SS Athenia
From Turtledove
(Redirected from SS Athenia (The War That Came Early))
The SS Athenia was the first British ship to be sunk by Germany during World War II. It was torpedoed by the u-boat U-30 in September, 1939.
[edit] SS Athenia in The War That Came Early
The SS Athenia was sunk by a German u-boat under the command of Julius Lemp in the early months of 1939, well into the Second World War. The Nazi Party, terrified that the loss of American life might prompt the U.S. to enter the war, claimed that the British were behind the sinking in order to draw the neutral USA in. Most observers, including American tourists trapped in German-occupied Europe wanting to sail on the Athenia, doubted the Germans' side of the story.
