syscom3
Pacific Historian
The USS Omaha (CL-4) and the German commerce raider Odenwald:
I was looking at information about the post WW1 light cruisers of this class and found this gem of a bit of trivia.
from wiki: USS Omaha (CL-4) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
" .... Just prior to the US entry into World War II, on 6 November 1941, while on neutrality patrol with Somers in the mid-Atlantic near the Equator, Omaha sighted a vessel which aroused much suspicion by her actions. Refusing to satisfactorily identify herself, and taking evasive action, the stranger was ordered to heave to. She flew the American flag and carried the name Willmoto of Philadelphia on her stern.
As Omaha's crew dispatched a boarding party to a striken freighter, its crew took to lifeboats and hoisted a signal which indicated that the ship was sinking. When their party pulled alongside, they could hear explosions from within the hull, while one of the fleeing crewmen shouted "This is a German ship and she is sinking!" In short order, the men of Omaha - despite the extreme risk - salvaged the vessel, rendered her safe and had her underway for Puerto Rico. The "freighter", as it turned out, was the German commerce raider Odenwald.
Odenwald was taken to Puerto Rico. An admiralty court ruled that since the ship was illegally claiming American registration, there was sufficient grounds for confiscation. A legal case was started claiming that the crews of the two American ships had salvage rights because Odenwald's crew attempting to scuttle the ship was the equivalent of abandoning her. The court case - settled in 1947 - ruled the members of the boarding party and the prize crew were entitled to $3,000 apiece while all the other crewmen in Omaha and Somers were entitled to two months' pay and allowances. This was the last prize money awarded by the US Navy."
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I was looking at information about the post WW1 light cruisers of this class and found this gem of a bit of trivia.
from wiki: USS Omaha (CL-4) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
" .... Just prior to the US entry into World War II, on 6 November 1941, while on neutrality patrol with Somers in the mid-Atlantic near the Equator, Omaha sighted a vessel which aroused much suspicion by her actions. Refusing to satisfactorily identify herself, and taking evasive action, the stranger was ordered to heave to. She flew the American flag and carried the name Willmoto of Philadelphia on her stern.
As Omaha's crew dispatched a boarding party to a striken freighter, its crew took to lifeboats and hoisted a signal which indicated that the ship was sinking. When their party pulled alongside, they could hear explosions from within the hull, while one of the fleeing crewmen shouted "This is a German ship and she is sinking!" In short order, the men of Omaha - despite the extreme risk - salvaged the vessel, rendered her safe and had her underway for Puerto Rico. The "freighter", as it turned out, was the German commerce raider Odenwald.
Odenwald was taken to Puerto Rico. An admiralty court ruled that since the ship was illegally claiming American registration, there was sufficient grounds for confiscation. A legal case was started claiming that the crews of the two American ships had salvage rights because Odenwald's crew attempting to scuttle the ship was the equivalent of abandoning her. The court case - settled in 1947 - ruled the members of the boarding party and the prize crew were entitled to $3,000 apiece while all the other crewmen in Omaha and Somers were entitled to two months' pay and allowances. This was the last prize money awarded by the US Navy."
StrategyPage.com - Combat Information Center analysis, facts and figures about military conflicts and leaders
