The Arandora Star
On the 10th of June 1940, Benito Mussolini, the fascist prime minister and dictator of Italy, declared war on Britain and France by allying Italy with Nazi Germany. Within 48 hours of the announcement being made, the British war cabinet implemented a plan to intern all Italian men in the UK who were aged between 18 and 70. Little or no consideration was given to the length of time they had lived in the UK, their family status, their contribution to society, or even their state of health. As Winston Churchill so famously said, " Collar the Lot". These internees were to be held in camps and prisons around the country, with some internees being selected for deportation by boat to interment camps in Australia and Canada.
One such boat to carry the internees was the Liverpool built 'Arandora Star'. Before the war, The Arandora Star was a luxury cruise ship that sailed to exotic far flung destinations such as South Africa, Java, Malaya, Ceylon and Egypt to name but a few. It was equiped to carry a full compliment of 400 people on six decks at an average speed of 15 knots, and was sumptuously fitted out with exercise and sport facilities plus a beautiful Louis XIV Dining Saloon. With the outbreak of the Second World War, the Arandora Star taken into was gutted of all its luxuries and used as a troop carrier.
On the 29th June 1940, the crew were given orders to take a number of Italian and German internees to St. Johns, Newfoundland. It left the port of Liverpool at approximately 4am on Tuesday 2nd July 1940 bound for St Johns, Newfoundland with 734 Italian male internees, 479 German male internees, 86 German male POW, 174 officers, crew and 200 military guards. To accomodate the internees and POW's, closely woven barbed wire had been erected all over the ship, it lined the sides and and partioned the decks. The Arandora Star had been transformed from a luxury cruising liner "taking happy people to beautiful places in the sunshine" to a "floating prison camp" and a "death trap".
Between 6am & 7am on July 2nd the ship was off the west coast of Ireland when it was spotted by the German Gunther Prien in his U-Boat U47. The Arandora Star had nothing visible to identify it as a prisoner of war ship, its visible appearance was that of a troop carrier, battleship grey paint and some armourments. Gunther Prien was on his way back to Germany and was reportedly keen to sink as much enemy tonnage as possible in order for him to be decorated to the highest levels in the German navy. Hence, approximately 75 miles west of the' Bloody Foreland' in position 55.20N, 10.33W[7}, Prien dispatched a torpedo which not only sank the Arandora Star killing over 800 men but changed the lives of families in the UK and Europe for generations to come. It is reported that 446 Italian men who were resident in the UK and susequently interned, lost their lives.
One such boat to carry the internees was the Liverpool built 'Arandora Star'. Before the war, The Arandora Star was a luxury cruise ship that sailed to exotic far flung destinations such as South Africa, Java, Malaya, Ceylon and Egypt to name but a few. It was equiped to carry a full compliment of 400 people on six decks at an average speed of 15 knots, and was sumptuously fitted out with exercise and sport facilities plus a beautiful Louis XIV Dining Saloon. With the outbreak of the Second World War, the Arandora Star taken into was gutted of all its luxuries and used as a troop carrier.
On the 29th June 1940, the crew were given orders to take a number of Italian and German internees to St. Johns, Newfoundland. It left the port of Liverpool at approximately 4am on Tuesday 2nd July 1940 bound for St Johns, Newfoundland with 734 Italian male internees, 479 German male internees, 86 German male POW, 174 officers, crew and 200 military guards. To accomodate the internees and POW's, closely woven barbed wire had been erected all over the ship, it lined the sides and and partioned the decks. The Arandora Star had been transformed from a luxury cruising liner "taking happy people to beautiful places in the sunshine" to a "floating prison camp" and a "death trap".
Between 6am & 7am on July 2nd the ship was off the west coast of Ireland when it was spotted by the German Gunther Prien in his U-Boat U47. The Arandora Star had nothing visible to identify it as a prisoner of war ship, its visible appearance was that of a troop carrier, battleship grey paint and some armourments. Gunther Prien was on his way back to Germany and was reportedly keen to sink as much enemy tonnage as possible in order for him to be decorated to the highest levels in the German navy. Hence, approximately 75 miles west of the' Bloody Foreland' in position 55.20N, 10.33W[7}, Prien dispatched a torpedo which not only sank the Arandora Star killing over 800 men but changed the lives of families in the UK and Europe for generations to come. It is reported that 446 Italian men who were resident in the UK and susequently interned, lost their lives.
