The German blockade runner Elbe is burning in the Atlantic Ocean after a bomb hit during an attack by British carrier aircraft.
The cargo ship Elbe was built in 1929 at the Deutsche Werke Kiel AG for the Norwegian shipping company under the original name of Sud Expreso. Subsequently, the vessel changed names and owners several times, until in 1934 it was purchased by Norddeutscher Lloyd. After that the ship was modernized: a new machine installation was delivered.
The beginning of the war caught the Elbe in the Japanese port of Yokohama.
In 1941, the ship was converted into a blockade runner for a voyage from Japan to Germany occupied by western France. On April 20, 1941, Elbe left Dairen (大連 / Dairen, now Dalian) and became the third German blockade runner after Ermland and the prize tanker Ole Jacob, who completed the supply mission for the Kriegsmarine.
On June 6, 1941, a ship laden with rubber, disguised as a Norwegian steamer, was found to the northwest of the islands of Cape Verde (Cape Verde) by an aircraft from HMS Eagle, who was searching for the Bismarck and the Prinz Eugen. The Elbe did not give any answers to the signals from the plane and made an attempt to leave at full speed. a Swordfish from 824 Naval Air Squadron) sank it. On June 21, 1941 HMS Hilary picked up 19 surviving members of the blockaderunner.
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