9/20/1939 Central Atlantic DE 6825 81st day at sea
Schiff 35 spent 50 days off Jan Mayern awaiting her orders which finally came on 8/31. Schiff 35 was to leave her anchorage and proceed to the North Atlantic and await further instructions. On September 1st 1939 the bridge messenger came tearing into the chart room located below the bridge and made a report to the Kommandant, “the Wermacht invaded Poland”. By this time Ship 35 was making for the Denmark Strait. At full speed (25 knots) she made the crossing within hours. While in the strait she got the radio message the Kommandant and crew had waited for. “Ship 35 commence commerce warfare immediately.” Her disguise will be the Norwegian freighter Tariffa. A white line was painted around the hull. For 16 days she has gone up and down the Atlantic shipping lanes and not even a cloud in sight. On September 13 she sent away one of her aircraft for a reconnaissance flight and after a 3 1/2 hr flight returned empty handed. Hartmann began working his way south and today at 12:37 the lookouts on the bridge sighted a smoke cloud bearing 332°T range 4.000m. The alarm was sounded and the crew rushed to battle stations closing to 1.600m the ship was identified as a British freighter at 12:44 came the order, hoist battle ensign, de camouflage, and open fire! 56x5.9 in shells rained down on the ship and at 12:51 the battered ship was abandoned and went down by the stern. 21 of the crew were picked up and however 10 including the master went down with the ship. The second mate informed us that the freighter was the KINGTON 4,886 grt loaded with 5,000 tons of grain from Buenos Aires to London. Hartmann will now make for the Port of Hamilton for a mining operation before making for Pernambuco!
