1939: Survivors recall the sinking of the SS Athenia
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On 3 September 1939, the SS Athenia, en route from Glasgow to Montreal, became the first victim of the Battle of the Atlantic when she was torpedoed and sunk by a U-boat. Two survivors of the wreck describe the attack, the dramatic evacuation into the lifeboats and the long night spent waiting for rescue. In 1939, U-boat captains were prohibited from attacking passenger liners. However, Oberleutnant Lemp of the U-30 mistook the Athenia for a British armed merchant cruiser and torpedoed her, with the loss of 117 lives.
The Germans, attempting to avoid international condemnation for the attack, categorically denied sinking the ship, blaming it on a British attempt to turn neutral countries against the Nazis. The references to smoke from a submarine made by both survivors in this recording gain importance when seen in the context of this dispute.
Recorded 05 September 1939.