Compagnie des Chargeurs Français
Compagnie Générale d'Armement Maritime Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
Cia Genovese di Navigazione à Vapore SA, Genoa
Mediterranean-Reederei GmbH
The Petrella was a German prisoner transport ship that was sunk off Crete on February 8, 1944 , killing around 2,670 Italian prisoners of war. It was originally a French cargo ship and was in the service of the German Mediterranean shipping company from September 8, 1943 .
history
The ship was built by the Ateliers et Chantiers de la Gironde shipyard in Graville near Le Havre . The launch took place on February 23, 1923. On August 10, 1923, the ship began its service under the name Pasteur for the shipping company Plisson et Cie de Bayonne . In 1924 the shipping company Compagnie des Chargeurs Français took over the Pasteur . In 1928 the ship was sold to the shipping company Compagnie Générale d'Armement Maritime and renamed Aveyron . From 1939 to 1941 the Aveyron was owned by the shipping company Compagnie Générale Transatlantique .
On July 10, 1941, the Italian government commandeered the ship and named it Capo Pino . The shipping company Cia Genovese di Navigazione à Vapore SA from Genoa managed the operative business. On September 8, 1943, the German Mediterranean shipping company took over the ship.
The ship was torpedoed and sunk on February 8, 1944 with 3,173 Italian military internees on board off Crete by the British submarine HMS Sportsman . At the time of the attack, the ship was clearly marked as a prisoner transport and was marked POW ( prisoners of war ) on the sides of the hull. A torpedo hit the ship and tore part of the ship's side. Prisoners now tried to get to the upper deck. Members of the German occupation beat the fingers of prisoners who reached the hatches and broke their fingers. Since the onslaught of the prisoners could not be stopped, officers began to throw hand grenades into the holds with the prisoners. Torpedo boats , which formed the escort of the Petrella , only saved the ship's crew. Only after the ship's crew had left the ship could the prisoners reach the upper deck and then jump into the water. The prisoners in the water were now shot at by the torpedo boats moving back and forth. An estimated 2,670 of 3,173 prisoners were killed.
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