10/12/1939 DR 2814 Central Atlantic 103rd day at sea.
Ship 35’s search for a suitable ship to take prize came to an end. At 22:25 Lookouts on the bridge sighted navigation lights bearing 257°T range 3300m Hartmann turned Ship 35 around, decamouflaged, and fired a warning shot with the 3.7 cm the liner, a Portuguese, stopped and switched on its mast lights. A boarding party under L.z.S Schmidt boarded the ship and discovered that she had in fact been sold to the Hugh Shipping Co. Ltd, Southampton and that the transfer of ownership had taken place in Rio and was now sailing under control of the British company. The liner was travelling in Ballast from Rio to Clydebank for conversion into a troopship. Hartmann took the liner prize putting Oblt.z.S.d.R Burkhard von Muller in command he was given a crew of 2 officers, 8 petty officers, and 30 ratings. During the next 5 hours the prisoners except Captains, engineering officers, and radio personnel were transferred to the Meridian 9,988 grt (DMNL). The liner was renamed Marsburg and commissioned into the Kriegsmarine as a supply ship. She has room for about 800. Food and supplies were later transferred. The Marsburg is instructed to proceed to DF 70 via the Green Route and wait there until Ship 35 returns. Both ships parted ways at dawn.
