28.4.1937 Mediterranean Sea 38°1’S, 10°46’E 605th. day at sea
On 23.4. Schiff 30 sails into the Gulf of Cadiz. The following day the first real signs of the Spanish Civil War came into view, a Nationalist warship came into sight followed by an unidentified warship, several warships and merchant ships, and 2 Nationalist gunboats. At 1300 hrs. the raider was in the Strait of Gibraltar. At that same time 2 Nationalist gunboats sailed astern and followed Schiff 30 for most of the transit through the Strait. By 1533 hrs. The Rock of Gibraltar came into view and by 1721 hrs. the ship exited the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Alboran Sea. The following day the Kommandant requested operational orders from the Skl. the Skl. gave Hartmann the area between 8°E, 31°E. Schiff 30 began her work in at once. A freighter was sighted in position 37°44’N, 3°22’E the Soviet freighter “Kosmolov” 7.900 grt was stopped, searched, and scuttled with demolition charges. On 28.5 the Soviet liner “Stepanov” 8.889 grt was shelled and sunk after an attempt to stop the vessel failed and the Soviet turned and began to run from Schiff 30. This vessel was transporting troops, tanks, and supplies from Odessa. Only 8 survived. No sooner had Schiff 30 departed the sinking location of the troop transport that a Spanish tanker was sighted and sunk she was the “Cadiz” 8.957 grt from Batum to Valencia loaded with 10.000 t of gasoline and 300 t of lubrication oils. Less than an hour later another target comes into view, the Soviet freighter “Smirnoff” 4.800 grt transporting war materials was stopped, searched, and scuttled.
Shortly after noon, A column of smoke was sighted of the starboard bow, after stopping the tanker an hour later it was identified as the Republican tanker “Campos” 10.200 grt travelling in ballast to Batum. Kapitan.z.S Hartmann decided to take the tanker prize and use it as a supply ship, a prize crew under L.z.S.(S) Kasch was assembled and Prize VI is dismissed to La Spezia to take on supplies, fuel, and lubrication oils for the raider.
Schiff 30 continues its path of destruction against Republican shipping.
