MV Sebastiano Veniero
| Company type | Motor vessel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipping, Transport |
| Founded | 1940 |
| Headquarters | Italy |
| Products | Cargo and passenger transport |
MV Sebastiano Veniero—originally named MV Jason—was a Template:GRT motor vessel designed for both cargo and passenger transport, constructed in Monfalcone, Italy, during 1940. In 1941, German forces commandeered the vessel. On 9 December 1941, a Royal Navy submarine inflicted damage upon her in the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in the deaths of at least 300 prisoners of war from the UK and Dominion countries, with the possibility of higher casualties. Although she did not sink immediately, the ship was deliberately run aground along the Peloponnese coast. A subsequent torpedo attack a week later rendered her completely lost.
Construction and Appropriation
The vessel was commissioned in 1939 by Italia Marittima (Lloyd Triestino) from the Fiume-based shipyard Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico (CRDA).
Powered by a six-cylinder diesel engine manufactured by Fiat S.p.A., she achieved a top speed of approximately 14 minimalknots[convert: unknown unit], according to records.
Due to financial constraints faced by Lloyd Triestino, CRDA transferred ownership to Nederlandsche Stoomvaart Maatschappij Oceaan (NSMO), which was the Dutch branch of the British shipping firm Blue Funnel Line. NSMO adhered to Blue Funnel's tradition of naming vessels after prominent figures from Greek mythology and antiquity; thus, the ship was rechristened Jason, referencing the mythological hero.
Sea trials for Jason commenced on 9 May 1940, shortly before Italy's entry into World War II. The following day, with Germany's invasion of the Netherlands underway, Italian authorities seized the ship and reassigned her to the Italian shipping company Società Italiana di Armamento (Sidarma). She was then renamed Sebastiano Veniero, honoring the Venetian admiral and Doge from the 16th century, Sebastiano Venier (1496–1578). The original NSMO crew traveled to Marseille and were repatriated to Britain aboard the Blue Funnel vessel SS Perseus (1923).
Loss
On 9 December 1941, while transporting approximately 2,000 UK and Dominion prisoners of war from North Africa to occupied Europe, the vessel was struck by a torpedo launched by the Royal Navy submarine HMS Porpoise off the southern coast of the Peloponnese, roughly 5 nautical miles (9 km) south of Pylos. Numerous PoWs were confined within the ship’s cargo holds, and two of these compartments were rapidly inundated following the explosion.[1] Different sources report varying casualty numbers among the prisoners, citing totals ranging from 300 to between 450 and 500.[2]
The cargo holds were opened to free trapped prisoners, and the damaged ship was deliberately grounded near Methoni Castle on Cape Methoni.[3] Many PoWs seized the opportunity to leap into the sea and swim toward the rocky shoreline. Bernard Friedlander, a South African lance corporal from the 3rd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish Regiment, swam ashore carrying a rope—a feat that took him 90 minutes. This rope was then used to pull a cable to land, which was secured firmly onshore. Nearly 1,600 survivors utilized this cable system to reach safety.[2]
The Sebastiano Veniero remained stranded at Methoni until 15 December when it was struck by another torpedo fired by the British T-class submarine HMS Torbay.[2]
Bernard Friedlander's courageous act on 9 December was observed by a German officer who subsequently recommended him for a British gallantry award.[2] In July 1945, Friedlander received the George Medal.[4] During King George VI’s 1947 tour of South Africa, Friedlander was personally presented with the medal at an official ceremony in Johannesburg on 31 March.[2]
Records
Several prisoners of war who survived the sinking documented their experiences aboard Sebastiano Veniero. In 1983, a book titled No Honour No Glory by Spence Edge and Jim Henderson was published recounting these events.
See also
Loreto, Nino Bixio, and Scillin were Italian cargo vessels lost under comparable conditions, resulting in the deaths of numerous British and Commonwealth prisoners of war.
References
- ↑ "POW Private Spence Edge, 25th Battalion 2NZEF". www.armymuseum.co.nz. Archived from the original on 7 February 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lettens, Jan; de Neumann, Bernard (2 June 2013). "MV Sebastiano Veniero [+1941]". WreckSite. wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ↑ "Inadvertent victims". 17 December 2011.
- ↑ Template:London Gazette
Template:Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico 36°49′N 21°42′E / 36.817°N 21.700°E
My Interesting Four years 1940 -1944 L.J. Read, Auckland Museum, NZ Army Museum
No Honour No Glory, The tragic Deaths of 162 Kiwi prisoners of War by Spence Edge & Jim Henderson ISBN 0 00 217208 9 Collins Publication
Fighting with the Enemy New Zealand POWs and the Italian Resistance by Susan Jacobs . ISBN O 14 301862 0 Penguin Publication
Prisoners Of War New Zealand In The Second World War, Official History by W. Wynne Mason Published by R.E. Owen Government Printer
- 1940 ships
- Maritime incidents in December 1941
- Ships built by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico
- Ships sunk by British submarines
- Shipwrecks of Greece
- World War II merchant ships of Germany
- World War II merchant ships of Italy
- World War II merchant ships of the Netherlands
- World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea