German liner columbus

Material shortages further delayed her entry into service, and it was not until April that she was finally ready to embark on her maiden voyage. So profitable was she, that her owners started to consider a duo of express liners for service on the North Atlantic. However, she spent much of her time cruising to the Caribbean, and indeed, she was in the midst of a Caribbean cruise when World War II started in September As with the case of most all liners not in home waters at the start of hostilities, great pains were taken to avoid capture by enemy vessels.

With the British Navy controlling the seas, German liners were particularly vulnerable to attack. Rumor was silenced on 20 December when it was reported the great liner had been scuttled by her crew off Vera Cruz, Mexico to avoid capture by the British Navy.

German seamen from seized merchant freighters and tankers were also interned elsewhere, such as the sent to Fort Abraham Lincoln, North Dakota, another old Army post and former CCC Camp. After war was declared in the US, Ft. Lincoln soon interred civilians as well and served as the largest male internee camp of the War, with barbed wire fences, guard towers, bright lights, dogs and harsh INS guards.

If caught attempting to escape, internees,were punished with days in the camp stockade. In April, nearly Germans stayed here. In August of , the SS Columbus, third largest and one of the most luxurious vessels in the German merchant fleet and the 13th largest steamship in the world, set sail on a day cruise to the Mediterranean just days before Germany invaded Poland.

Along with passengers, it carried seamen, including nine women stewardesses. Its Captain, Wilhelm Daehne, received orders on August 27 to return to Germany or sail to a neutral port as all German boats at sea would be considered combatants by nations declaring war on Germany, including England.

The USA was not at war with Germany yet. Daehne scuttled the Columbus and the crew took refuge on their life boats until they were picked up by the American ship Tuscaloosa and sailed for New York.

Captain Daehne, a World War One veteran and expert role model, maintained his position as leader and he and his men made an immense effort to turn the barren camp into a small paradise. Together, they built and rebuilt the camp. The men were allowed two sodas or beers each day. They could send and receive mail.