Arandora Star sinking: a lesser known Nazi war crime that spawned generations of conspiracy theories
Just days before the Battle of Britain began in July 1940, more than 800 civilians were killed off the coast of Ireland when a German U-Boat sank a converted five-star cruise ship.
The people on board were German, Austrian and Italian internees – deemed enemy aliens by the UK government – who were being deported to Canada.
Why the Nazis sank a civilian ship has never been fully explained.
But the sinking of the Arandora Star remains one of the lesser known war crimes of the second world war.
My research has examined the oral histories of some of the Italian families, based in the UK, who remember the second world war. My latest project has looked into the long-term effects of Arandora Star sinking as it was experienced and transmitted across generations.
The attack
The Arandora Star was a first class cruise liner built in 1927 by the Cammell Laird Company Ltd, in Birkenhead, near Liverpool. It was one of the best-known ships in the world at the time.
When the war broke out, the Arandora, like many commercial ships, was placed at the disposal of the British government. Under the command of Captain E.W. Moulton, the Arandora was ordered to carry German, Austrian and Italian internees from Liverpool to Canada.
More than 1,600 men were forced onto the ship which was actually designed to carry 500. Internees were crammed below decks and the exits were guarded by barbed wire.
On July 2 1940 – the morning after it embarked on its voyage – the Arandora was torpedoed by a German U-boat, 100 miles northwest of Ireland.
Around 805 men, over 50 percent of the total number drowned, were Italian. About 100 British soldiers and crew members also lost their life, including the ship’s captain.
One British sailor told the press in 1940 that the Arandora Star turned half over on her side and sank, carrying down the occupants of several life rafts. “When the ship disappeared,” the sailor said, “there were hundreds of men on her decks … A cloud of steam rose a hundred feet in the air, and the suction dragged rafts and men underneath with her”.
But the ship’s traumatic final moments were just the start of the story for the families of those involved.
Part of my study involved making a 15-minute documentary, entitled The Arandora Star Sinking, to raise awareness about the xenophobia and discrimination faced by the people and communities who were left behind.
The film captures memories of the incident from the perspective of one of the descendants.
Vincenzo Margiotta
Vincenzo Margiotta is a third generation Italian based in Liverpool, whose grandfather was interned and died on the Arandora Star.
Margiotta’s family migrated to Scotland at the beginning of the 20th century, from Picinisco, Lazio, and established businesses in catering.
“Things were great. Life was good,” he said – until the outbreak of the second world war. Following Benito Mussolini’s declaration of war, on June 10 1940, anti-Italian feeling erupted among British citizens.
Around 4,500 Italian men between the ages of 16 and 70 with less than 20 years’ residence in Britain were ordered to be interned, including Margiotta’s grandfather.
Research has shown how Italian internees were regarded as the most “dangerous characters”. They were deported even though their degree of loyalty to the fascists had not been assessed.
Public opinion in the UK was initially in favour of the internment of “enemy aliens”. However, after the tragedy of the Arandora Star – and as a result of campaigns by various members of parliament – opinion changed and supported the release of “loyal” internees. Eventually internees were able to apply for release and many of them served in the armed forces.
Information vacuum
Over the years, Margiotta heard many stories about what happened to his grandfather.
One reason for this is because the official history was unclear. Why, for example, were none of the deportation transport ships marked as carrying prisoners of war? Instead, they set sail unaccompanied, equipped with anti-submarine guns, and employing a zigzag pattern in their movements – making the ships obvious targets for German U-boats.
Research has also shown that next of kin of internees were not informed about the Arandora disaster for weeks and only some families received a notification of “missing presumed drowned”, in April 1941, when the Home Office missing list was finalised.
Consequently, memories transmitted via word of mouth among family and community members were the main sources this group had available to them.
Margiotta said: “My knowledge of the incident was hearing stories around the table from other families”, adding:
Somebody pushed my grandfather off the ship, and told him to jump into the water … he was frightened, as he couldn’t swim – screaming in disbelief at what was happening around him … and then was never seen again.
This spoken mode of transmission of memories might have contributed to speculation and intrigue. The sinking has been subject to divergent tales and invention.
Gold bullion?
Margiotta said conspiracy theories included, “stories of it carrying gold bullion to take to Canada to fund the war chest for the UK … it was carrying soldiers; lots of stories. All have been unfounded. But I guess there is a story somewhere that needs to come out”.
It is evident how the lack of official information and records caused a sense of injustice for the loss of civilians. As Margiotta told me at the end of our interview:
…Why would the enemy wish to torpedo a ship like that? Why was a converted five-star cruise ship … torpedoed? There’s a lot of unanswered questions.
Margiotta represents just one of the many victims’ relatives who expressed the need to find answers to these basic questions.
In my previous research I spoke to Anglo-Italian families in the north-east of England who all shared the same pain and frustration. It’s time these questions were answered.
Simona Palladino does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.