Home

Govan to Nuremberg - the History of Athenia (2)

Home: Athenia (2)

Welcome to the Website

This section of the Benjidog website is dedicated to Athenia (2) - just another liner built by Fairfield in Govan until she was sunk by a German submarine on the very same day that Britain and France declared war on Germany. She was a cause célèbre thereafter. Even John Fitzgerald Kennedy the future US President had a part to play in this story.

I will cover two main topics here:

1. The history of Athenia (2) up to the time of her sinking

2. How the sinking becomes public knowledge (based on contemporary press reports)

Far worse things happened as the horrors of war overwhelmed Europe and the rest of the world, but the shock of this event reverberated throughout WW2 and was not forgotten when it was time to bring to account the Nazi leaders who were indicted in the trial of German Major War Criminals that took place in Nuremberg in 1945. I will be adding further information about the Nuremberg Trials as soon as possible - this is work in progress.

Athenia (2) came to my attention as a result of an enquiry from Govan High School which is celebrating its centenary in 2010. A student of the school, a member of Athenia (2)’s crew, was killed when she was hit by a torpedo. I was previously unaware of the significance of Athenia (2) and had originally intended to produce a one-page history!

I have noted the contributions of people who have contacted me with additional information, photographs and corrections, on the Contributors page.

Brian Watson

19 December 2009

For further information about the copyright position please see: Legal and Copyright

Other parts of the Benjidog Website:

To contact us:

E-mail: brian@benjidog.co.uk

Last Update:

17 August 2010: Front page updated

Change History

If you have an interest in shipping you are invited to investigate SeaTheShips - a free to use website run on a non-commercial basis by shipping enthusiasts Although only open for a few months, the site already has extensive discussion forums and a substantial gallery of high quality photos and maritime artwork.

The ethos of SeaTheShips:

The Sea is a powerful friend, and all of us are at its mercy and also in its debt; for it teaches, it protects and it gives us life – sadly it also takes it away, but just as there can be no black without white, or love without loss, so it is something truly special and worthy of a special place in our hearts.

Without the Sea there would be no Ships; without the Ships there would be no Seamen, without Seaman the world would have very little; indeed we owe all three of these a debt of gratitude that we cannot adequately repay; but just maybe through this Site, we are able put something back into a past society, as well as a society yet to come.

Click HERE to join or to get further information.

Section	Content
The Allen Collection	Over 5,000 nautical photographs collected by a father and son over a period of 60 years.
Court Line	The history of Court Line ships including factual information, career highlights, service history (including details of service in WW1 and WW2) and ultimate fate.
Recollections	Personal accounts by members of the Merchant Navy and others especially during WW2 with numerous contemporary photographs.
Miscellaneous Ship Histories	Histories of various ships of interest - particularly ones referred to in the Recollections section.
Govan to Nuremburg - The History of Athenia (II)	The history of the passenger ship sunk on the first day of WW2 and the aftermath through to the Nuremburg War Crime trials.
British & Commonwealth Battleships and Battle Cruisers	Histories of these fighting ships written by Steve Woodward.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Tower Hill Memorial	Photos of the site, close ups of the plaques and brief background information for each ship recorded. An ongoing project.
Nautical Links and Other Resources	Links to nautical websites and various research resources.