.[35]

The next day one of the wounded, tobacco merchant Ned Laughinghouse, died aboard Atlantis.[11] He had suffered a shrapnel wound to the skull during the shelling.

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