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2009年3月 True story of M.S. Antilla (1939) and her crew (update)After having listened to the many stories that are being told about M.S. Antilla and her crew I decided to do some research on this vessel, initially through internet sources and later on through The Dutch National Archive. I have tried to separate facts from fiction and found out about the real story.
M.S. Antilla (international code signal DKBA) was built in 1939 by Deutsche Werft in the Finkenwarder area of Hamburg. She was launched on 21 March 1939 and her date of completion was 11 July 1939. The ship (121,4 mtrs/ 400ft, 4363 tons) was built for the German firm Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft (HAPAG).
 (M.S. Antilla)
On 10 May 1940 German forces invaded The Netherlands. At that time the M.S. Antilla was anchored in front of Malmok Beach (Aruba). As the German invasion was considered an act of war the Dutch government ordered all German merchant ships in the Dutch Antilles to be confiscated and the German crews to be arrested. (note: it is often said that the Antilla was a disguised auxiliary ship for U-boats. I have not been able to find any confirmation for this, nor for the presence of ammunition, torpedoes, fuel etc. in the wreck when salvage was considered. Furthermore, prior to May 10, 1940 the ship was repeatedly searched by the military authorities for weapons and nothing was found. Some information suggests that the Antilla carried a load of sulphur which was unloaded in San Nicolas harbour in October 1939. The "U boat supply story" is therefore highly debatable).
In order to confiscate the Antilla Dutch marines tried to get on board however the German captain Ferdinand Schmidt refused to lower the gangway and the marines were told by the German crew to return early the next morning. Immediately after that Captain Schmidt ordered the 34 crew members to open the valves and set fire to the ship. When the marines returned to the Antilla a few hours later the ship by then was already listing to port. They could do nothing more than watch the ship as it sank and they arrested the crew that had abandoned ship. (note: in the official documents there is no mention at all of the the crew heating up the boilers of the ship and letting cold seawater flow in thus causing a huge explosion, which is sometimes suggested as being the cause of the sinking. According to an inspection of the wreck by divers between May en August 1940 the superstructure of the ship was damaged by fire but the hull of the ship was undamaged and in one piece. The report concluded the sinking was caused by opening the valves of the vessel. The breaking up of the wreck is a result of heavy swells and was first noticed during an inspection in 1953).
(l. crewlist Antilla, r. list of items left by capatain Schmidt on the Antilla, source: Dutch National Archive)
Throughout the Dutch Antilles a total of 220 German merchant sailors were arrested from 15 ships. (note: As well as the crew of the Antilla the crew of the German ship Goslar that was berthed in Dutch Suriname managed to scuttle their vessel before she was confiscated). These merchant sailors were all transported to Bonaire where the sailors were detained in a school building. Next to these sailors 200 German and Austrian civilians (amongst them also civilians that fled the threat of Nazi Germany, as well as approximately 20 persons that were considered a threat to national security because of being alleged Nazi supporters) were being detained in several school buildings.
(internmentcamp Bonaire. source: Dutch National Archive)
Already on 11 May 1940 an agreement was reached between the Dutch Authorities on Curacao and the British Consul that Great Britain would accept the 220 German merchant sailors and detain them in an internmentcamp in British Jamaica (presumably Up Park Camp). In the period between their arrival on Bonaire and their shipment to Jamaica the sailors had to build an internmentcamp in Bonaire to house the other civilian internees. They finished building the camp early July 1940 and on 5 July 1940 the crew of the Antilla together with their 185 colleagues were escorted to the vessel Jamaica Producer and transported to the camp in British Jamaica where they spent the rest of the war.
(note: the internmentcamp in Bonaire was therefore not bought by Captain Schmidt of the Antilla as has been widely suggested, but by a local entrepreneur. On the spot of the camp at first Hotel Zeebad was built and later on Divi Flamingo Hotel, which is still there).
(The author has not been able to identify and/or contact the owners of some of the pictures used in this article. If you feel that the author is using data that should not belong in this article due to copyright violations please notify the author. The author of this article does not claim to be the owner of the information within and shall therefore remove all content that is copyrighted if the owner of the material requests so. Anybody who claims a copyright however should make it reasonably clear that such a copyright legally exists).
2009年1月 Pedernales, the Phoenix of ArubaIn the early morning hours of February 16, 1942 war reached the shores of Aruba, delivered by the German U boat U-156. With the detonation of the first torpedo the idea that the war might leave Aruba undisturbed was literally blown to pieces. The first victim was the Lake tanker Pedernales and more tankers would follow that night. In total 52 people (including a German submariner and four Dutch marines) lost their lives and five tankers in the region were sunk or damaged by several U-boats. The Pedernales however, despite the fact she was heavily damaged, was repaired and eventually returned to service, she more or less rose from the ashes. So when you dive the mid-section of the Pedernales you actually dive the remnants of the Phoenix of Aruba.
On January 19, 1942 the German type IX-C (long range) U-boat U-156 commanded by the 33-year old Kapitanleutnant (commander) Werner Hartenstein left the concrete bunkers of Lorient (France) for its second war patrol and set course for the Dutch Antilles. U-156 was part of a group of five U-boats (included were also U-67, U-129, U-161 and U-502) known as the "Neuland Gruppe". Their objective was to disrupt oil transport en oil refining roughly in the area around the Dutch Antilles (Aruba and Curacao), Maracaibo (Venezuela) and Trinidad by attacking the refineries and oil tankers in a coordinated attack. The Lago refinery in Aruba was a main supplier of fuel for allied aircraft and therefore considered by the Germans a target of strategic importance. U-156 was designated to attack this refinery and its tankers.
(kapitanleutnant Werner Hartenstein)
On February 13, 1942 U-156 approached Aruba from the South and started a reconnaissance on its potential targets on the Western side of the island. The location of the refinery was identified as well as several tankers, including one at the Eagle pier, North of Oranjestad. The following two days the crew of U-156 practiced maneuvers and continued their observations. In the late evening of February 15, 1942 the U-156 approached the Lago refinery and the captain selected the targets: two lake tankers in front of the refinery, the Pedernales and the Oranjestad. SS Pedernales (international code signal GNGN) was a 4317 tons, 355 ft steam tanker built in 1938 in Italy at Cantiere Riunti dell Adriatico and owned by Lago Shipping Co. Ltd. (Esso) in London and had a crew of 26. Her master was Herbert McCall. SS Oranjestad was a 2396 tons steam tanker Built in 1927 in Northern Ireland (Belfast) at Harland & Wolff Ltd. and also owned by Lago Shipping Co. Ltd. (Esso) in London, she had a crew of 25. Her master was Herbert Morgan. Both ships were so called "lake tankers" with a flat bottom hull specially designed to be able to enter Lake Maracaibo (Venezuela) where the crude oil was taken in. Pedernales would be the first victim.
 ( SS Pedernales)
(picture courtesy of www.aukevisser.nl)
In the early morning of February 16, 1942 at 01.31 hrs (local time) the surfaced U-156 fired a single (G7-a) torpedo from one of the bow tubes at the Pedernales and hit her amidships. Pedernales was loaded with crude oil and caught fire immediately. Eight crew members died as a result of the explosion and the following inferno. Two minutes later, at 01.33 hrs a second (G7-e) torpedo was fired by U-156 from one of the bow tubes and hit the Oranjestad amidships. She also caught fire and sank approximately an hour later in front of the refinery in 230 ft of water. 15 crew members died. After the initial attack the crew of U-156 was ordered to prepare the 105 mm deckgun to start shelling the refinery. The crew however, forgot the remove the watertight cap that was mounted on the barrel and as soon as the first shell was fired, the gun exploded leaving the gunnery officer and one of the sailors heavily injured (the gunnery officer lost a foot but survived, the sailor died hours later of his wounds). After firing a few rounds with the 37 mm deck gun commander Hartenstein decided to withdraw from his position and moved up North, leaving the refinery only slightly damaged. At 03.13 hrs U-156 fired three torpedos from her stern tubes at the 6452 tons Texaco owned American steam tanker Arkansas berthed at Eagle Pier. Only one of the torpedoes hit the the Arkansas causing minor damage, one of the other G7-e torpedoes ended up on the beach where it exploded a day later when Dutch marines tried to defuse it, claiming the lives of four men. After the last torpedo attack the U-156 left the area in a northerly direction heading for the Island of Martinique. U-156 returned to Lorient on March 17, 1942.
  (L. Pedernales after the attack, R. G7-e torpedo at eagle beach)
(pictures courtesy of www.lago-colony.com)
Despite the fact that Pedernales was heavily damaged and burned fiercely she stayed afloat and drifted away from the location where she was hit. The following day she was located and tugboats towed her to shallow water where she was deliberately run aground to enable a salvage effort. The still intact front and aft section were separated from the damaged midsection and both were towed to the Lago drydocks where they were welded together. A make shift bridge was put on to the 124 ft. shorter hull and the ship left Aruba on July 30, 1942 for Curacao with final destination Baltimore for further repairs. The midsection that was left was later on used as a target for shooting practice by the Dutch Navy.
Aftermath:
U-156 did a total of five war patrols sinking 20 ships for a total of 97.504 tons. In September 1942 U-156 was involved in the "Laconia incident" (which led to the order by the German command not to assist castaways anymore). On March 8, 1943 U-156 was taken by surprise at the surface East of Barbados by a PBY-5 Catalina bomber commandanded by LTJG Dryden. Four depth charges sunk the U-156. Despite the fact that eleven survivors were sighted from the plane no one was found by surface ships. All 53 crew members were lost.
 
(L. PBY pilot LTJG Dryden, R. five survivors of U-156 clinging to a raft dropped by the PBY crew)
(pictures courtesy of www.uboatarchive.net) Some sources say Pedernales returned to Aruba, other sources suggest she participated in the African campaign, more in particular Operation Torch which took place in November 1942. Records on allied convoys in 1942 and 1943 and information from the Britsh National Archives reveal however that Pedernales was in Baltimore at that time. Between August 1942 and January 1943 Pedernales was part of five convoys (to get to Baltimore and back to Aruba) and visited the ports of Curacao, Key West, Baltimore, New York and Guantanamo. On August 16, 1942 she arrived via Hampton Roads in Baltimore for repairs which took until January 4, 1943. Pedernales arrived in New York on January 10, 1943 and left one day later en route to Guantanamo. She arrived in Aruba on January 25, 1943 and resumed her transportactivities between Aruba and Venezuela for the remainder of the war. After the war Pedernales was renamed Esso Pedernales (1957) and Katendrecht (1958). She was scrapped in October 1959 in Rotterdam, Holland. (The author has not been able to identify and/or contact the owners of some of the pictures used in this article. If you feel that the author is using data that should not belong in this article due to copyright violations please notify the author. The author of this article does not claim to be the owner of the information within and shall therefore remove all content that is copyrighted if the owner of the material requests so. Anybody who claims a copyright however should make it reasonably clear that such a copyright legally exists).
2008年6月 Star Gerren, Cinderella of the Aruban shipwrecksShe's in front of the High Rise area, she's not visited often, she's German and she always has to compete with her larger, older and more popular countrywoman Antilla and therefore you could think of her as the Cinderella of the Aruban shipwrecks. Her name: Star Gerren.
The Star Gerren was built at J.L. Meyer Shipyard in Papenburg, Germany and launched on September 22, 1965. The 499 tons cargoship measures 73.49 mtrs/245 ft in length and was named Santa Maria. The first owners were Hermann & Engelbert Lohmann from Haren in Germany. Between 1965 and 1994 she changed owners four times and from 1985 she was named Anna Maria. In 1991 her name was changed back to Santa Maria again. Between 1965 and 1994 she sailed under German, Singaporean and Honduran flag. In 1994 the Santa Maria was sold to the Valeron Corporation N.V in Curacao. She was renamed Star Gerren and registered at home port Belize City, Belize.
(courtesy of F.J. Olinga-Delfzijl)
On July 12, 1996, as the Star Gerren (call sign V3PK) was in the coastal waters of Aruba, captain Blackman reported having engine trouble to the Aruban Authorities. Not long after the first message of the captain however it looked like the crew of the Star Gerren had managed to overcome her engine problems and was able to continue her journey. The optimism of the captain was short lived: not long after the second report the five man crew was confronted with engine failure beyond repair. The Aruba Ports Authority responded by sending a tugboat to the Star Gerren to tow her into the harbor but bad luck seemed to accompany the captain of the Star Gerren. During the attempt to salvage the Star Gerren one of the hawsers got entangled in the propeller of the tugboat which had to limp back to the harbor. Eventually the Star Gerren was salvaged on July 15 and berthed in Barcadera harbor on July 16, 1996. Not long after being towed into Barcadera harbor the crew, due to the deplorable state of the ship, abandoned her.
(courtesy of Aruba Ports Authority)
Attempts to contact the owner of the ship failed and the Star Gerren remained in Barcadera harbor until August 2000. In July and August 2000 the Star Gerren was reported to list to starboard due to leakage thus turning it into an environmental hazard. These events speeded up the decision to convert the ship into a dive object for scuba divers. On August 31, 2000 the Star Gerren was towed to a location in front of the High Rise hotel area (Palm Beach) where she was sunk in 21 mtrs/70 ft of water.
2008年5月 A closer look at the Jane Sea (update May 2008)Aruba is well known for its wrecks, more in particular the World War II wrecks of the German freighter Antilla and the Lake tanker Pedernales. Another illusive wreck however is the wreck of the coaster Jane Sea. When divers approach the wreck her almost sinister shape is rising above the divers and a comparison with the bow of the Titanic is often made. Her location and date of sinking are well known but her previous history is a mystery to many. Did you know the Jane Sea was built in Holland and wasn't named Jane Sea from the beginning? Time to take a closer look.
(Jane Sea )
(courtesy of chemicalmankingsdown)
The 749 tons and 57 mtrs/190 ft long cargo ship was launched on December 30, 1959, from Westerbroek SW shipyard in Westerbroek in the North of Holland and was named Blackthorn. Her date of completion was March 1960. The Blackthorn sailed in British waters under the UK flag and was owned by the firm S. William Coe. & Co. Ltd. . The Blackthorn was later renamed Rudyard and in 1976 she was converted into a aggregates carrier. In 1980 the Rudyard was sold to S&D Shipping Ltd. in Bembridge, registered in Shoreham (UK) and renamed Jane Sea.
Between 1980 and her sinking by local dive operators in 1988 her whereabouts were a kind of a mystery. The story is that in her final days Jane Sea was owned by a Venezuelan company transporting cement between Venezuela and Aruba. It turned out that one day besides cement the Jane Sea transported some other white powder also known to the general public as cocaine. As a result of this drugs bust the ship was confiscated by authorities. When the owners did not reclaim the ship local dive operators took the initiative to make the vessel easily accessible for divers and scuttled it in September 1988 turning it into one of the most spectacular wrecks in Aruba. The rest is history ...... but is it really?
The files in the archives of the Aruba Ports Authority (APA) tell a different story ....... The Jane Sea (call sign GGCH) arrived in September 1984 in Barcadera Harbor (Aruba) carrying a load of cement from Costa Rica. She was still registered in Shoreham (UK) but now owned by Deroche Enterprises Ltd. seated in Trinidad. During berthing in Barcadera harbor she experienced major engine trouble and shortly after she was abandoned by her entire crew. When harbor dues weren't paid an embargo was laid on the ship and when attempts to get in contact with the owner failed, the decision was made to lift the embargo in December 1987 and prepare the ship to become a dive object. She was scuttled on September 4, 1988 just south of Barcadera harbor.
It's obvious the truth is not as exciting as the story that has been told for many years now and it's maybe somewhat disappointing even. Therefore, and because every wreck deserves a bit of mystery or an exciting story, it's up to the readers what story they prefer to remember.
(The author has not been able to identify and/or contact the owners of some of the pictures used in this article. If you feel that the author is using data that should not belong in this article due to copyright violations please notify the author. The author of this article does not claim to be the owner of the information within and shall therefore remove all content that is copyrighted if the owner of the material requests so. Anybody who claims a copyright however should make it reasonably clear that such a copyright legally exists).
2008年3月 Prelude for the scuttling of the Antilla, the lost wreck of the TrojaStories and wrecks unknown to the general public because they are forgotten by most people are the best. This is such a story about a forgotten wreck near Aruba, the hunt for German freighters, how one of them deceived the hunters and the ultimate act of a captain.
On the 31st of August 1939 HAPAG (Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft) vessel TROJA (built in 1922 by Howaldtswerke at Kiel, lenght 309 ft. 2390 brt. Int. code signal DHYB) and the CONSUL HORN, a German cargo and passenger ship owned by the shipping company Horn (built in 1904 by Harland & Wolff at Belfast, lenght 453 ft. 8384 brt, Int. code signal DHIY), arrive in the harbor of San Nicolas, Aruba. One day later the HAPAG freighters HEIDELBERG (built in 1925 by Vulcanwerke at Hamburg, length 450 ft. 6530 brt Int. code signal DCIB) and ANTILLA (built 1939, 4363 brt) also moor in San Nicolas harbor. That same day Germany invades Poland. (note:I have not been able to establish a connection between both events, but it could well be that these ships sought some kind of safe haven). As Holland, and therefore also Aruba as part of the Kingdom, take a neutral position in the beginning of WWII, the German ships are relatively safe in neutral waters. On the 15th of September 1939 all four ships are allowed by the government to anchor on the more quiet North West side of the Island opposite Malmok beach.
(February 1940, Antilla, Troja and Heidelberg anchored at Malmok)
(courtesy of www.lago-colony.com)
Since the allies (French and British forces) patrol the waters around Aruba, al four ships remain in neutral waters. Early January 1940 however the captain of the CONSUL HORN Johannes Roer decides it's time to try a daring escape. According to information I cannot confirm at present, the captain orders his crew to repaint the ship with markings making it look like a Russian freighter with the name "Modolets" and home-port Odessa, and sets course for Europe. The plan works out perfectly and the captain manages to deceive the French submarine AUGOSTA and US air reconnaissance. The choice is made to avoid the British channel and the CONSUL HORN takes the westerly route around Great Britain. Things nearly go wrong when the CONSUL HORN is passing the Orkneys and is hailed by the British Emerald class cruiser HMS ENTERPRISE. The half Russian half English reply by "the Modolets" is not very convincing and Captain Egerton of HMS ENTERPRISE decides to escort "the Modolets" to a nearby harbour. Fortune however is still with the crew of CONSUL HORN as HMS ENTERPRISE is called away for another more urgent assignment. (note: another source claims the vessel couldn't be boarded because of bad weather). In February 1940 the CONSUL HORN arrives in Europe. (note: eventually the Consul Horn struck a sea mine near the German island of Borkum on the 20th of July 1942 and sank).  (Consul Horn) For the remaining ships the story works out somewhat different. Despite the fact that the allies increase their naval presence in the area the captains of the freighters HEIDELBERG and TROJA decide to attempt an escape on the night of the 29th of February 1940. Both ships leave Aruban neutral water under the cover of darkness and try to avoid any contact with allied naval vessels. Given the fact that the allies were previously deceived by the CONSUL HORN they have no intention of making that same mistake. As a result their escape does not go unnoticed. (note: it's not clear whether the ANTILLA left her position and fled back to neutral waters or never left her position at all).  (Troja)
The TROJA is quickly detected by the British Danae class Light Cruiser HMS DESPATCH under the command of Captain Poland. 10 nautical miles West of Aruba the ship is intercepted. As soon as the captain of the TROJA realizes there is no escape he orders the crew to set fire to the ship to avoid capture of his ship and abandon her. The glow of the burning ship can be seen from Aruba. The TROJA sinks on the 1st of March 1940. (note: shortly after the beginning of the war all German merchant captains received secret orders to prevent capture of the ship at all costs).
(HMS Despatch)
The HEIDELBERG manages to evade the allies one more day. However on the 2nd of March 1940 she is intercepted by another D-class Light Cruiser HMS DUNEDIN, commanded by Captain Lambe sixty miles west, southwest of the Windward Passage. As ordered by Berlin the captain of the HEIDELBERG is forced to scuttle his ship. The HEIDELBERG disappears beneath the waves around 5 P.M., 25 crew members are picked up by HMS DUNEDIN. The crewmembers of the HEIDELBERG as well as the TROJA are being detained in an internmentcamp in Jamaica. (note: according to an eyewitness on HMS Dunedin the Heidelberg was carrying the name HEEMSKERK - Holland which suggests the Heidelberg also tried to escape using a false identity). (March 2, 1940: l. Heidelberg ablaze, r. crew member of Heidelberg picked up by HMS Dunedin)
(courtesy of www.hmsdunedin.co.uk)
The ANTILLA remains anchored in front of Malmok beach until the 10th of May 1940. That day German forces invade Holland and the ANTILLA is no longer in safe neutral waters. To prevent the ANTILLA from falling into enemy hands the captain scuttles her as ordered. (see also: True story of M.S. Antilla (1939) and her crew (update) ).
(The author has not been able to identify and/or contact the owners of some of the pictures used in this article. If you feel that the author is using data that should not belong in this article due to copyright violations please notify the author. The author of this article does not claim to be the owner of the information within and shall therefore remove all content that is copyrighted if the owner of the material requests so. Anybody who claims a copyright however should make it reasonably clear that such a copyright legally exists).
2008年1月 Dolphins escort The Seaqueen in Aruba October 2007
Just when you think a dive can't get any better..... it gets better. At least for the divers that were on board of the Seaqueen on 12 October 2007. After a great dive on Isla d'Oro Reef one of our divers spotted several dorsal fins breaking the surface. As we were in our surface interval the Seaqueen set course for these fins and before we knew it our boat was surrounded by a group of approximately 20 spotted dolphins, adults and babies, challenging the captain for a race as they played just in front of the bow of the Seaqueen.
Needless to say our divers couldn't wait to jump in the water. Unfortunately one of them jumped in somewhat overenthusiastic (imitating a depth charge) which was a signal for the dolphins to move on North. This unique encounter happens once in a while as this group apparently chooses Aruba as an ideal area to nurse and teach their young. Our divers had the best morning they could have wished for.
Sea Hunters in Aruba May 2007
Early May Fly and Dive had the privilige of hosting Canadian Mike Fletcher, his son Warren and their filmcrew. Both Mike And Warren are well known deep water divers and are the core of the Sea Hunters team. Mike and Warren dove to and have explored many famous wrecks around the world and their adventures are shown on National Geographics “The Sea Hunters” presented by writer Clive Cussler and marine archeologist James Delgado.
The reason for the team to visit Aruba was to get footage of the Antilla for which the Sea Queen and Sea Pearl as well as their captains were deployed several days. The visit of the team not only shows the importance of “the biggest wreck in the Caribbean” as a major dive site but also the historical importance of the wreck as a legacy of World War II in Aruba which should be preserved as long as possible. We at Fly and Dive took the opportunity to enlighten Mike and the crew also on the history of the by German submarine U-156 torpedoed tanker “Pedernales” as well as the tanker “Oranjestad” which is in appr. 300 ft. of water. In return they shared with us stories of their search for wrecks and lost ships bells.
The crew of Fly and Dive hopes to welcome The Sea Hunters again sometime in the future, maybe to do a documentary on the Oranjestad ?
For more information about The Sea Hunters see also: www.shipwreckcentral.com
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