View source for German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis

{{Short description|Merchant raider used by the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during WWII}}
{{other ships|List of ships named Atlantis}}
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|Ship image=Hilfskreuzer Atlantis.jpg
|Ship caption=''Atlantis''
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=[[Germany]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Nazi Germany|government}}
|Ship name=''Goldenfels''
|Ship namesake=
|Ship owner=[[DDG Hansa]]
|Ship operator=DDG Hansa
|Ship registry=[[Bremen]]
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|Ship builder=[[Bremer Vulkan]]
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|Ship launched=16 December 1937
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|Ship identification=*[[Code Letters]] DOTP
*{{ICS|Delta}}{{ICS|Oscar}}{{ICS|Tango}}{{ICS|Papa}}
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|Ship fate=Requisitioned by ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'', 1939

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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=[[Nazi Germany]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Nazi Germany|naval}}
|Ship name=
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|Ship operator=''[[Kriegsmarine]]''
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|Ship builder=[[DeSchiMAG]]
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|Ship commissioned= 19 December 1939
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|Ship renamed=''Atlantis'', 1939
|Ship reclassified=[[Auxiliary cruiser]], 1939
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|Ship nickname=*HSK-2
*Schiff 16
*Raider-C
|Ship honors=
|Ship fate=Sunk by {{HMS|Devonshire|39|6}} in the South Atlantic, 22 November 1941
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=<ref>''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946''</ref>
|Ship class=
|Ship type=[[Merchant raider]]
|Ship tonnage=*{{GRT|7,862|disp=long}}
*{{NRT|4,845}}
|Ship displacement={{convert|17600|t|LT|abbr=on}}
|Ship length={{Convert|155|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{Convert|18.7|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{Convert|8.7|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship power={{Convert|7600|hp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*2 × 6-cylinder [[diesel engine]]s
*1 × shaft
|Ship speed={{Convert|17.5|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{Convert|60000|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{Convert|10|kn}}
|Ship endurance=250 days
|Ship capacity=
|Ship complement=349–351
|Ship armament=* 6 × {{convert|15|cm|in|abbr=on}} [[15 cm SK L/45|SK L/45]] 
* 1 × [[Canon de 75 modèle 1897#Naval and coastal artillery|{{convert|75|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}]] gun
* 2 × twin [[3.7 cm SK C/30|{{convert|3.7|cm|in|abbr=on}} SK C/30]]
* 2 × twin [[2 cm FlaK 30|{{convert|2|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} C/30]] cannons
* 4 × 53.3&nbsp;cm [[torpedo tube]]s
*93× [[Naval mine|mine]]s
|Ship aircraft=2 × [[Heinkel He 114]]C
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
The German [[auxiliary cruiser]] '''''Atlantis''''' (HSK 2), known to the ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' as '''Schiff 16''' and to the [[Royal Navy]] as '''Raider-C''', was a converted [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[Auxiliary cruiser|''Hilfskreuzer'' (auxiliary cruiser)]], or [[commerce raiding|merchant or commerce raider]] of the ''Kriegsmarine'', which, in [[World War II]], travelled more than {{convert|161000|km|mi|abbr=on}} in 602 days, and sank or captured 22 ships with a combined [[tonnage]] of 144,384. ''Atlantis'' was commanded by ''[[Kapitän zur See]]'' [[Bernhard Rogge (Naval officer)|Bernhard Rogge]], who received the [[Iron Cross|Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]]. She was sunk on 22 November 1941 by the British [[cruiser]] {{HMS|Devonshire|39|6}}.

Commerce raiders do not seek to engage warships, but rather attack enemy merchant shipping; the measures of success are tonnage destroyed (or captured) and time spent at large. ''Atlantis'' was second only to {{Ship|German auxiliary cruiser|Pinguin||2}} in tonnage destroyed, and had the longest raiding career of any German commerce raider in either world war. She captured highly secret documents from {{SS|Automedon||2}}. A version of the story of ''Atlantis'' is told in the film ''[[Under Ten Flags]]'' with [[Van Heflin]] appearing as Captain Rogge.

==Early history==
Built by [[Bremer Vulkan]] in 1937,<ref name=mohr/> she began her career as the [[cargo ship]] ''Goldenfels'', owned and operated by [[DDG Hansa]], [[Bremen]]. ''Goldenfels'' was powered by two Six-cylinder Single Cycle Double Action [[diesel engine]]s, built by Bremer Vulkan. She was allocated the [[Code Letters]] DOTP.<ref name=Goldenfels38>{{cite web |url=https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/38/38b0354.pdf |title=LLOYD'S REGISTER, STEAMERS AND MOTORSHIPS |publisher=Plimsoll Ship Data |access-date=11 November 2013}}</ref> In late 1939 she was requisitioned by the ''Kriegsmarine'' and converted into a warship by [[DeSchiMAG]], Bremen. In December 1939, she was commissioned as the commerce raider ''Atlantis''.<ref name=mohr>{{cite book|year=1955 |title=Ship 16: The Story of the Secret German Raider Atlantis|author=Ulrich Mohr as told to [[Arthur V. Sellwood]]|publisher=T. Werner Laurie Ltd., London |pages=6–7}}</ref>

==Design==
''Atlantis'' was {{convert|155|m|ft|abbr=on}} long and displaced {{convert|17600|t|LT|abbr=on}}. She had a single [[funnel (ship)|funnel]] amidships. She had a crew of 349 (21 officers and 328 enlisted sailors) and a [[Scottish terrier]], Ferry, as mascot. The cruiser carried a dummy funnel and variable-height masts, and was well supplied with paint, canvas, and materials for further altering her appearance, including costumes for the crew and flags. ''Atlantis'' was capable of being modified to twenty-six different silhouettes.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

===Weapons and aircraft===
The ship was equipped with six {{convert|150|mm|in|abbr=on}} guns, one {{convert|75|mm|in|abbr=on}} gun on the bow, two twin-37&nbsp;mm [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft gun]]s and four [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm automatic cannon]]s; all of these were hidden, mostly behind pivotable false deck or side structures. A phony crane and [[deckhouse]] on the aft section hid two of the {{convert|150|mm|in|abbr=on}} guns; the other four guns were concealed via flaps in the side<ref>Muggenthaler, August Karl ''German Raiders of World War II'' Prentice-Hall, 1977, {{ISBN|0-13-354027-8}}, p16</ref><ref name=rogge>Rogge, Bernhard ''The German Raider Atlantis'', Ballantine, 1956</ref>{{rp|46}} that were raised when action was imminent. ''Atlantis'' also had four waterline [[torpedo tube]]s, and a 92-[[Naval mine|mine]] compartment. This gave her the fire power, and more importantly the fire control, of a light cruiser. The ship also carried two [[Heinkel He 114|Heinkel He-114C]] [[seaplane]]s in one of its holds, one of these was fully assembled and the other one was packed away in crates.<ref name=Duffy>{{cite book|last=Duffy|first=James P.|title=Hitler's secret pirate fleet : the deadliest ships of World War II|year=2001|publisher=Praeger|location=Westport, Conn. [u.a.]|isbn=0-275-96685-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H41M5lN5cGkC|edition=1. publ.}}</ref>{{Rp|8}} The Heinkel was later replaced at sea with the smaller [[Arado Ar 196]].<ref name=Rogge>{{cite book|last=Rogge|first=Bernhard|title=The German Raider Atlantis|year=1979|publisher=Bantam|location=Westport, Conn. [u.a.]|isbn=0-553-13121-4|url=https://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9780553131215?cm_sp=bdp-_-9780553131215-_-isbn10|edition=1. publ.}}</ref>

===Engines===
''Atlantis'' had two 6-cylinder [[diesel engine]]s, which powered a single propeller. Top speed was {{convert|17.5|kn|km/h mph|lk=in}} and a range of {{convert|60000|mi|km}} at {{convert|10|kn|km/h mph|lk=in}}. Diesel engines allowed her to drift when convenient to conserve fuel, and unlike steam machinery, instantly restart her powerplant.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

==Service history==
[[File:German raider Atlantis as Tamesis.jpg|thumb|''Atlantis'' disguised as ''Tamesis'', 1940.<ref>[https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/306310/ Starboard Bow View of the German Auxiliary Cruiser Atlantis (Raider No 16).] Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 16 February 2020.</ref>]]

===Journey to the South Atlantic===
In 1939, she became the command of ''Kapitän'' [[Bernhard Rogge (Naval officer)|Bernhard Rogge]]. Commissioned in mid-December, she was the first of nine or ten merchant ships armed by [[Nazi Germany]] for the purposes of seeking out and engaging enemy cargo vessels. ''Atlantis'' was delayed by ice until 31 March 1940,<ref name="Turner22">{{cite book|last=Turner|first=L.C.F.|title=War in the Southern Oceans: 1939–45|year=1961|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=22}}</ref> when the former [[battleship]] {{ship|SMS|Hessen||2}} was sent to act as an [[icebreaker]], clearing the way for ''Atlantis'', ''Orion'', and ''Widder''.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}. Weather information was supplied to ''Atlantis'' by the [[weather ship]]s {{ship|German weather ship|WBS 3 Fritz Homann||2}}, {{ship|German weather ship|WBS 4 Hinrich Freese||2}} and {{ship|German weather ship|WBS 5 Adolf Vinnen||2}}.<ref name=Vinnen>{{cite web |url=http://www.historisches-marinearchiv.de/projekte/weseruebung/ausgabe.php?where_value=213 |title=WBS 5/ADOLF VINNEN |publisher=Historiches Marinearchiv |language=de |access-date=17 February 2015}}</ref>

''Atlantis'' headed past the [[North Sea]] minefields, between Norway and Britain, across the Arctic Circle, [[Denmark Strait|between]] [[Iceland]] and [[Greenland]], and headed south. By this time, ''Atlantis'' was pretending to be a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] vessel named ''Kim'' by flying the Soviet naval ensign, displaying a hammer and sickle on the bridge, and having Russian and English warnings on the stern, "Keep clear of propellers". The Soviet Union was neutral at the time.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

After crossing the equator, on 24–25 April, she took the guise of the Japanese vessel ''Kasii Maru''. The ship now displayed a large K upon a red-topped funnel, identification of the [[K Line]] transportation company. She also had rising sun symbols on the gun flaps and Japanese characters (copied from a magazine) on the aft hull.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

===''City of Exeter''===
On 2 May, she met the British passenger liner {{SS|City of Exeter}}. Rogge, unwilling to cause non-combatant casualties, declined to attack. Once the ships had parted, ''Exeter''{{'}}s Master radioed his suspicions about the "Japanese" ship to the [[Royal Navy]].<ref name=bismarckclass>[http://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck_class/hilfskreuzer/atlantis.html Hilfskreuzer (Auxiliary Cruiser / Raider) Atlantis – The History]</ref>

===''Scientist''===
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2020}}
On 3 May, ''Atlantis'' met a British [[cargo ship]], ''Scientist'', which was carrying [[ore]] and [[jute]]. The Germans raised their [[battle ensign]] and displayed signal pennants stating, "Stop or I fire! Don't use your radio!" The {{convert|75|mm|in|abbr=on}} gun fired a warning shot. The British immediately began transmitting their alarm signal, "QQQQ...QQQQ...Unidentified merchantman has ordered me to stop", and the Germans began transmitting so as to jam the signals.

''Scientist'' turned to flee, but on the second salvo from ''Atlantis'' flames exploded from the ship, followed by a cloud of dust and then white steam from the boilers. A British sailor was killed and the remaining 77 were taken as prisoners of war. After failing to sink the ship with demolition charges, ''Atlantis'' used guns and a torpedo to finish off ''Scientist''.

===Cape Agulhas===
Continuing to sail south, ''Atlantis'' passed the [[Cape of Good Hope]], reaching [[Cape Agulhas]] on 10 May. Here she set up a minefield with 92 horned contact [[naval mine]]s, in a way which suggested that a U-boat had laid them. The minefield was successful, but the deception was foiled and the ship's presence revealed by a German [[propaganda]] [[broadcast]] boasting that "a minefield, sown by a German raider" had sunk no fewer than eight merchant ships, three more were overdue, three minesweepers were involved, and the Royal Navy was not capable of finding "a solitary raider" operating in "its own back yard". Furthermore, a British signal was sent from Ceylon on 20 May and intercepted by Germany, based on the report from ''City of Exeter'', warning shipping of a German raider disguised as a Japanese ship.<ref name=bismarckclass/>

''Atlantis'' headed into the [[Indian Ocean]] disguised as the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] vessel MV ''Abbekerk''. She received a broadcast—which happened to be incorrect—reporting that ''Abbekerk'' had been sunk, but retained that identity rather than repainting, as there were several similar Dutch vessels.<ref name=bismarckclass/>

===''Tirranna'', ''City of Bagdad'', and the ''Kemmendine''===
[[File:Tirranna (ship).tif|thumb|''Tirranna''<ref>[https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE916003&mode=browse ''Tirranna''], State Library of Victoria. Retrieved 19 February 2020.</ref>]]
[[File:City of Bagdad.jpg|thumb|''City of Bagdad'']]
On 10 June 1940, ''Atlantis'' stopped the [[Norway|Norwegian]] motor ship ''[[Tirranna (ship)|Tirranna]]'' with 30 salvos of fire after a three-hour chase.<ref name=mohr/>{{rp|79–80}} Five members of ''Tirranna'''s crew were killed and others wounded. Filled with supplies for Australian troops in the Middle East, ''Tirranna'' was captured and sent to France.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

On 11 July, the liner ''[[City of Bagdad]]'' was fired upon at a range of {{convert|1.2|km|mi|abbr=on}}. A boarding party discovered a copy of ''[[Broadcasting for Allied Merchant Ships]]'', which contained communications codes. ''City of Baghdad'', like ''Atlantis'', was a former [[DDG Hansa]] ship, having been passed to the British after World War I as reparations. A copy of the report sent by ''City of Exeter'' was found, describing ''Atlantis'' in minute detail and including a photograph of the similar ''Freienfels'', confirming that the "Japanese" identity had not been believed. Rogge had his ship's profile altered, adding two new masts.<ref name=bismarckclass/>

At 10:09 on 13 July, ''Atlantis'' encountered another Freighter, ''Kemmendine'', which was heading for Burma. The crew on the ''Kemmendine'' opened fire on ''Atlantis ''with a 3-inch gun mounted on ''Kemmendine'''s stern. ''Atlantis ''returned fire, and ''Kemmendine'' was quickly ablaze. All the crew were taken off ''Kemmendine'', and ''Kemmendine ''was then sunk.<ref name="Duffy" />{{Rp|16}}

===''Talleyrand'' and ''King City''===
In August, ''Atlantis'' sank ''Talleyrand'', the sister ship of ''Tirranna''. Then she encountered ''[[King City (naval vessel)|King City]]'', carrying coal, which was mistaken for a British [[Q-Ship]] due to its erratic maneuvering caused by mechanical difficulties. Three shells from ''Atlantis'' destroyed ''King City'''s bridge, killing four merchant cadets and a cabin boy. Another wounded sailor later died on the operating table aboard ''Atlantis''.<ref name="Duffy" />{{Rp|18}}

===''Athelking'', ''Benarty'', ''Commissaire Ramel'', ''Durmitor'', ''Teddy'', and ''Ole Jacob''===
In September, ''Atlantis'' sank ''Athelking'', ''Benarty'', and {{SS|Commissaire Ramel||2}}. All of these were sunk only after supplies, documents, and POWs were taken. In October, the Germans took the [[Yugoslavia]]n steamboat ''Durmitor'', loaded with a cargo of salt. Yugoslavia was neutral at the time, but Captain Rogge was desperate for an opportunity for ''Atlantis'' to get rid of the POWs that had accumulated on board, so the ship was captured because it had been carrying coal from [[Cardiff]] to [[Oran]] before its current voyage.<ref name="Duffy" />{{Rp|19}}  Captured documents and 260 POWs were transferred to ''Durmitor'', which, with a prize crew of 14 Germans commanded by Lt. Dehnel, was dispatched to Italian-controlled [[Mogadishu]].<ref>{{harvnb|Mohr|Sellwood|2009|p=126}}</ref> Lacking sufficient fuel, the ''Durmitor'' resorted to sails and, after a "hellish" voyage, made landfall in [[Warsheikh]], north of Mogadishu, on 22 November, five weeks after departure.<ref>{{harvnb|Mohr|Sellwood|2009|p=130}}. (Mohr and Sellwood refer to the region as "Somaliland", but Warsheikh is actually in the former Italian Somali, not the former British [[Somaliland]]).</ref>
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Having left their prisoners in Italian captivity, Lt. Dehnel's prize crew on ''Durmitor'' sailed to [[Kismayo|Kisimayu]]. -->

In the second week of November, two Norwegian tankers: ''Teddy'' and ''Ole Jacob'' were seized by ''Atlantis''. On both occasions, ''Atlantis'' presented itself as [[SS Antenor (1924)|HMS ''Antenor'']].<ref>{{harvnb|Mohr|Sellwood|2009|pp=134–137}}.</ref>

===''Automedon'' and her secret cargo===
{{Main|SS Automedon}}
At about 07:00 on 11 November 1940, ''Atlantis'' encountered the [[Blue Funnel Line]] cargo ship ''Automedon'' about {{convert|250|mi|abbr=on}} northwest of [[Sumatra]]. At 08:20, ''Atlantis'' fired a warning shot across ''Automedon''{{'}}s bow, and her radio officer at once began transmitting a distress call of "RRRR – Automedon – 0416N" ("RRRR" meant "under attack by armed raider"<ref name="Turner22"/>).

At a range of around {{convert|2000|yd|m|abbr=on}}, ''Atlantis'' shelled ''Automedon'', ceasing fire after three minutes in which she had destroyed her bridge, accommodation, and lifeboats. Six crew members were killed and twelve injured.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

The Germans boarded the stricken ship and broke into the strong room, where they found fifteen 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. After wasting an hour breaking open the ship's safe only to discover "a few shillings in cash", a search of the ''Automedon''{{'}}s chart room found a small weighted green bag marked "Highly Confidential" containing the Chief of Staff's report to the Commander in Chief Far East, [[Robert Brooke Popham]]. The bag was supposed to be thrown overboard if there was risk of loss, but the personnel responsible for this had been killed or incapacitated. The report contained the latest assessment of the Japanese Empire's military strength in the Far East, along with details of [[Royal Air Force]] units, naval strength, and notes on [[Singapore]]'s defences. It painted a gloomy picture of British land and naval capabilities in the Far East, and declared that Britain was too weak to risk war with Japan.<ref name=rogge/>{{rp|117}}

''Automedon'' was sunk at 15:07. Rogge soon realised the importance of the intelligence material he had captured and quickly transferred the documents to the recently acquired prize vessel ''Ole Jacob'', ordering Lieutenant Commander Paul Kamenz and six of his crew to take charge of the vessel. After an uneventful voyage they arrived in [[Kobe]], Japan, on 4 December 1940.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

The mail reached the German Embassy in Tokyo on 5 December. The German Naval attaché [[Paul Wenneker]] had the summary of the British plan wired to Berlin, while the original was hand-carried by Kamenz to Berlin via the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]]. A copy was given to the Japanese, to whom it provided valuable intelligence prior to their [[Pacific War#Japanese preparations|commencing hostilities against the Western Powers]]. Rogge was rewarded for this with an ornate [[katana]]; the only other Germans so honoured were [[Hermann Göring]] and Field Marshal [[Erwin Rommel]].{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

After reading the captured Chief of Staff report, on 7 January 1941 Japanese [[Admiral Yamamoto]] wrote to the Naval Minister asking whether, if Japan knocked out America, the remaining British and Dutch forces would be suitably weakened for the Japanese to deliver a death blow; the ''Automedon'' intelligence on the weakness of the [[British Empire]] is thus credibly linked with the Japanese [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] and the attack leading to the [[fall of Singapore]].<ref>Seki, Eiji. (2006). [https://books.google.com/books?id=u5KgAAAACAAJ&q=Mrs.+Ferguson%27s+Tea-set,+Japan,+and+the+Second+World+War ''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''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603230645/http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/cart/shopcore/?db_name=uhpress&page=shop%2Fflypage&product_id=4475&PHPSESSID=75b7d372eb6f6c4d747ec0a150c42ead |date=2008-06-03 }}.</ref>

===At Kerguelen and Africa===
In the Christmas period ''Atlantis'' was at [[Kerguelen Island]] in the [[Indian Ocean]], where she was replenished by the [[MV Alstertor]].<ref name="Headland1989">{{cite book|author=R. K. Headland|title=Chronological List of Antarctic Expeditions and Related Historical Events|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sg49AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA303|access-date=11 August 2020|year=1989|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-30903-5|page=303}}</ref> There the crewmen did maintenance and replenished their water supplies. The ship's complement suffered its first fatality when a sailor, named Bernhard Herrmann, fell while painting the funnel. He was buried in what is sometimes referred to as "the southernmost of all German war graves".<ref name=rogge/>{{rp|134}}

In late January 1941, off the eastern coast of Africa, ''Atlantis'' sank the British ship ''Mandasor'' and captured ''[[Doggerbank (ship)|Speybank]]''. Then, on 2 February, the Norwegian tanker ''Ketty Brøvig'' was relieved of her fuel. The fuel was used not only for the German raider, but also to refuel the [[German cruiser Admiral Scheer|German cruiser ''Admiral Scheer'']] and, on 29 March the Italian submarine ''[[Italian submarine Perla|Perla]]''. ''Perla'' was making its way from the port of [[Massawa]] in [[Italian East Africa]], around the Cape of Good Hope, to [[Bordeaux]] in France. Rogge wrote in his memoirs that, after seeing the small coastal submarine and its emaciated crew, he told the commander, Lt. Bruno Napp, his perplexity about his mission and suggested him to reach either Brazil or Argentina to be interned; by his account, Napp politely rejected the advice, telling that he would do his utmost to obey his orders, much to Rogge's admiration.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Giorgerini|first1=Giorgio|title=Uomini sul fondo : storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini a oggi|date=2002|publisher=Mondadori|location=Milano|isbn=8804505370|pages=413–4}}</ref>

===''Zamzam''===
By April, ''Atlantis'' had returned to the Atlantic where, on April 17, Rogge mistook the [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egyptian]] liner {{SS|Zamzam||2}} for a British liner being used as a troop ship or Q-ship. She was in fact the former [[Bibby Line]]r ''Leicestershire''. ''Atlantis'' opened fire at a range of {{convert|8.4|km|mi|abbr=on}}. The second salvo hit and the wireless room was destroyed. 202 passengers and about 140 crew were captured. The passengers included [[Missionary|missionaries]], ambulance drivers, [[Fortune (magazine)|''Fortune'']] magazine editor [[Charles J.V. Murphy]], and [[Life (magazine)|''Life'']] magazine photographer [[David E. Scherman]]. The Germans let Scherman take photographs. They seized most of his films when the prisoners returned to Europe aboard the German [[blockade runner]] {{ill|MV Dresden (1937)|lt=Dresden|italic=y|de|Dresden (Schiff, 1937)}}, but he smuggled four rolls back to New York. The photos later helped the [[Royal Navy]] to identify and destroy ''Atlantis''.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/07/arts/david-scherman-81-editor-whose-photos-sank-a-ship.html |work=The New York Times |first=Holcomb B |last=Noble |title=David Scherman, 81, Editor Whose Photos Sank a Ship |date=7 May 1997}}</ref> Murphy's account of the incident and Scherman's photos appeared in the 23 June 1941 issue of ''Life''.<ref name="life1941062321">{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bU0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA21 |title=The Sinking of the "Zamzam" |magazine=Life |date=1941-06-23 |access-date=December 6, 2011 |last=Murphy |first=Charles J.V. |page=21}}</ref>

===Post-''Bismarck''===
After the {{ship|German battleship|Bismarck||2|up=yes}} was [[Last battle of the battleship Bismarck|sunk]], the North Atlantic swarmed with British warships. As a result, Rogge decided to abandon the original plan to go back to Germany and instead returned to the Pacific.<ref name=mohr/>{{rp|185–7}} En route, ''Atlantis'' encountered and sank the British ships ''Rabaul'', ''Trafalgar'', ''Tottenham'', and ''Balzac''. On 10 September 1941, east of New Zealand, ''Atlantis'' captured the Norwegian motor vessel ''Silvaplana''.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

''Atlantis'' then patrolled the South Pacific,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Navy-pt1.html|title=Part 1—Royal New Zealand Navy|publisher=New Zealand Electronic Text Centre|access-date=2023-02-03|archive-date=2020-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930034944/http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Navy-pt1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> initially in [[French Polynesia]] between the [[Tubuai Islands]] and [[Tuamotu Archipelago]]. Without the knowledge of French authorities, the Germans landed on [[Vanavana]] Island and traded with the inhabitants. They then hunted Allied shipping in the area between [[Pitcairn]] and uninhabited [[Henderson Island (Pitcairn Islands)|Henderson]] islands, making a landing on Henderson Island. The seaplane from ''Atlantis'' made several fruitless reconnaissance flights. ''Atlantis'' headed back to the Atlantic on 19 October, and rounded Cape Horn ten days later.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

===''U-68'', ''U-126'', and HMS ''Devonshire''===
On 18 October 1941 Rogge was ordered to rendezvous with the submarine
{{GS|U-68|1940|2}} {{convert|800|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of [[St. Helena]] and refuel her, then to refuel {{GS|U-126|1940|2}} at a location north of [[Ascension Island]]. ''Atlantis'' rendezvoused with ''U-68'' on 13 November, and on 21 or 22 November with ''U-126.''<ref name=mohr/>{{rp|208}} The [[Oberkommando der Marine|OKM]] (German Naval High Command) signal instruction sent to ''U-126'' ordering this rendezvous was intercepted and deciphered by the Allied [[Enigma machine|Enigma]] code breakers at [[Bletchley Park]] and was passed on to the Admiralty, which in turn despatched the [[heavy cruiser]] {{HMS|Devonshire|39|6}} to the rendezvous area.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hinsley|first=F.H.|title=British Intelligence in the Second World War (Volume 2)|year=1981|publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London|isbn=0-11-630934-2|pages=166}}</ref>

==Sinking==
''Atlantis'' met with U-126 in the early morning on 22 November 1941, and started immediately with refueling and resupplying the U-boat. The captain of ''U-126'', ''[[Kapitänleutnant]]'' [[Ernst Bauer (Kapitän zur See)|Ernst Bauer]], one more of its four officers and six more crewman came aboard ''Atlantis.'' Usually ''Atlantis'' would fly off her Arado seaplane to cover the operation, but the seaplane was not operational on this day. They were detected by the scouting Walrus seaplane of ''Devonshire'', and the British cruiser surprised the Germans at 08:15. ''U-126'' dived at once without the missing crewmembers and was not able to mount an attack. The ''Devonshire'' manoeuvred at high speed in order to avoid possible attacks by the sighted U-boat and kept outside the range of the {{convert|150|mm|in|abbr=on}} guns of ''Atlantis,'' which she could outrange with her larger ''{{convert|8|in|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}'' battery. At 08.37 the British cruiser fired two warning salvoes and in response ''Atlantis'' transmitted a raider report posing as the Dutch ship ''Polyphemus''. By 09:34, ''Devonshire'' had received confirmation this report was false. She fired 30 salvoes and started scoring hits with her third salvo. At 09:58 the fore [[Magazine (artillery)#Naval magazines|magazine]] exploded and at 10:16 the order was given to scuttle the ship. Seven sailors were killed and two more died of their wounds later. After ''Devonshire'' left the area, ''U-126'' resurfaced and picked up 300 German sailors and a wounded American prisoner. ''U-126'' carried or towed rafts towards the still-neutral Brazil ({{convert|1500|km|mi|abbr=on}} west). Two days later the German refuelling ship ''Python'' arrived and took the survivors aboard.{{Sfn|Blair||pp=406-407}}{{Sfn|Rohwer||p=120}}{{Sfn|Frank & Rogge||pp=213-226}}{{Sfn|Muggenthaler||pp=125-128}}

On 1 December, while ''Python'' was replenishing ''U-126'' and {{GS|UA|1939|2}}, another of the British cruisers seeking the raiders, {{HMS|Dorsetshire|40|6}}, appeared. ''U-126'' was in the process of taking on torpedoes and was not operational. The boat could dive but not attack. ''UA'' launched five torpedoes but missed the British cruiser. The ''Dorsetshire'' fired two warning shots and ''Python''{{'}}s crew scuttled her. ''Dorsetshire'' departed, leaving the U-boats to recover the survivors. Each submarine took about 100 survivors aboard, half of them below decks and the other half on deck. 200 survivors were put in ten lifeboats which were towed by the submarines. The two other German submarines {{GS|U-124|1940|2}} and {{GS|U-129|1941|2}} which were also operating in the South-Atlantic were ordered to assist the rescue operation. ''U-129'' arrived on 3 December and ''U-124'' arrived two days later. These two U-boats took the people from the lifeboats on board. Then the Germans turned to the Italians for assistance since they also operated submarines in the Atlantic. Between 14 and 18 December in the [[Cape Verde|Cap Verde]] region the four big Italian submarines {{ship|Italian submarine|Enrico Tazzoli|1935|2}}, {{ship|Italian submarine|Pietro Calvi||2}}, {{ship|Italian submarine|Giuseppe Finzi||2}} and {{ship|Italian submarine|Luigi Torelli||2}} took 260 Germans aboard so that all survivors had a place below decks and the U-boats were able to dive again. All eight submarines managed to return safely to St Nazaire, the last one arriving on 29 December.{{Sfn|Blair||pp=407-408}}{{Sfn|Rohwer||p=120}}{{Sfn|Frank & Rogge||pp=226-239}}{{Sfn|Muggenthaler||pp=128-132}}

==Raiding career==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
|+ Ships sunk or captured by ''Atlantis''<ref name=mohr/>{{rp|Frontispiece}}
|-
!Name!!Type!!Nationality!!Date!!Tonnage!!Fate
|-
|''Scientist''||Freighter||{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}||3 May 1940||6,200 t||Sunk
|-
|''[[Tirranna (ship)|Tirranna]]''||Freighter||{{flag|Norway}}||10 June 1940||7,230 t||Captured
|-
|''[[City of Bagdad]]''||Freighter||{{flagu|United Kingdom|civil}}||11 July 1940||7,505 t||Sunk
|-
|''[[Kemmendine (ship)|Kemmendine]]''||Freighter||{{flagu|United Kingdom|civil}}||13 July 1940||7,770 t||Sunk
|-
|''Talleyrand''||Motor vessel||{{flagu|Norway}}||2 August 1940||6,730 t||Sunk
|-
|''King City''||Freighter||{{flagu|United Kingdom|civil}}||24 August 1940||4,745 t||Sunk
|-
|''Athelking''||Tanker||{{flagu|United Kingdom|civil}}||9 September 1940||9,550 t||Sunk
|-
|''Benarty''||Freighter||{{flagu|United Kingdom|civil}}||10 September 1940||5,800 t||Sunk
|-
|''[[SS Commissaire Ramel|Commissaire Ramel]]''||Passenger liner||{{flag|France}}||20 September 1940||10,060 t||Sunk
|-
|''Durmitor''||Freighter||{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}}||22 October 1940||5,620 t||Captured
|-
|''Teddy''||Tanker||{{flagu|Norway}}||9 November 1940||6,750 t||Sunk
|-
|''Ole Jacob''||Tanker||{{flagu|Norway}}||10 November 1940||8,305 t||Captured
|-
|{{SS|Automedon||2}}||Freighter||{{flagu|United Kingdom|civil}}||11 November 1940||7,530 t||Sunk
|-
|''Mandasor''||Freighter||{{flagu|United Kingdom|civil}}||24 January 1941||5,145 t||Sunk
|-
|''[[Doggerbank (ship)|Speybank]]''||Freighter||{{flagu|United Kingdom|civil}}||31 January 1941||5,150 t||Captured
|-
|''Ketty Brøvig''||Freighter||{{flagu|Norway}}||2 February 1941||7,300 t||Captured
|-
|{{SS|Zamzam||2}}||Passenger liner||{{flag|Egypt|1922}}||17 April 1941||8,300 t||Sunk
|-
|''Rabaul''||Freighter||{{flagu|United Kingdom|civil}}||14 May 1941||6,810 t||Sunk
|-
|''Trafalgar''||Freighter||{{flagu|United Kingdom|civil}}||24 May 1941||4,530 t||Sunk
|-
|''Tottenham''||Freighter||{{flagu|United Kingdom|civil}}||17 June 1941||4,760 t||Sunk
|-
|''Balzac''||Freighter||{{flagu|United Kingdom|civil}}||23 June 1941||5,375 t||Sunk
|-
|''Silvaplana''||Motor vessel||{{flagu|Norway}}||10 September 1941||4,790 t||Captured
|-
| colspan=4 align=right|'''Total:'''||145,960 t||
|}

==Citations==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== References ==

{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Blair |first=Clay |title=Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939–1942 |volume=1 |ref={{sfnRef|Blair}} |publisher=Cassell |year=1998 |isbn=0-304-35260-8}}
* {{Cite book |last=Frank |first=Wolfgang |title=Schiff 16. Die Kaperfahrten des schweren Hilfskreuzers ATLANTIS auf den sieben Weltmeeren. Ein tatsachenbericht. |last2=Rogge |first2=Bernhard |publisher=Heine Bücher |year=1955 |isbn=3-453-00039-0 |location=München |language=de |ref={{sfnRef|Frank & Rogge}}}}
* {{cite book |last1=Mohr |first1=Ulrich |last2=Sellwood |first2=Arthur |title=Ship 16: The Story of a German Surface Raider |year=2009 |publisher=Amberley |location=Stroud |isbn=978-1-84868-115-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Muggenthaler |first=August K. |title=Das waren Die Deutschen Hilfskreuzer 1939-1945. Bewaffnete Handelsschiffe im Einsatz. |publisher=Motorbuch Verlag |year=1977 |isbn=3-87943-261-9 |location=Stuttgart |language=de |ref={{sfnRef|Muggenthaler}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Rohwer |first=Jürgen |title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=2005 |isbn=1-59114-119-2 |edition=Third revised |location=Annapolis, Maryland |ref={{sfnRef|Rohwer}} |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* Bergstrom, Marie Norberg. [https://web.archive.org/web/20141227080955/https://gustavus.edu/library/archives/LCA/guides/LCA0010.php Zamzam Survivors Collection, 1932–2006]. LCA Collection 10. Gustavus Adolphus College, Lutheran Church Archives, St. Peter, Minnesota.
* Duffy, James P. ''Hitler's Secret Pirate Fleet: The Deadliest Ships of World War II''. Praeger Trade, 2001, {{ISBN|0-275-96685-2}}.
* Hoyt, Edwin Palmer. ''Raider 16''. World Publishing, 1970.
* Mohr, Ulrich and A. V. Sellwood. ''Ship 16: The Story of the Secret German Raider Atlantis''. New York: John Day, 1956.
* Muggenthaler, August Karl. ''German Raiders of World War II''. Prentice-Hall, 1977, {{ISBN|0-13-354027-8}}.
* Rogge, Bernhard. ''The German Raider Atlantis''. Ballantine, 1956.
* Schmalenbach, Paul. ''German Raiders: A History of Auxiliary Cruisers of the German Navy, 1895–1945''. Naval Institute Press, 1979, {{ISBN|0-87021-824-7}}.
* Slavick, Joseph P. ''The Cruise of the German Raider Atlantis''. Naval Institute Press, 2003, 
* Sellwood, A. V. ''The Warring Seas''. Universal-Tandem Publishing, 1972.
* Swanson, S. Hjalmar, ed. ''Zamzam: The Story of a Strange Missionary Odyssey''. 1941.
* Woodward, David. ''The Secret Raiders: The Story of the German Armed Merchant Raiders in the Second World War''. W.W. Norton, 1955.

==External links==
* [https://ia601901.us.archive.org/34/items/logofshipatlan1193941germ/logofshipatlan1193941germ.pdf Ship's log]
* [http://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck_class/hilfskreuzer/atlantis.html Hilfskreuzer Atlantis]

{{German auxiliary cruiser}}
{{November 1941 shipwrecks}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|4|12|0|S|18|42|0|W|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantis}}
[[Category:1937 ships]]
[[Category:Auxiliary cruisers of the Kriegsmarine]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in November 1941]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bremen (state)]]
[[Category:World War II commerce raiders]]
[[Category:World War II cruisers of Germany]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Naval magazine explosions]]