Attachment 2 to war diary "U-37".
 

Prize report from commander "U-37" concerning

 
 
capture and sinking of steamer "ARIS",
 
 
Syra, Greece.
 
     
 

        At 18.05 hours on 12.10.1939 we stopped the Greek steam merchant ARIS of Syra, Greece in position 53° 25'N/14° 32'W and sank her due to passive resistance and support of the enemy.

  
     
 
F  i  n  d  i  n  g  s.
 
 

         There was no investigation because the steamer was sunk for "passive resistance" against the capture according to article 36 and 43, (2), 2 of the prize regulations and "support of the enemy" according to article 39 of the prize regulations without being captured and taken as prize as it was allowed to destroy her according to article 73, (1) and (2), 3 of the prize regulations.  The following data is taken from the "Lloyds Register of Shipping 1938/39" and partially from questioning the master:

 
 
Name ARIS
Size of ship 4810 G.R.T.
Name of owner Michael M. Kylas.
Home port Syra, Greece.
Port of departure Scotland.
 

According to the master they had brought war material to England and were returning to the USA.
Port of destination United States.
Flag showed when stopped Greece.
The ship carried unascertained.
 
 

Judging from its appearance she was en route almost or completely empty.

  
         The ship was neutral. It was allowed to capture and take her as prize  
 
due to "passive resistance".
  
 

Explanation:

 
 

Immediately after surfacing we hoist the international signal "CGB" = "Send us a boat" at 18.05 hours.  We fired a warning shot across her bow when absolutely no measures had been taken by the stopped steamer until 18.11 hours.  Again she did not follow our order "send us a boat" and we could not recognize if the steamer really stopped.  At the same time it was reported to me that the steamer is using its radio on the 600 m frequency and reported our U-boat and its position (attached is a copy of the radio log).

  
 

According to article 36 it was allowed to break the resistance by using force and to prevent the further use of the radio I ordered to fire a directly aimed round, which hit the funnel.  Hereupon we continued to sink the steamer by gunfire and torpedo.  The steamer sank after a torpedo hit at 20.34 hours.

  
  The crew abandoned ship in lifeboats. When the master came aboard it was noticed that he failed to take the ship's papers with him.  
     
     
Click the flag to view the above page from the original German KTB
     

   
 

To recover the papers from the ship was not possible due to nightfall, the damages sustained by the steamer by the shelling and the weather conditions.  The questioning of the master showed that he was returning from "Scotland to the United States" after bringing war material to England.  He made no statement about the current cargo.  After sinking the steamer, the crew was towed in two lifeboats during the night for about 90 nm on course 125° towards the southwestern coast of Ireland and released at dawn in favorable weather to sail towards the nearest harbor on 13.10.1939, after being given the course.

  
 

It was not possible to take possession of the ship's papers as mentioned above.

  
     
 

 

 
 

At sea, on 13.10.1939

  
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                        Korvettenkapitän and  
                                                                                                        Kommandant "U-37"  
 
 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

   

Attachment for prize report " A R I S "

 
 

Except of radio log U-37:

  
     
 
18.10

SOS lf …… np …… attaque souparine st …
  pve pat ……. 0 r 10 ……… r 27 ……. SOS
 
     
  In column remarks: bad fingerprint