SS Castillo de Olite
Encyclopedia
The Castillo de Olite was a merchant steamship, which was sunk by the costal defense batteries of Cartagena in the last days of the Spanish Civil War
, while transporting 2,112 Spanish Nationalist troops.
Her first name between 1921 and 1929 was Zaandijk, and she served as a merchant ship in the Dutch company Solleveld Van der Meer & T.H. Van Hattum, transporting goods to Java
and Sumatra
.
The ship was sold and renamed Akedemik Paulo between 1929 and 1932, and then resold to Nederlandsch Lloyd, which renamed she to Zwaterwater, where she served between 1932 and 1936.
In 1936 she was sold to the Soviet Union
, where she was renamed Postishev in honor of a Ukrainian communist politician, Pavel Postyshev
. On 31 May 1938, she was seized in the Strait of Gibraltar
by the Nationalist auxiliary cruiser Vicente Puchol, while transporting a shipment of coal.
She was incorporated in the Nationalist Spanish Navy as the Castillo de Olite, and armed with a 120 mm Vickers
gun and a 57 mm Nordenfeldt gun.
strongholds, which still harboured the bulk of the Republican fleet. When an anti-communist rebellion
broke out, the Nationalists decided to send reinforcements, because the conquest of Cartagena and the capture of the Republican fleet would certainly bring the end of the war a lot closer. Franco's rush is attributed to the imminent beginning of a major European conflict, which could have saved the Republic from collapse by an internacionalization of the civil war.
The Nationalists sent from Castellón
and Málaga
a convoy of 16 ships, containing more than 20,000 troops, with less than 48 hours preparation. The convoy was composed by the Jupiter class minelayer
s Júpiter, Marte and Vulcano, the auxiliary cruisers Lázaro, Jaime I, Domine and J.J. Sister and the transports Castillo de Olite, San Sebastián, Castillo Peñafiel, Gibraltar, Monforte, Mombeltrán, Huertas, Montealegre and Simancas.
The Republican fleet effectively left Cartagena for Oran
, in Algeria
, but the Republican Brigade 206 had retaken the port and its costal defense batteries, thus preventing the Nationalist landing.
The Nationalist ships retreated, except for the Castillo de Olite, which had not received the order to withdraw, because her radio was out of order. While approaching the docks, she was hit by three 381mm rounds from a coastal battery and sank shortly afterwards, broken in two.
Of the 2,112 men on board, 1,476 died, 342 were wounded and 294 were taken prisoner, after being rescued by local fishermen and the lighthouse keeper, Santiago Saavedra, and his wife, Carmen Hevia.
This was the greatest loss of life from the sinking of a single ship in Spanish history.
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, while transporting 2,112 Spanish Nationalist troops.
History
This ship was built in 1921 by Rotterdam Droog in the Netherlands.Her first name between 1921 and 1929 was Zaandijk, and she served as a merchant ship in the Dutch company Solleveld Van der Meer & T.H. Van Hattum, transporting goods to Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and Sumatra
Sumatra
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...
.
The ship was sold and renamed Akedemik Paulo between 1929 and 1932, and then resold to Nederlandsch Lloyd, which renamed she to Zwaterwater, where she served between 1932 and 1936.
In 1936 she was sold to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, where she was renamed Postishev in honor of a Ukrainian communist politician, Pavel Postyshev
Pavel Postyshev
Pavel Petrovich Postyshev was a Soviet politician. He is considered to be one of the principal architects of the so-called man-made famine of 1932–33, or Holodomor.Postyshev was born in Ivanovo-Voznesensk....
. On 31 May 1938, she was seized in the Strait of Gibraltar
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa. The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq , albeit the Arab name for the Strait is Bab el-Zakat or...
by the Nationalist auxiliary cruiser Vicente Puchol, while transporting a shipment of coal.
She was incorporated in the Nationalist Spanish Navy as the Castillo de Olite, and armed with a 120 mm Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
gun and a 57 mm Nordenfeldt gun.
Sinking
In the last days of the Spanish Civil War, Cartagena was one of the last RepublicanSecond Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
strongholds, which still harboured the bulk of the Republican fleet. When an anti-communist rebellion
Cartagena Uprising
The Cartagena Uprising took place 4-7 March 1939 during the Spanish Civil War. SS Castillo de Olite sunk during the event-Background:After the fall of Catalonia in February 1939, the military situation of the Republic was hopeless...
broke out, the Nationalists decided to send reinforcements, because the conquest of Cartagena and the capture of the Republican fleet would certainly bring the end of the war a lot closer. Franco's rush is attributed to the imminent beginning of a major European conflict, which could have saved the Republic from collapse by an internacionalization of the civil war.
The Nationalists sent from Castellón
Castellón de la Plana
Castellón de la Plana or Castelló de la Plana is the capital city of the province of Castelló, in the Valencian Community, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea...
and Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
a convoy of 16 ships, containing more than 20,000 troops, with less than 48 hours preparation. The convoy was composed by the Jupiter class minelayer
Jupiter class minelayer
Jupiter Class minelayers was a group of four vessels of the Spanish Navy built during the Spanish Republic. Three of them came into service during the Civil War after joining the rebel side.-Civil War:...
s Júpiter, Marte and Vulcano, the auxiliary cruisers Lázaro, Jaime I, Domine and J.J. Sister and the transports Castillo de Olite, San Sebastián, Castillo Peñafiel, Gibraltar, Monforte, Mombeltrán, Huertas, Montealegre and Simancas.
The Republican fleet effectively left Cartagena for Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, but the Republican Brigade 206 had retaken the port and its costal defense batteries, thus preventing the Nationalist landing.
The Nationalist ships retreated, except for the Castillo de Olite, which had not received the order to withdraw, because her radio was out of order. While approaching the docks, she was hit by three 381mm rounds from a coastal battery and sank shortly afterwards, broken in two.
Of the 2,112 men on board, 1,476 died, 342 were wounded and 294 were taken prisoner, after being rescued by local fishermen and the lighthouse keeper, Santiago Saavedra, and his wife, Carmen Hevia.
This was the greatest loss of life from the sinking of a single ship in Spanish history.