Sinking of British troopship and attempted rescue of survivors by German submarines during World War II
The sinking of RMS Laconia and the subsequent U.S. airstrike on rescuing U-boats led to the Laconia Order, ending German submarine rescue efforts for the rest of World War II.
Key Facts
- Date of sinking
- 12 September 1942
- People aboard RMS Laconia
- At least 2,732 persons
- Total rescued
- 976 to 1,083 persons
- Total killed
- 1,658 to 1,757 persons
- Attacking U-boat
- U-156, commanded by Korvettenkapitän Werner Hartenstein
- Resulting German naval order
- Laconia Order, issued by Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On 12 September 1942, German U-boat U-156 torpedoed and sank RMS Laconia in the Atlantic Ocean off the West African coast. The ship carried over 2,700 people, including crew, passengers, soldiers, and Italian prisoners of war. U-156's commander, Werner Hartenstein, chose to begin rescue operations under old prize rules, broadcasting the vessel's position openly to Allied forces and coordinating with nearby U-boats.
While U-156 and other U-boats surfaced to rescue survivors under Red Cross banners, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-24 Liberator attacked U-156 despite being informed of the rescue in progress. The bombing and strafing killed dozens of survivors, forcing U-156 to cast the rescued into the sea and dive to escape destruction. A second U-boat, U-506, was similarly attacked by U.S. aircraft. Ultimately, 976 to 1,083 people were rescued while 1,658 to 1,757 perished.
The incident prompted Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz to issue the Laconia Order, explicitly forbidding German submarines from rescuing enemy survivors, thereby establishing unrestricted submarine warfare for the remainder of the war. At the Nuremberg trials, prosecutors tried to use the order as evidence of war crimes, but the effort backfired when the full account of the U.S. airstrike became public, causing significant embarrassment to the United States.