Word: altmark
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...North Atlantic into Norwegian territorial waters one day last week came a bulky grey German vessel of some 12,000 tons. She looked like a merchantman: some said she flew the Nazi naval flag; at any rate from her name, Altmark, anyone at all conversant with World War II must have known that she was the armed tender for the late raider Admiral Graf Spee, a ship sought .furiously by the British Navy because she was reported to ' carry, in verminous prison quarters below decks, between 300 and 400 British seamen taken from the Spee'?, seven sunken victims...
...version was that Norway's customs authorities at Bergen went aboard the Altmark but, honoring her service flag, did not search her. Norwegian officials claimed that the ship was stopped first outside of Trondhjem Fjord, did not call at any port. A Norwegian gunboat was assigned to escort her through Norway's territorial waters as she made for her home port, Hamburg...
Whether they are official or not, the British Navy has sharp-eyed friends in Norway. The Altmark had not proceeded more than 100 miles south of Bergen, closely hugging the craggy, fjord-bitten coast, before three big British reconnaissance planes swooped low over her. Soon after, with express Admiralty orders to do so, into Norwegian waters from their stations on North Sea patrol raced a British cruiser and five destroyers. The destroyer Intrepid halted the Altmark, but while Captain Philip Louis Vian of the senior destroyer Cossack had words with the Norwegian gunboat's commander, the Altmark slid into...
Captain Vian said he had orders to rescue British prisoners from the Altmark. He suggested that the Norwegians join him in putting guards aboard her, taking her back to Bergen for examination. The Norwegians explained that their authorities had found the Altmark to be unarmed, were unaware of any prisoners aboard. Would the British please respect Norway's neutrality, withdraw from her waters? Captain Vian & mates pulled out beyond the three-mile limit where they lay watchfully, awaiting further Admiralty instructions. While they waited, along came the German tanker Baldur which, accosted by the destroyer Ivanhoe, scuttled and fired...
...been suggested that Charles Laughton be asked to play the part of the Altmark's skipper, and that Norway's permission be sought to film background scenes at Gjossingfjord. --Boston Evening Transcript...