Hilfskreuzer Schiff 44 (HSK-16) “Afrika”

[CPTLTJASON]

1.7.1937 41°14’N, 29°8’E 670th. day at sea

After sinking the “Agustin Mendi” Schiff 30 sailed for the Aegean Sea. Hartmann hid in the many Greek Islands waiting for instructions from the Seekriegslietung.

After a few days of waiting the Skl. gives Schiff 30 permission to enter Black Sea. Due to the Montreux Convention which came into effect on 9.Nov.1936. the Skl. was trying to justify the entry of the raider into the strait they came up with a task for the merchant raider. Schiff 30 will be disguised as a German merchant ship with the task of gathering information on Spanish merchant ships sailing for Spanish Republican ports. Schiff 30 is forbidden from sinking Spanish Republican ships in the Black Sea. Kapitan zur See Hartmann intends to remain in the Black Sea for 3 weeks before returning to the Mediterranean Sea to sink more Spanish Republican merchant shipping.

However, just before the ship entered the Bosphorus, The Skl. ordered Schiff 30 to immediately return to the Mediterranean Sea and meet with the Pocket Battleship “Admiral Scheer” for instructions on future operations.


Schiff 30 at anchor off a Greek Island.

[CPTLTJASON]

31.7.1937 38°35’N, 7°46’E Mediterranean Sea 699th. day at sea

Schiff 30 once again emerges on the Spanish Republican’s shipping route in the Mediterranean Sea, unsuspecting ships and tankers are sent to the bottom and some taken as prizes, few manage to send out radio transmissions. Many of the sinkings are attributed to Nationalist Navy or the Italian Navy. There is no indication that a German merchant raider is hunting in the Mediterranean.

After spending 4 days overhauling her diesel engines Schiff 30 crosses the Strait of Sicily. On the 24th. the Spanish republican freighter “Fortuna” 7.700 grt was sighted and sunk the vessel was traveling from Odessa to Valencia loaded with war materials. The captain was interrogated and stated that there were 41 Kriegsmarine Officers and ratings that were taken prisoner and are being held at Valenica. Hartmann immediately requested information from the Skl. in regards to this statement. A few hours later the Spanish tanker “Aguas Campos” 6.600 grt was sunk with artillery and torpedos. The tanker was travelling in ballast from Almeria to Batum. Shortly after departing the sinking location. The troopship “Cabo de Palos” 11.800 grt was sunk. On the 26th. the freighter “El Toro” 4.300 grt was sent to the bottom travelling loaded with wheat and canned milk from Odessa to Barcelona. In the evening the Greek tanker “Naxos” 8.800 grt was stopped and boarded. The Investigation Officer Oblt.z.S Schmidt reported that the Greek was in service to the Spanish Republican Government was taken prize being sent off to Treffpunkt “Grün”

On the 27th. another Spanish freighter was sighted and sunk the “Ciudad de Malaga” 5.694 grt was travelling from Odessa to Valenica loaded with grain, canned milk, and other peacetime goods. However, when the master was questioned about the cargo, he refused to give the Interrogation Officer any more information. In the afternoon the Spanish tanker “Santa Cruz II” 9.932 grt was sighted and taken prize the tanker was travelling in ballast from Cartagena to Batum. The 15th. prize was dismissed to Treffpunkt “Grün”. In the early hours of the 28th. the Spanish freighter “Castillo de Frontera” 5.110 grt in ballast from Valencia to Odessa was sunk. 2 days later another freighter was sent to the bottom, “Herrera” 4.254 grt was shelled after it refused to stop. As before the captain refused to give any information regarding the cargo of the ship.

Shortly after 0600 hrs. the Spanish tanker “Cartagena” 8.989 grt was taken prize the tanker was loaded with 10.000 t of gasoline and 2.800 t of aviation fuel from Odessa to Valenica. At 0900 hrs. the 17th. prize was dismissed to Treffpunkt “Grün” with orders to “await further instructions”.


Greek tanker captured by Schiff 30