Slamat disaster facts for kids

The Slamat disaster was a series of shipwrecks that happened during the Battle of Greece on April 27, 1941. Three ships sank due to air attacks by German Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers. These ships were the Dutch troopship Slamat and the Royal Navy destroyers HMS Diamond and HMS Wryneck.

The ships sank off the east coast of Greece. This happened during "Operation Demon," which was a plan to evacuate British, Australian, and New Zealand troops from Greece. These troops were leaving after being defeated by German and Italian forces. Sadly, about 983 people died in this disaster. Only 66 men survived.

Why Were Troops Evacuated from Greece?

On April 6, 1941, Germany and Italy invaded Yugoslavia and Greece. British, Australian, and New Zealand troops were already in Greece. However, they and the Greek defenders lost ground to the invading forces. By April 17, the British Empire began planning to evacuate about 60,000 troops.

The Slamat was a large Dutch troop ship. It was originally an ocean liner for the Koninklijke Rotterdamsche Lloyd ("Royal Dutch Lloyd"). Since October 1940, she had been working in the Indian Ocean. But in April 1941, she was ordered to the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. She was needed for Operation Demon.

The Convoy to Greece: AG 14

HMS Calcutta led the evacuation ships from Nauplia. She carried 960 British, Australian, and New Zealand troops.

The Slamat reached the Mediterranean by April 23. On April 24, she joined five other merchant ships. They left Alexandria as Convoy AG 14, heading for Greece. The Allied forces were spread across Greece. So, on April 26, when AG 14 reached Greek waters, it split up. This allowed ships to go to different pick-up points.

The Slamat and another troop ship, the Khedive Ismail, were sent with the cruiser HMS Calcutta and several destroyers. Their destination was Nauplia and Tolon in eastern Greece. Before the ships arrived, the corvette HMS Salvia checked Nauplia Bay for mines.

German Luftwaffe planes found Convoy AG 14 on April 26. The Germans controlled the skies, and the Royal Air Force was losing its ability to fight back. Earlier, on April 24, another troop ship, the Ulster Prince, had gotten stuck in Nauplia Bay. This blocked access to the port. The next day, an air attack completely destroyed the stuck ship. This meant other ships had to anchor in the bay. Smaller boats, called tenders, were needed to bring troops from the shore to the ships.

A ship called Glenearn was sent to deliver several Landing Craft Assault boats to Nauplia. However, on April 26, a Junkers Ju 87 Stuka attack damaged the Glenearn. So, she dropped her landing craft ashore for use at Monemvasia and was towed to Souda Bay. On the way to Nauplia, the convoy was attacked by aircraft. Several bombs hit the Slamat, causing heavy damage and setting parts of her on fire. Two of her lifeboats were destroyed, and one crewman was hurt.

The Germans knew the ships would pick up troops overnight and leave early on April 27. So, German commander Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen planned to attack the ships as they left.

HMS Diamond patrolled for submarines near Nauplia. She rescued survivors from Slamat but was then sunk by aircraft.

At 11:40 PM on April 26, the light cruisers Orion and HMAS Perth joined Khedive Ismail, Slamat, Calcutta, and four destroyers in Nauplia Bay. The destroyer HMS Diamond guarded against submarines. The other ships took turns picking up troops. Only a few landing craft and the ships' own boats were available. One large boat, Agios Giorgios, could hold 600 men. The sea was a bit rough, and in the dark, there were a few accidents. One ship's small boat overturned.

The Calcutta picked up 960 troops, and the Orion picked up 600. The destroyers HMS Hotspur and Isis picked up 500 and 408 troops. The process was slow, so the Khedive Ismail did not get a chance to pick up any troops.

At 3:00 AM, the Calcutta ordered all ships to sail. But the Slamat did not obey and kept picking up troops. The Calcutta and Khedive Ismail sailed at 4:00 AM. The Slamat followed at 4:15 AM, having picked up about 500 troops. This was about half her capacity. An estimated 700 to 2,000 men were left behind. However, the Hotspur stayed at Nauplia to pick up as many as possible.

The Sinking of the Slamat

The convoy sailed south. The Calcutta and Khedive Ismail went at 12 knots (22 km/h). The Slamat went full speed at 16 knots (30 km/h) to catch up. At about 6:45 AM, German Luftwaffe planes attacked the convoy. This happened near Leonidion, at the mouth of the gulf.

First, three Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters attacked. Then, nine Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers from Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 joined the attack. There were also Junkers Ju 88 and Dornier Do 17 bombers and more Bf 109s. The planes mainly targeted the troop ships. At first, anti-aircraft fire from Calcutta and Diamond kept planes from hitting the Slamat.

Then, a 250 kg (550 lb) bomb exploded between the Slamat's bridge and front funnel. This set the bridge and other areas on fire. Her water system broke, making it hard to fight the fire. Another bomb also hit the ship, and she began to lean to one side.

The Slamat's Master, Tjalling Luidinga, ordered everyone to abandon ship. The bombing and fire had destroyed some lifeboats and life rafts. The remaining boats and rafts were launched during a second Stuka attack. The Hotspur reported seeing four bombs hit the Slamat. At least two lifeboats overturned. One was overloaded, and another flipped when the Diamond had to move quickly to avoid an air attack. One Stuka pilot, Bertold Jung, saw other pilots shooting at survivors in the boats. He complained strongly, saying that people in lifeboats should not be attacked.

HMS Wryneck went to help the Diamond. She rescued survivors from Slamat but was then sunk along with Diamond.

The Orion, Isis, and Khedive Ismail kept moving towards Souda Bay. The Calcutta rescued some survivors. She ordered the destroyer Diamond to go alongside the Slamat to rescue more. At 8:15 AM, the Diamond reported she was still rescuing survivors and was still under air attack.

At 9:16 AM, the destroyers HMAS Vendetta, HMAS Waterhen, and HMS Wryneck arrived from Souda Bay in Crete to help the convoy. So, the Calcutta sent the Wryneck to assist the Diamond. At 9:25 AM, the Diamond reported she had rescued most survivors and was heading to Souda Bay. She left some people on life rafts, where planes machine-gunned them. The Calcutta's captain said the attack continued until about 10:00 AM. The Wryneck reached the Diamond around 10:00 AM and asked for air cover at 10:25 AM.

The Diamond, with the Wryneck, returned to the Slamat, arriving around 11:00 AM. The destroyers found two of the Slamat's lifeboats, which had been righted. They rescued 30 troops and two Dutch crew members from one boat. They also rescued the Slamat's Second Officer and other survivors from the second boat. The Slamat was on fire from end to end. The Diamond fired a torpedo at her side, sinking her quickly. By now, the Diamond carried about 600 of the Slamat's survivors, including Captain Luidinga.

The Sinking of Diamond and Wryneck

Around 1:15 PM, four to nine Ju 87 bombers attacked the two destroyers by surprise. They came from the direction of the sun.

One bomb hit the Diamond's engine room, stopping her engines. Her funnel, mast, and radio aerial fell down. Another bomb exploded in the sea near her side, making a hole in her hull. She sank in eight minutes. Both of her lifeboats were destroyed, but her crew launched her three Carley floats.

Three bombs hit the Wryneck. The first damaged her hull. The second and third hit her engine room and bridge. She capsized to port but managed to launch her small boat and three Carley floats before she sank in 10–15 minutes.

Lt Cdr Philip Cartwright, who commanded the Diamond, was on a Carley float. He gave his place to a sailor who was in the water. Cartwright was not seen again. Several men on the Carley floats died from wounds or drowning. This included Lt Cdr Robert Lane, who commanded the Wryneck, and Dr G.H. Brand, the civilian ship's doctor on the Slamat.

Rescue Efforts and Survivors

The Wryneck's small boat had two holes but was repaired. Its occupants were wet, the compass was broken, and the drinking water was bad. The boat had four working oars. Commissioned Engineer Maurice Waldron took command. They set off east, towing two Carley floats with survivors. In the evening, the wind grew stronger. The floats hit the boat, so Waldron sadly had to let them go. Waldron was also caring for a sailor, George Fuller, who had bullet wounds.

At 7:00 PM, the cruiser HMS Phoebe and seven destroyers reached Souda Bay. They dropped off the evacuated troops. The Vice Admiral, Henry Pridham-Wippell, became worried because the Diamond was not among them. Between 7:22 PM and 7:55 PM, repeated attempts to radio the Diamond got no reply. The Wryneck had been told to keep radio silence, so no one tried to radio her. Instead, Phoebe and Calcutta were asked if they had seen her, but their replies were unclear.

HMS Griffin rescued survivors from Wryneck and Diamond. Some of these were also survivors from Slamat. She later took them from Souda Bay to Port Said.

Pridham-Wippell sent the destroyer HMS Griffin to where the Slamat had sunk. The Griffin found 14 survivors in two Carley floats. At 2:40 AM, she reported the rescue. She said both destroyers had sunk around 1:30 PM and that she was still looking for the Wryneck's small boat. In the morning, she found more floats and four more survivors. She took the survivors to Crete.

George Dexter, a veteran who was the last living survivor from the Slamat, said that after the Wryneck sank, he and three others were rescued by the Orion.

On the morning of April 28, the Wryneck's small boat was about 30 nautical miles (56 km) off Milos in the Aegean Sea. They headed for the island. At noon, they saw Ananes Rock, about 13 nautical miles (24 km) southeast of Milos. Waldron decided to land there because everyone was exhausted. The rock had a bay where the boat found a local boat full of Greek refugees and British soldiers. They had left Piraeus and were going to Crete, but only sailed at night to avoid being seen.

In the evening, the local boat left Ananes and headed south for Crete. As many survivors as possible moved to the local boat. It was very full, so it towed the small boat with five men still in it. On the morning of April 29, the local boat saw a small landing craft, A6. This craft had left Porto Rafti near Athens. It took everyone from the local boat and the small boat aboard. The next day, they reached Souda Bay. After a short stay, the survivors from Slamat, Diamond, and Wryneck were taken on HMS Hotspur to Port Said, Egypt.

How Many People Were Lost?

Nearly 1,000 people died when the Slamat, Diamond, and Wryneck sank.

• Of the approximately 500 soldiers on the Slamat, only eight survived.
• Of her 193 crew and 21 Australian and New Zealand gunners, 11 survived.
• Of the Diamond's 166 crew, 20 survived.
• Of the Wryneck's 106 crew, 27 survived.

The Slamat had a diverse crew: 84 from Goa, 74 Dutch, 24 Chinese, 10 Australians, and one Norwegian. The 11 survivors included six Goans, four Dutch, and one other.

The bodies of three of the Slamat's crew members washed ashore far from the wreck. These were J Pille on the Greek island of Stamperia, Second Officer G van der Woude in Alexandria, Egypt, and J van der Brugge in Gaza, Palestine.

Honors and Memorials

In November 1941, Philip Cartwright of HMS Diamond was honored after his death. He was made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order. From HMS Wryneck, Maurice Waldron received the Distinguished Service Cross. George Fuller received the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal. The Admiralty even published a special note about Fuller. It said he "though badly wounded, fought his gun till the last, and when his ship was sunk, heartened the survivors by his courage and cheerfulness."

In May 1945, the Netherlands was freed. The Dutch government returned from exile. In August 1946, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands wrote to Captain Luidinga's widow. She expressed her sympathy and thanked him for his service. She called him "a great son of our seafaring people."

Part of the Athens Memorial in the CWGC's Phaleron Allied War Cemetery.

British and Commonwealth troops and sailors lost in the sinking of Slamat, Diamond, and Wryneck are remembered on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Athens Memorial. This memorial is in the Phaleron Allied War Cemetery near Athens. Royal Navy personnel are also honored in Britain at naval memorials in Chatham, Plymouth, and Portsmouth. George Dexter arranged for a monument to all service members lost. It is at The The Royal British Legion Club in Shard End, Birmingham.

There was no Dutch memorial for the Slamat until 2011. Then, a monument honoring victims from all three ships was created by Dutch sculptor Nicolas van Ronkenstein. It was placed in the Sint-Laurenskerk ("St Lawrence Church") in Rotterdam. It was officially revealed on April 27, the 70th anniversary of the disaster.

On June 27, 2012, the current HMS Diamond held a ceremony. Wreaths were laid where the Slamat sank. Participants included the Diamond's commander, descendants of those who died, and the Commander in Chief of the Hellenic Navy.