SS Ussukuma facts for kids
SS Ussukuma
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Quick facts for kids History |
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| Name | Ussukuma |
| Owner |  Deutsche Ost-Afrika Linie |
| Route | Europe-Africa |
| Builder | Blohm + Voss |
| Launched | 20 December 1920 |
| Completed | 8 July 1921 |
| Fate | Commandeered by Abwehr, scuttled 1939 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger ship |
| Tonnage | 7,834 GRT |
| Length | 127.6 m (418 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 17.1 m (56 ft 1 in) |
| Installed power | Steam turbine |
| Propulsion | 2 × steam turbines SR geared to a single shaft, one screw |
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Capacity | 264 passengers |
| Crew | 107 |
The Ussukuma was a German passenger ship. It was named after a place in the central highlands of German East Africa, which is now Tanzania.
Just a few months after World War II began, on December 6, 1939, the ship was sunk on purpose. This is called scuttling. It happened off the coast of Argentina. In January 2008, the Argentine Navy found the ship's remains. It was lying in 70 meters (230 feet) of water, about 62 miles (100 km) from Necochea.
Contents
Building and Early Journeys
The Ussukuma was a large ship. It had a crew of 107 people and could carry 264 passengers. The ship was powered by a steam turbine engine. Its home port was Hamburg, a big city in Germany.
The ship was built by Blohm + Voss in Hamburg. It was launched into the water on December 20, 1920. The Ussukuma began its service on July 8, 1921. It sailed for the Deutsche Ost-Afrika Linie shipping company.
The Ussukuma traveled between Europe and Africa. It stopped at 13 ports in Europe and 38 ports in Africa. It also visited one port in Aden. The ship's last trip to Africa started from Hamburg on July 15, 1939. It left Cape Town on August 19 and reached Maputo by August 26.
The Ussukuma in World War II
When World War II started on September 1, 1939, the Ussukuma was near Lorenço Marques. The German intelligence service, called the Abwehr, took control of the ship. They planned to use it in the South Atlantic Ocean.
In late September, the ship sailed to South America. On October 11, it arrived in Bahía Blanca, Argentina. The ship stayed there until December 4. The captain, Karl Schulte, became sick and was replaced by Hugo Wilmsen.
Meeting a British Warship
On December 4, 1939, the Ussukuma left Bahía Blanca. It was heading towards Montevideo, Uruguay. It might have been going to help the German warship Admiral Graf Spee.
The next day, December 5, the Ussukuma met the British cruiser HMS Ajax. The Ajax was searching for the Admiral Graf Spee. The British knew the Ussukuma had left port.
The Ajax told the German crew not to sink their ship. They also warned that if the crew left the ship, they might not be rescued. But Captain Wilmsen decided to sink the Ussukuma anyway.
The Sinking of the Ship
The Ajax fired three shots at the Ussukuma. The first shot was a warning. The second was fired while the German crew was lowering their lifeboats. The third shot was fired as the boats hit the water. The Ussukuma sank during the night of December 5 or the morning of December 6. This happened 62 miles (100 km) from the coast.
All 107 crew members and passengers were rescued by the Ajax. They were held as enemy civilians. The British cruiser HMS Cumberland took them to the Falkland Islands. In 1940, they were moved to a camp in South Africa. They were released at the end of the war.
For many years, the ship's remains were just marked as an unknown wreck on maps. But in January 2008, the Ussukuma became the first German World War II wreck to be identified in Argentine waters in many years.
