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Coordinates: 2°34′N 70°56′E / 2.567°N 70.933°E / 2.567; 70.933
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{{Short description|British refrigerated cargo ship (1921–1940)}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=December 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2020}}
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{{Infobox ship career
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
| Hide header =
|Ship country=
| Ship country = [[United Kingdom]]
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|UK|civil}}
|Ship flag=[[File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|60px]]
|Ship name=SS ''Automedon''
| Ship name = ''Automedon''
| Ship namesake = [[Automedon]]
|Ship operator=[[Blue Funnel Line|Alfred Holt and Company]]
| Ship owner = [[Blue Funnel Line|Ocean Steamship Co Ltd]]
|Ship ordered=
| Ship operator = [[Blue Funnel Line|Alfred Holt & Co]]
|Ship builder=Palmer's Shipbuilding and Iron Company, [[Jarrow]]
| Ship registry = [[Port of Liverpool|Liverpool]]
|Ship yard number=
|Ship laid down=
| Ship route =
|Ship launched=1922
| Ship ordered =
| Ship builder = [[Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company|Palmers Sb and Iron Co]], [[Jarrow]]
|Ship completed=
|Ship renamed=
| Ship original cost =
|Ship acquired=
| Ship yard number = 920
|Ship in service=
| Ship laid down =
|Ship out of service=
| Ship launched = 4 December 1921
| Ship sponsor =
|Ship fate=Sunk 11 November 1940 by German surface raider ''[[German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis|Atlantis]]''
|Ship status=
| Ship completed = March 1922
|Ship notes=
| Ship maiden voyage =
| Ship acquired =
| Ship in service =
| Ship out of service =
| Ship identification = *UK [[official number]] 147203
*[[Code letters]] KNQG (until 1933)
*{{ICS|Kilo}}{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Quebec}}{{ICS|Golf}}
*[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]] GBZR (1934 onward)
*{{ICS|Golf}}{{ICS|Bravo}}{{ICS|Zulu}}{{ICS|Romeo}}
| Ship fate = [[Scuttling|Scuttled]] 11 November 1940
{{coord|2|34|N|70|56|E|format=dms|type:landmark|display=title,inline}}
| Ship notes =
}}
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
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|Header caption=
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|Ship class= Passenger and cargo steamer
| Ship type = [[Reefer ship|Refrigerated cargo ship]]
|Ship tonnage=7,528 [[Gross Register Tonnage|GRT]]
| Ship tonnage = *1930: {{GRT|7628}}, {{NRT|4782}}
*1933: {{GRT|7607}}, {{NRT|4772}}
|Ship displacement=
*1934: {{GRT|7528}}, {{NRT|4724}}
|Ship length={{convert|459|ft|4|in|abbr=on}}
| Ship displacement =
|Ship beam={{convert|58|ft|4|in|abbr=on}}
| Ship length = {{cvt|459.4|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
| Ship beam = {{cvt|58.4|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=
| Ship draught = {{cvt|26|ft|2|in|abbr=on|2}}
|Ship depth=
| Ship depth = {{cvt|32.6|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft=
|Ship ice class=
| Ship decks = 2
| Ship power = 6,000 [[Horsepower#Shaft horsepower|SHP]]
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship propulsion=steam
| Ship propulsion = *2 × [[Steam turbine#Marine propulsion|steam turbines]]
*1 × [[Propeller|screw]]
|Ship speed={{convert|14|kn|abbr=on}}
| Ship speed = {{convert|14.5|kn|km/h|0}}
|Ship capacity=
| Ship capacity = {{convert|111000|cuft|0}}
|Ship crew=
|Ship notes=
| Ship crew =
| Ship armament =
| Ship sensors = From 1934: wireless [[direction finding]]
| Ship notes = One of a class of 11 [[sister ship]]s
}}
}}
|}
|}


The '''SS ''Automedon''''' was a passenger and cargo steamer which was shelled and sunk on 11 November 1940 during [[World War II]] by the German surface raider ''[[German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis|Atlantis]]''. She was carrying Top Secret documents to the [[British Far East Command]], the capture of which is thought by some{{who|date=November 2013}} to have played a prominent part in the Japanese decision to enter World War II.
'''SS ''Automedon''''' was a [[Blue Funnel Line]] [[Reefer ship|refrigerated cargo]] [[steamship]]. She was launched in 1921 on the [[River Tyne]] as one of a class of 11 ships to replace many of Blue Funnel's losses in the [[World War I|First World War]].


A converted German auxiliary cruiser and [[merchant raider]] [[German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis|Atlantis]] captured and [[Scuttling|scuttled]] ''Automedon'' in 1940 in the [[Indian Ocean]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1949-12-01 |title=The Cruise of the German Raider Atlantis, 1940 - 1941 |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1949/december/cruise-german-raider-atlantis-1940-1941 |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=U.S. Naval Institute |language=en}}</ref> Her capture is notable because she was carrying [[Classified information#Top Secret (TS)|top secret]] documents addressed to the [[British Far East Command]]. Their capture may have influenced [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]'s decision to enter the [[World War II|Second World War]].
==History==
At around 07:00 on 11 November 1940, ''Automedon'' encountered the German surface raider ''Atlantis'' about {{convert|250|mi|abbr=on}} northwest of [[Sumatra]], approaching on a heading that would bring the two ships close together. At 08:20, when the ''Automedon'' was less than 5000 metres away, ''Atlantis'' ran up her German ensign and uncovered her guns. ''Automedon'' at once responded by transmitting a distress signal, but only managed to send "RRR – Automedon – 0416N" ("RRR" meant "under attack by armed raider") before the Germans jammed her transmissions.<ref name=duffy>Duffy, pp. 22–24</ref>


[[Automedon]] was [[Achilles]]' [[chariot]]eer in [[Homer]]'s ''[[Iliad]]''. This was the first of three Blue Funnel Line ships to be named after him. The second was a [[motor ship]] launched in 1949 and scrapped in 1972.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/A-Ships/automedon1949.html |title=Automedon |work=Tyne Built Ships |publisher=Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust |access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref> The third was a motor ship launched in 1948 as ''Cyclops'', renamed ''Automedon'' in 1975 and scrapped in 1977.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://clydeships.co.uk/view.php?year_built=&builder=&ref=17502&vessel=CYCLOPS |title=Cyclops |work=Scottish Built Ships |publisher=Caledonian Maritime Research Trust |access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref>
The ''Atlantis''{{'}} gunners then opened fire from a range of 2000 metres, four salvos hitting ''Automedon''{{'}}s bridge and midsection. The first shells destroyed ''Automedon''{{'}}s bridge, killing everyone present there including her captain and all her officers. The ''Automedon'' was still steaming at full speed and a crewman attempted to reach her stern gun to return fire. A final salvo was fired which hit the ship, killing the would-be gunner and stopping her.


==A new class of Blue Funnel Line ships==
When the ''Atlantis''{{'}} boarding party went on board the ''Automedon'' they were met by the vessel's first mate. Ulrich Mohr of the ''Atlantis'' later said that the ship was in the worst condition he had ever seen; the close-range shelling had destroyed virtually every structure above the hull, and nothing was left undamaged. Six crew members had been killed and 12 injured; six of the injured were at once transferred to the ''Atlantis'' for medical assistance.<ref name=duffy/>
Blue Funnel Line lost 16 ships in the First World War. Thereafter the company replaced its fleet, mainly with a class of 11 new steamships of about {{cvt|460|ft|abbr=on}} [[Length between perpendiculars|registered length]], {{cvt|58|ft|abbr=on}} [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] and [[tonnage]] of about {{GRT|7500}}, all launched between 1920 and 1923.{{sfn|Le Fleming|1961|pp=24, 48, 49}}


[[File:Postcard of SS Meriones dated 1923.jpg|thumb|''Automedon''{{'}}s [[sister ship]] {{SS|Meriones||2}}]]
The freighter's cargo of crated [[aircraft]], [[motor car]]s, spare parts, [[liquor]], [[cigarette]]s, and [[food]] bound for [[Penang]], [[Singapore]], [[Hong Kong]] and [[Shanghai]] was valuable but of little use to the ''Atlantis'', so no thought was given to salvaging any of it. A thorough search of the ship, however, found 15 bags of [[Top Secret]] mail for the [[British Far East Command]], including a large quantity of decoding tables, Fleet orders, gunnery instructions, and Naval Intelligence reports. The most significant find was, however, a small green bag discovered in the chart room near the bridge. Marked "Highly Confidential" and equipped with holes to allow it to sink if it had to be thrown overboard, the bag contained an envelope addressed to [[Robert Brooke Popham]], Commander-in-Chief of the [[British Far East Command]]. The envelope contained documents prepared by the [[British War Cabinet]]'s Planning Division which included their evaluations of the strength and status of British land and naval forces in the Far East, a detailed report on Singapore's defenses, and information on the roles to be played by [[Australia]]n and [[New Zealand]] forces in the Far East in the event that Japan entered the war on the Axis side.
Blue Funnel ordered members of the new class from five different shipyards. [[Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company]] built two, ''Automedon'' at [[Jarrow]] and {{SS|Meriones||2}} at [[Hebburn]], both launched in 1921.<ref name=TBS>{{cite web |url= http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/A-Ships/automedon1922.html |title=Automedon |work=Tyne Built Ships |publisher=Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust |access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/M-Ships/meriones1922.html |title=Meriones |work=Tyne Built Ships |publisher=Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust |access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref>


Palmers launched ''Automedon'' on 4 December 1921 and completed her in March 1922. Like most members of the class, she was powered by two [[Steam turbine#Marine propulsion|steam turbines]], which drove a single [[Propeller|screw]] via [[Gear train|double reduction gearing]]. Between them her turbines developed 6,000 [[Horsepower#Shaft horsepower|SHP]] and gave her a speed of {{convert|14.5|kn|km/h|0}}.<ref name=TBS/> Her holds had refrigerated space for {{convert|111000|cuft|0}} of cargo.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/30/30a0596.pdf |year=1930 |title=Lloyd's Register |chapter=List of Vessels Fitted with Refrigerating Appliances |volume=I |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register |access-date=19 December 2020}}</ref>
Captain [[Bernhard Rogge]] of the ''Atlantis'' set a time limit of three hours during which time 31 British and 56 Chinese crewmen, 3 passengers, their possessions, all the frozen meat and food and the ship's papers and mail bags were transferred. He was concerned about the situation as another ship observing the two stationary vessels would quickly guess what was happening and send a radio message before any action could be taken by the ''Atlantis''. ''Automedon'' was sunk by scuttling charges at 15:07 after being judged too badly damaged to tow. Her survivors eventually reached [[Bordeaux]], [[France]], aboard the captured Norwegian tanker ''Storstad''.


In 1934 ''Automedon''{{'}}s [[code letters]] KNQG<ref>{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/33/33b0082.pdf |year=1933 |title=Lloyd's Register |chapter=Steamers & Motorships |volume=II |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register |via=Plimsoll Ship Data |access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref> were superseded by the [[Maritime call sign|call sign]] GBZR, and she was fitted with wireless [[direction finding]].<ref>{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/34/34b0085.pdf |year=1934 |title=Lloyd's Register |chapter=Steamers & Motorships |volume=II |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register |via=Plimsoll Ship Data |access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref>
Captain Rogge soon realised the importance of the intelligence material he had captured from the ''Automedon'' and quickly transferred the documents onto the vessel ''Ole Jacob'', captured earlier, ordering Lieutenant Commander Paul Kamenz and six of his crew to take charge of the vessel and convey the captured material to the German representatives in Japan.<ref>Slavick, p. 113</ref>


==Second World War service==
After an uneventful voyage ''Ole Jacob'' arrived in [[Kobe]], [[Japan]], on 4 December 1940. The mail reached the German [[embassy]] in [[Tokyo]], on 5 December, and was then hand-carried to [[Berlin]] via the [[Trans-Siberian railway]]. A copy was given to the Japanese and it is sometimes argued{{by whom}} that this played a prominent part in the Japanese decision to initiate what it referred to as the "[[Greater East Asia War]]". Following Japan's entry into the war and the fall of Singapore, Capt. Rogge was presented with an ornate [[katana]] on 27 April 1943; Japan only ever presented three such swords, the other two being to [[Hermann Göring]] and [[Erwin Rommel]].<ref>Slavick, p. 237</ref>
In the Second World War ''Automedon'' mostly sailed unescorted. When the war began in September 1939 she was en route from Britain to Australia via the [[Suez Canal]] and [[Port of Colombo|Colombo]]. She returned by the same route, reaching [[Port of Liverpool|Liverpool]] on 3 March 1940.<ref name=Hague>{{cite web |url= http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/ports/index.html?search.php?vessel=AUTOMEDON~armain |last=Hague |first=Arnold |title=Ship Movements |work=Port Arrivals / Departures |publisher=Don Kindell, Convoyweb |access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref>


On 31 March 1940 ''Automedon'' left Liverpool for Australia, but this time sailed via [[Freetown]] in [[Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate|Sierra Leone]] and [[Port of Durban|Durban]] in [[Union of South Africa|South Africa]]. She returned by the same route, reaching Liverpool on 21 August.<ref name=Hague/>
==Notes==

==Final voyage and loss==
On 25 September 1940 ''Automedon'' left Liverpool for the [[Far East]]. She sailed with [[SL convoys|Convoy SL]] 42, which took her as far as Freetown. She then sailed unescorted to Durban, where she was in port from 25 to 29 October.<ref name=Hague/> Her cargo included crated aircraft, motor cars, spare parts, liquor, cigarettes, bagged mail, and food including frozen meat, bound for [[Penang]], [[Singapore]], [[Hong Kong]] and [[Shanghai]].{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

[[File:German raider Atlantis as Tamesis.jpg|thumb|The {{ship|German auxiliary cruiser|Atlantis}}]]
At about 0700 hrs on 11 November 1940, the {{ship|German auxiliary cruiser|Atlantis}} intercepted ''Automedon'' about {{convert|250|nmi|km|abbr=out}} northwest of [[Sumatra]], approaching on a heading that would bring the two ships close together. At 0820 hrs when ''Automedon'' was less than {{convert|5000|m|ft}} away, ''Atlantis'' raised her German ensign and uncovered her guns. ''Automedon'' at once responded by transmitting a distress signal, but managed to send only "RRR – Automedon – 0416N" ("RRR" meant "under attack by armed raider") before ''Atlantis'' [[Radio jamming|jammed]] her transmission.{{sfn|Duffy|2005|pp=22–24}}

''Atlantis'' then opened fire from a range of {{convert|2000|m}}, four [[salvo]]s hitting ''Automedon'' amidships. The first shells destroyed ''Automedon''{{'}}s bridge, killing everyone present except her helmsman, [[Stan Hugill]]. Her [[Master mariner|Master]], William Brown Ewan, was on the bridge and was among those killed. ''Automedon'' was still steaming full ahead and a crewman tried to reach the [[Defensively equipped merchant ship|DEMS]] gun on her stern to return fire. ''Atlantis'' fired a final salvo which hit the ship, killing the would-be gunner and stopping ''Automedon''.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

''Automedon''{{'}}s [[Chief mate|chief officer]] met ''Atlantis''{{'}} boarding party when they came aboard. [[Ulrich Mohr]] of ''Atlantis'' later said ''Automedon'' was in the worst condition he had ever seen; the close-range shelling had destroyed virtually every structure above the hull, and nothing was left undamaged. Six crew members had been killed and 12 wounded. Six of the wounded were at once transferred to ''Atlantis'' for medical treatment.{{sfn|Duffy|2005|pp=22–24}}

After passenger Mrs. Violet Ferguson asked that her tea-set be rescued, the strongroom was discovered. A thorough search of ''Automedon'' found 15 bags of top secret mail for the British Far East Command, including a large quantity of decoding tables, Fleet orders, gunnery instructions, and Naval Intelligence reports. The most significant find was a small green bag found in the chart room near the bridge. Marked "Highly Confidential" and equipped with holes to help it to sink if it had to be thrown overboard, the bag contained an envelope addressed to [[Robert Brooke Popham]], Commander-in-Chief of the British Far East Command. The envelope contained documents prepared by the [[British War Cabinet]]'s Planning Division which included their evaluations of the strength and status of British land and naval forces in the Far East, a detailed report on Singapore's defences, and information on the roles to be played by Australian and New Zealand forces in the Far East in the event that Japan entered the war on the Axis side.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/ss-automedon|title=The Remarkable Story of the SS Automedon|website=Australian War Memorial}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2007/01/07/books/book-reviews/how-one-merchant-ship-doomed-a-colony/|title=How one merchant ship doomed a colony|first=Hugh|last=Cortazzi|date=7 January 2007|newspaper=The Japan Times}}</ref>

Captain [[Bernhard Rogge (Naval officer)|Bernhard Rogge]] of ''Atlantis'' set a time limit of three hours in which 31 British and 56 Chinese crewmen, three passengers, their possessions, all the frozen meat and food and the ship's papers and bags of mail were transferred. He was concerned as another ship observing the two stationary vessels would quickly guess what was happening and send a radio message before ''Atlantis'' could take any action. ''Automedon'' was judged too badly damaged to tow, so at 1507 hrs she was sunk by scuttling charges. Her survivors eventually reached [[Bordeaux]] aboard the captured Norwegian tanker ''Storstad''.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

Captain Rogge realised the importance of the intelligence material he had captured from ''Automedon'' and quickly transferred the documents to the ship ''Ole Jacob'', captured earlier, ordering [[Korvettenkapitän|KKpt]] Paul Kamenz and six of his crew to take charge of the ship and take the captured material to the German representatives in Japan.{{sfn|Slavic|2003|p=113}}

On 4 December 1940 ''Ole Jacob'' reached [[Port of Kobe|Kobe]], Japan. The mail reached the German embassy in [[Tokyo]] on 5 December, and was then hand-carried to [[Berlin]] via the [[Trans-Siberian railway]]. A copy was given to the Japanese Government, and some argue that it influenced the Japanese decision to start what it called the "[[Greater East Asia War]]".{{sfn|Arnold|2011|pp=79–92}} After Japan's entry into the war and the [[Battle of Singapore|fall of Singapore]], Captain Rogge was awarded an ornate [[katana]] on 27 April 1943. Japan only ever presented three such swords to foreigners, the others being to [[Hermann Göring]] and [[Erwin Rommel]].{{sfn|Slavic|2003|p=237}}

== Citations ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


== General bibliography ==
==References==
*{{cite book | last = Duffy | first = James P. | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Hitler's Secret Pirate Fleet: The Deadliest Ships of World War&nbsp;II | publisher = University of Nebraska Press | date = 2005 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0-8032-6652-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Arnold |first=Michael |year=2011 |title=Sacrifice of Singapore: Churchill's Biggest Blunder |place=Singapore |publisher=Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd |pages=79–92 |isbn=9789814435437 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=hQaJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA79 }}
*{{cite book | last = Slavick | first = Joseph P. | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The Cruise of the German Raider Atlantis | publisher = Naval Institute Press | date = 2003 | location = | page = 111 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 1-55750-537-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Duffy |first=James P |year=2005 |title=Hitler's Secret Pirate Fleet: The Deadliest Ships of World War II |place=Lincoln, NE |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |isbn=0-8032-6652-9 }}
* {{cite book |last=Le Fleming |first=HM |year=1961 |title=Ships of the Blue Funnel Line |place=Southampton |publisher=[[Adlard Coles Nautical|Adlard Coles Ltd]] }}
* Seki, Eiji. (2006). [http://books.google.com/books?id=u5KgAAAACAAJ ''Mrs. Ferguson's Tea-Set, Japan and the Second World War: The Global Consequences Following Germany's Sinking of the SS Automedon in 1940.''] London: [[Global Oriental]]. ISBN 978-1-905246-28-1 (cloth) [reprinted by [[University of Hawaii Press]], Honolulu, 2007] -- [http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/cart/shopcore/?db_name=uhpress&page=shop/flypage&product_id=4475&PHPSESSID=75b7d372eb6f6c4d747ec0a150c42ead previously announced as ''Sinking of the SS Automedon and the Role of the Japanese Navy: A New Interpretation''].
* {{cite book |last=Seki |first=Eiji |year=2006 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=u5KgAAAACAAJ |title=Mrs. Ferguson's Tea-Set, Japan and the Second World War: The Global Consequences Following Germany's Sinking of the SS ''Automedon'' in 1940 |location= London|publisher= [[Global Oriental]]|isbn= 978-1-905246-28-1}}
*[http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/automedon.html SS Automedon - The ship that doomed a colony]
* {{cite book |last=Slavic |first=Joseph P |year=2003 |title=The Cruise of the German Raider Atlantis |place=Annapolis, MD |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=1-55750-537-3 |page=111 }}


==External links==
{{coord|2|34|N|70|56|E|display=title}}
*{{cite news |url= https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2007/01/07/books/book-reviews/how-one-merchant-ship-doomed-a-colony/ |last=Cortazzi |first=Hugh |author-link=Hugh Cortazzi
|title=How one merchant ship doomed a colony |newspaper=[[The Japan Times]] |date=7 January 2007}}

{{November 1940 shipwrecks}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Automedon}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Automedon}}
[[Category:1921 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in November 1940]]
[[Category:Ships built by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company]]
[[Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:World War II merchant ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:World War II merchant ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1922 ships]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in November 1940]]
[[Category:Ships of the Blue Funnel Line]]

Latest revision as of 20:10, 4 December 2024

History
United Kingdom
NameAutomedon
NamesakeAutomedon
OwnerOcean Steamship Co Ltd
OperatorAlfred Holt & Co
Port of registryLiverpool
BuilderPalmers Sb and Iron Co, Jarrow
Yard number920
Launched4 December 1921
CompletedMarch 1922
Identification
FateScuttled 11 November 1940 2°34′N 70°56′E / 2.567°N 70.933°E / 2.567; 70.933
General characteristics
TypeRefrigerated cargo ship
Tonnage
Length459.4 ft (140.0 m)
Beam58.4 ft (17.8 m)
Draught26 ft 2 in (7.98 m)
Depth32.6 ft (9.9 m)
Decks2
Installed power6,000 SHP
Propulsion
Speed14.5 knots (27 km/h)
Capacity111,000 cubic feet (3,143 m3)
Sensors and
processing systems
From 1934: wireless direction finding
NotesOne of a class of 11 sister ships

SS Automedon was a Blue Funnel Line refrigerated cargo steamship. She was launched in 1921 on the River Tyne as one of a class of 11 ships to replace many of Blue Funnel's losses in the First World War.

A converted German auxiliary cruiser and merchant raider Atlantis captured and scuttled Automedon in 1940 in the Indian Ocean.[1] Her capture is notable because she was carrying top secret documents addressed to the British Far East Command. Their capture may have influenced Japan's decision to enter the Second World War.

Automedon was Achilles' charioteer in Homer's Iliad. This was the first of three Blue Funnel Line ships to be named after him. The second was a motor ship launched in 1949 and scrapped in 1972.[2] The third was a motor ship launched in 1948 as Cyclops, renamed Automedon in 1975 and scrapped in 1977.[3]

A new class of Blue Funnel Line ships

[edit]

Blue Funnel Line lost 16 ships in the First World War. Thereafter the company replaced its fleet, mainly with a class of 11 new steamships of about 460 ft (140 m) registered length, 58 ft (18 m) beam and tonnage of about 7,500 GRT, all launched between 1920 and 1923.[4]

Automedon's sister ship Meriones

Blue Funnel ordered members of the new class from five different shipyards. Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company built two, Automedon at Jarrow and Meriones at Hebburn, both launched in 1921.[5][6]

Palmers launched Automedon on 4 December 1921 and completed her in March 1922. Like most members of the class, she was powered by two steam turbines, which drove a single screw via double reduction gearing. Between them her turbines developed 6,000 SHP and gave her a speed of 14.5 knots (27 km/h).[5] Her holds had refrigerated space for 111,000 cubic feet (3,143 m3) of cargo.[7]

In 1934 Automedon's code letters KNQG[8] were superseded by the call sign GBZR, and she was fitted with wireless direction finding.[9]

Second World War service

[edit]

In the Second World War Automedon mostly sailed unescorted. When the war began in September 1939 she was en route from Britain to Australia via the Suez Canal and Colombo. She returned by the same route, reaching Liverpool on 3 March 1940.[10]

On 31 March 1940 Automedon left Liverpool for Australia, but this time sailed via Freetown in Sierra Leone and Durban in South Africa. She returned by the same route, reaching Liverpool on 21 August.[10]

Final voyage and loss

[edit]

On 25 September 1940 Automedon left Liverpool for the Far East. She sailed with Convoy SL 42, which took her as far as Freetown. She then sailed unescorted to Durban, where she was in port from 25 to 29 October.[10] Her cargo included crated aircraft, motor cars, spare parts, liquor, cigarettes, bagged mail, and food including frozen meat, bound for Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai.[citation needed]

The German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis

At about 0700 hrs on 11 November 1940, the German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis intercepted Automedon about 250 nautical miles (460 km) northwest of Sumatra, approaching on a heading that would bring the two ships close together. At 0820 hrs when Automedon was less than 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) away, Atlantis raised her German ensign and uncovered her guns. Automedon at once responded by transmitting a distress signal, but managed to send only "RRR – Automedon – 0416N" ("RRR" meant "under attack by armed raider") before Atlantis jammed her transmission.[11]

Atlantis then opened fire from a range of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), four salvos hitting Automedon amidships. The first shells destroyed Automedon's bridge, killing everyone present except her helmsman, Stan Hugill. Her Master, William Brown Ewan, was on the bridge and was among those killed. Automedon was still steaming full ahead and a crewman tried to reach the DEMS gun on her stern to return fire. Atlantis fired a final salvo which hit the ship, killing the would-be gunner and stopping Automedon.[citation needed]

Automedon's chief officer met Atlantis' boarding party when they came aboard. Ulrich Mohr of Atlantis later said Automedon was in the worst condition he had ever seen; the close-range shelling had destroyed virtually every structure above the hull, and nothing was left undamaged. Six crew members had been killed and 12 wounded. Six of the wounded were at once transferred to Atlantis for medical treatment.[11]

After passenger Mrs. Violet Ferguson asked that her tea-set be rescued, the strongroom was discovered. A thorough search of Automedon found 15 bags of top secret mail for the British Far East Command, including a large quantity of decoding tables, Fleet orders, gunnery instructions, and Naval Intelligence reports. The most significant find was a small green bag found in the chart room near the bridge. Marked "Highly Confidential" and equipped with holes to help it to sink if it had to be thrown overboard, the bag contained an envelope addressed to Robert Brooke Popham, Commander-in-Chief of the British Far East Command. The envelope contained documents prepared by the British War Cabinet's Planning Division which included their evaluations of the strength and status of British land and naval forces in the Far East, a detailed report on Singapore's defences, and information on the roles to be played by Australian and New Zealand forces in the Far East in the event that Japan entered the war on the Axis side.[12][13]

Captain Bernhard Rogge of Atlantis set a time limit of three hours in which 31 British and 56 Chinese crewmen, three passengers, their possessions, all the frozen meat and food and the ship's papers and bags of mail were transferred. He was concerned as another ship observing the two stationary vessels would quickly guess what was happening and send a radio message before Atlantis could take any action. Automedon was judged too badly damaged to tow, so at 1507 hrs she was sunk by scuttling charges. Her survivors eventually reached Bordeaux aboard the captured Norwegian tanker Storstad.[citation needed]

Captain Rogge realised the importance of the intelligence material he had captured from Automedon and quickly transferred the documents to the ship Ole Jacob, captured earlier, ordering KKpt Paul Kamenz and six of his crew to take charge of the ship and take the captured material to the German representatives in Japan.[14]

On 4 December 1940 Ole Jacob reached Kobe, Japan. The mail reached the German embassy in Tokyo on 5 December, and was then hand-carried to Berlin via the Trans-Siberian railway. A copy was given to the Japanese Government, and some argue that it influenced the Japanese decision to start what it called the "Greater East Asia War".[15] After Japan's entry into the war and the fall of Singapore, Captain Rogge was awarded an ornate katana on 27 April 1943. Japan only ever presented three such swords to foreigners, the others being to Hermann Göring and Erwin Rommel.[16]

Citations

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  1. ^ "The Cruise of the German Raider Atlantis, 1940 - 1941". U.S. Naval Institute. 1 December 1949. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Automedon". Tyne Built Ships. Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Cyclops". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  4. ^ Le Fleming 1961, pp. 24, 48, 49.
  5. ^ a b "Automedon". Tyne Built Ships. Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Meriones". Tyne Built Ships. Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  7. ^ "List of Vessels Fitted with Refrigerating Appliances". Lloyd's Register (PDF). Vol. I. London: Lloyd's Register. 1930. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Steamers & Motorships". Lloyd's Register (PDF). Vol. II. London: Lloyd's Register. 1933. Retrieved 29 December 2020 – via Plimsoll Ship Data.
  9. ^ "Steamers & Motorships". Lloyd's Register (PDF). Vol. II. London: Lloyd's Register. 1934. Retrieved 29 December 2020 – via Plimsoll Ship Data.
  10. ^ a b c Hague, Arnold. "Ship Movements". Port Arrivals / Departures. Don Kindell, Convoyweb. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  11. ^ a b Duffy 2005, pp. 22–24.
  12. ^ "The Remarkable Story of the SS Automedon". Australian War Memorial.
  13. ^ Cortazzi, Hugh (7 January 2007). "How one merchant ship doomed a colony". The Japan Times.
  14. ^ Slavic 2003, p. 113.
  15. ^ Arnold 2011, pp. 79–92.
  16. ^ Slavic 2003, p. 237.

General bibliography

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