By Alex Gordon, with some additions from Jack McKillop and Peter Beeston.
Referring to the book titled "Atlantis" book written by Mohr and Sellwood, first published in 1955 by T.Werner Laurie Ltd. in London, there is an explanation for Captain Rogge's error in believing that "Zamzam" was British, and opening fire, and for his action in sinking the ship after he was aware of its nationality.
He had seen two of these distinctive four masted Bibby Line ships in the Royal Naval College anchorage at Dartmouth in 1937, and on querying their purpose was told that this was their current home as they were used under charter and for carrying troops. When Atlantis came upon the blacked out Zamzam, in the South Atlantic it was not showing a flag, and was followed until dawn, before Atlantis opened fire. Siz savloes from 9,000 yards obtained six hits. After nine minutes Zamzam used a lamp to request cessation, and it was then that women and children were seen on the deck, and the Egyptian flag was seen hanging from the stern, apparently having been hoisted after the firing commenced.
The ship had been sold to Egypt by Britain shortly before the outbreak of the war.
Amongst the 138 American passengers on the Zamzam were a team of about 21 young volunteers for the De Gaulle French Ambulance Unit and some missionaries. Zamzam's (British) commander William Grey Smith was asked why he had not signalled Atlantis earlier, and pointed out that their third salvo had destroyed the signal lamp, and he had eventually had to signal using his pocket torch.
Further details of the Zamzam passengers revealed that she was carrying 100 clergymen drawn from 20 denominations: 76 women of whom 5 were pregnant, 35 children of whom some were little more than babies, and some elderly Britons, the wives of Service officers, some Greek nurses and a French woman. There were 26 Canadians, 25 British with the remainder composed of four other nationalities. No one was killed but there were some wounded. Egypt is technically neutral, not declaring war on the Axis until 1944.
The explanation given for sinking the ship, after it was known to be sailing under the Egyptian flag is that Egypt was not behaving as a neutral nation, but provided bases and port facilities for a belligerent power, and the ship was conforming to British Admiralty routing instructions and carrying contraband goods in the form of barrels of oil and American trucks destined for the Cape, and a country at war with Germany.
The Atlantis made a rendezvous with the supply ship "Dresden" on 18th. April and transferred her passengers, except for one American (Viscovari) who had been injured, and, incidentally stayed with Atlantis until her own sinking, when he was taken on board one of the rescuing U-Boats, and came to be informed that he was a POW (sic) when Germany later declared war on the US. As was pointed when this topic was discussed last year, technically, as a civilian, he should have been told that he was to be interned.
As has been mentioned, amongst the reluctant "guests" taken on board Atlantis were J.V Murphy, Editor of Fortune magazine and David Scherman a photographer of Life magazine, who was seen to take pictures whilst on board Atlantis. His camera was taken away by one of the German sailors, but returned to him by Atlantis officer Mohr, and he was given a chit requesting that he be allowed to retain his camera and photographs should he be questioned later.
This did, occur after he was landed in France, and the authorities chose to disregard the request, and confiscate the photographs, although he managed to retain some that he had taken, and they appeared in a US publication and ultimately led to HMS Devonshire identifying Atlantis.
A few days after transferring the passengers, Dresden received instructions to sail for Occupied France, and it there that the passengers were landed, after suffering a somewhat stressful 5 week voyage under strong disciplime, on short rations and in overcrowded, unhygienic conditions.
There have been some re-unions between the surviving members of the Atlantis crew and the crews of some of her victims, and one of this list's correspondents unintentionally stumbled on an Atlantis reunion at the U-Boat museum near Wilhelmshaven a few months ago.
Alex Gordon