SS Automedon
Encyclopedia
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 Atlantis
. At the time she was carrying Top Secret documents to the British Far East Command
, the capture of which is thought by some to have played a prominent part in the Japanese decision to enter World War II.
, approaching on a heading that would bring the two ships close together. At 08:20, when the Automedon was less than 5000 yd (4,572 m) 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.
The Atlantis gunners then opened fire from a range of 2000 yd (1,828.8 m), four salvos hitting Automedons bridge and midsection. The first shells destroyed Automedons 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.
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.
The freighter's cargo of crated aircraft, motor cars, spare parts, liquor, cigarettes, 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 Australian and New Zealand forces in the Far East in the event that Japan entered the war on the Axis side.
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 aboard the captured Norwegian tanker Storstad.
Captain Bernhard 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.
After an uneventful voyage Ole Jacob arrived in Kobe
, Japan
, on December 4, 1940. The mail reached the German embassy in Tokyo
, on December 5, and was then hand-carried to Berlin
via the Trans-Siberian railway
. A copy was given to the Japanese and it is sometimes argued 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, Bernhard Rogge
was presented with an ornate katana
Samurai
sword
on 27 April 1943; Japan only ever presented three such swords, the other two being to Hermann Goering and Erwin Rommel
.
German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis
The German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis , known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 16 and to the Royal Navy as Raider-C, was a converted German Hilfskreuzer of the Kriegsmarine, which, during World War II, travelled more than in 602 days, and sank or captured 22 ships totaling...
. At the time she was carrying Top Secret documents to the British Far East Command
British Far East Command
The Far East Command was a British military command which had 2 distinct periods. These were firstly, 18 November 1940 – 7 January 1942 succeeded by the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command , and secondly, 1963 – 1971 succeeded by Australia, New Zealand, and United Kingdom Force...
, the capture of which is thought by some to have played a prominent part in the Japanese decision to enter World War II.
History
At around 07:00 on November 11, 1940, Automedon encountered the German surface raider Atlantis about 250 mi (402.3 km) northwest of SumatraSumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, approaching on a heading that would bring the two ships close together. At 08:20, when the Automedon was less than 5000 yd (4,572 m) 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.
The Atlantis gunners then opened fire from a range of 2000 yd (1,828.8 m), four salvos hitting Automedons bridge and midsection. The first shells destroyed Automedons 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.
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.
The freighter's cargo of crated aircraft, motor cars, spare parts, liquor, cigarettes, 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
Top Secret
Top Secret generally refers to the highest acknowledged level of classified information.Top Secret may also refer to:- Film and television :* Top Secret , a British comedy directed by Mario Zampi...
mail for the British Far East Command
British Far East Command
The Far East Command was a British military command which had 2 distinct periods. These were firstly, 18 November 1940 – 7 January 1942 succeeded by the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command , and secondly, 1963 – 1971 succeeded by Australia, New Zealand, and United Kingdom Force...
, 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
British Far East Command
The Far East Command was a British military command which had 2 distinct periods. These were firstly, 18 November 1940 – 7 January 1942 succeeded by the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command , and secondly, 1963 – 1971 succeeded by Australia, New Zealand, and United Kingdom Force...
. 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 Australian and New Zealand forces in the Far East in the event that Japan entered the war on the Axis side.
Captain Bernhard Rogge
Bernhard Rogge
Bernhard Rogge was a Captain of the German Navy who, during World War II, commanded a merchant raider....
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 aboard the captured Norwegian tanker Storstad.
Captain Bernhard Rogge
Bernhard Rogge
Bernhard Rogge was a Captain of the German Navy who, during World War II, commanded a merchant raider....
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.
After an uneventful voyage Ole Jacob arrived in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, on December 4, 1940. The mail reached the German embassy in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, on December 5, and was then hand-carried to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
via the Trans-Siberian railway
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
. A copy was given to the Japanese and it is sometimes argued 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, Bernhard Rogge
Bernhard Rogge
Bernhard Rogge was a Captain of the German Navy who, during World War II, commanded a merchant raider....
was presented with an ornate katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
Samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
on 27 April 1943; Japan only ever presented three such swords, the other two being to Hermann Goering and Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
.