Forget-Me-Nots
Roger Paine learns more of the sinking of RMS Laconia in 1942 from one of the survivors
An RMS Laconia survivor tells her story
The article Sunk But Not Forgotten, the tragic tale of RMS Laconia, (Spring 2019) has brought a spellbinding first-hand account from one of the survivors.
Jo Pratchett, now ninety-one years old, was fourteen, travelling with her mother, father and brother from South Africa to England when the ship was torpedoed by the German submarine U-156 under the command of Korvettenkapitan Werner Hartenstein on 12 September 1942. Onboard were 2,725 people, including crew, military and civilian personnel and some 1,800 Italian POWs and their Polish guards. Jo’s memories remain crystal clear. “My mother and father were going to a dance that evening and I remember being disappointed that I had to stay in our cabin with my little brother. They hadn’t been gone long when there was an ear-splitting explosion which shook the ship from top to bottom followed immediately by another. I know now that the noise was the impact of two torpedoes.
“My father returned and told us to put on our lifejackets over our pyjamas and go to our lifeboat station. This was very difficult due to the ship listing, but somehow we all got into our lifeboat which after many attempts was lowered and rowed away.
“There were over sixty of us, including a baby, in the lifeboat designed to hold half this number. The sea around us was full of bodies, some of whom were crying out for help. As it was dark and we were in an area known for sharks, it was appalling.
“Captain Hartenstein, realising that he had sunk a ship with hundreds of non-military personnel, brought his U-boat to the surface and after picking up as many survivors as possible, ordered his crew to tow the lifeboats. He also defied orders and signalled his position to other submarines for assistance.
“After five long days in the lifeboat in the most desperate conditions, not least the tropical sun and ever-present sharks, we were rescued by U-507. Having survived on sips of fresh water, Horlicks tablets and ship’s biscuits it was wonderful to have the hospitality of the submarine’s crew.
“But our misfortunes were far from over. A plane from the United States Air Force on Ascension Island, alerted to the German U-boats, was ordered to bomb us. This gave the submarines no alternative but to submerge taking us with them. The situation soon became too dangerous for us to remain onboard so once more the submarine surfaced and we were put back in the lifeboat.
“Meanwhile Hartenstein had managed to contact the Vichy French cruiser Gloire, which arrived to take us to Dakar. But due to an outbreak of cholera ashore we were instead taken to Casablanca where sixty of us were put into a Vichy French internment camp. The conditions here were awful, and I was still wearing the same cotton pyjamas.
“We stayed there for three months until liberated by the American Army. We were then taken by ship to Gibraltar where we took the ship Ormonde back to England. The U-boats responsible for our rescue were sunk over the following months with no survivors.
“After the war some of us who had survived the sinking set up a charity – International Submarine Connection Plauen (ISCP) which helps submariners all over the world - in Captain Hartenstein’s home town of Plauen, Germany. We meet there every September and in 2017 we unveiled a plaque in St Paul’s church where Hartenstein worshipped.
“The ceremony was attended by Hartenstein’s nephew and other survivors including me. The plaque’s wording reads: Dedicated to the memory of Captain Werner Hartenstein, citizen of Plauen and member of the Church of Saint Paul., whose bravery and humanity in time of war saved the lives of more than 1,000 people after the sinking of the troop ship ‘Laconia’ on 12th September 1942. This plaque is presented by the British survivors to mark the 70th anniversary of his incredible decision and extraordinary courage.
“As my granddaughter recently remarked, ‘I’ve just realised that none of us would be here today if it wasn’t for Captain Hartenstein’.”