Athena

Satumba 4, 1939, da misalin karfe 10:30 na safe, ruwan arewacin Ireland. Jirgin fasinja na Burtaniya Athenia, ya yi tsamari da yammacin jiya da U30 jim kadan kafin ya nutse.

A farkon watan Oktoban shekarar da ta gabata ne dai kafafen yada labarai na Biritaniya suka bayyana labarin gano baraguzan jirgin fasinja na Athenia. Wannan ya faru ne saboda buga wani littafi na David Mearns, wanda ya keɓe ɗaya daga cikin surori ga wannan jirgin, wanda jirgin ruwa ya nutse a farkon zamanin yaƙi tsakanin Foggy Albion da Reich na uku. Kodayake Mearns ya bayyana cewa kawai yin amfani da robot na karkashin ruwa zai ba da izini tare da tabbacin XNUMX% don gano abin da sonar ya samo, sunan da ya samu a cikin shekaru masu nasara na bincike (ya gano, a tsakanin sauran abubuwa, rushewar jirgin ruwa). Hood) yana nuna cewa wannan kawai tsari ne kawai. A cikin jiran ta, yana da daraja tunawa da tarihin Athenia.

Jirgin na Cunard Line, daya daga cikin jiragen ruwa na Burtaniya guda biyu da ke mamaye zirga-zirgar fasinja a fadin Arewacin Tekun Atlantika, ya lalace sosai a lokacin yakin duniya na farko, musamman saboda jiragen ruwa na Kaiser. A bayyane yake cewa ba za a iya biya diyya na asarar jiragen da aka kwaso daga Jamus ba kuma dole ne a tallafa wa jiragen da suka tsira (7 cikin 18, ciki har da Mauritania da Aquitaine mafi girma) da sabon ƙaura. Don haka, shirin da aka tsara kafin kawo karshen babban rikici ya bukaci a gina raka'a 14. Matsalolin kudi sun hana wani kato mai sauri fitowa, a wannan karon an fi maida hankali kan tattalin arzikin man fetur da jan hankalin fasinjojin da ba sa bukatar gaggawa, amma suna son ta'aziyya "kawai" a farashi mai ma'ana. Dangane da waɗannan buƙatun, an haɓaka ayyukan don jiragen ruwa tare da ƙaura na kusan 20 ko 000 manyan ton, tare da mazurari ɗaya da injin turbine, wanda ya ba da damar haɓaka saurin tafiya na 14-000 knots. Raka'a, wanda Cunard Nomenclature "A-class", ya ƙaddamar da Ausonia (15 GRT, fasinjoji 16), wanda aka ba da izini a cikin Agusta 13.

An kafa Anchor-Donaldson shekaru biyar da suka gabata don yin aiki da tuƙin fasinja 4 mallakar layin Donaldson akan hanyoyin Liverpool da Glasgow zuwa Montreal, Quebec da Halifax. Kafin karshen yakin, biyu daga cikinsu, "Athena" (8668 GRT) da "Letitia" (8991 GRT), sun rasa (na farko ya zama wanda aka azabtar da U 16 1917 Agusta 53, da na biyu, sa'an nan kuma wani asibiti jirgin ruwa. , ya faɗi ƙasa a cikin hazo ƙarƙashin tashar jiragen ruwa na ƙarshe da aka ambata kuma ya karye shi). Tun da Anchor Line mallakar Cunard ne, kamfanin ya fara sake gina rundunar ta hanyar ɗaukar nauyin - godiya ga babban lamuni daga Bankin Kasuwanci na Scotland - wani jirgin ruwa mai suna "A" wanda aka gina akan ɗaya daga cikin mashigin jirgin ruwa na Fairfield and Engineering Co. a Govan kusa da Glasgow, wanda ya fara a 1922.

An ƙaddamar da sabuwar Athenia a ranar 28 ga Janairu 1923. Domin fam miliyan 250 na fam miliyan ɗaya, mai siyan ya karɓi jirgi mai sifar zamani na waɗannan lokutan, tare da ƙaura tan 000 mai girma, tare da tsayin ƙusa na 13 m gabaɗaya kuma matsakaicin faɗin 465 m, tare da tukunyar mai na ruwa da 160,4. turbin injin tururi wanda ke watsa jujjuyawar su ta akwatunan gear akan ramukan cardan guda 20,2. Tun asali an tsara shi don fasinjoji 6 a cikin ɗakin aji da 2 a aji III. Saboda iyakance yawan bakin haure ta Amurka da Kanada da karuwar kwararar yawon bude ido, tun daga shekarar 516, bayan sake gina salon, zai iya karbar mafi girman mutane 1000 a farkon, 1933 a cikin ɗakunan shakatawa na yawon shakatawa. da mutane 314. a aji III. Anchor-Donaldson ya yi ƙoƙari ya jawo hankalin fasinjojin da ya fi dacewa tare da taken cewa Athenia "yana da duk abubuwan jin daɗi na otal ɗin alatu," amma waɗanda suka riga sun yi tafiya a kan kowane babban layin kowane layi ya kamata su lura da ƙasa, ko da a kan. menu. Duk da haka, ba zai zama ƙari ba idan aka ce jirgin ya yi nasara sosai, sai a shekarar 310 ba a katse aikinsa ba ta hanyar karo, ko ƙasa, ko kuma wuta.

Tare da tagwayenta Letitia, wanda aka gabatar a cikin 1925, Athenia ta samar da wasu manyan rukunin layin Anchor-Donaldson, suna sarrafa ƙasa da kashi 5 na zirga-zirgar Arewacin Atlantika mafi kyau. Ya yi gasa musamman tare da masu layin dogo na Kanada Pacific Railway, galibi suna kira a Halifax (lokacin da ya buga ƙasa, ya yi jirage sama da 100, yana ɗaukar matsakaita na kwanaki 12). Yayin da zirga-zirgar ababen hawa a cikin Tekun Atlantika ya ragu a lokacin hunturu, wani lokaci ana amfani da shi don yin balaguro. Tun 1936, bayan da Anchor ya yi ruwa kuma ɗayan abokan hulɗa ya sayi kadarorinsa, ya shiga hannun sabon layin Donaldson Atlantic.

Yayin da warin wani yaƙi a Turai ke ƙara tsananta, an ƙara samun kujeru a kan jiragen ruwa da ke tafiya a cikin tekun Atlantika. Lokacin da Athenia ta tashi daga Glasgow a ranar 1 ga Satumba, kamar yadda aka tsara, akwai fasinjoji 420 a cikin jirgin, ciki har da 'yan Amurka 143. An yi zanga-zangar ne jim kadan da tsakar rana, bayan karfe 20 na dare Athenia ta shiga Belfast, inda ta kwashe mutane 00 daga can. James Cook, wanda ya kasance kyaftin din kungiyar tun shekara ta 136, an sanar da shi a can cewa zai yi tafiya cikin duhu a kan hanyar zuwa Liverpool. Lokacin da ya isa wurin, ya karɓi umarni daga Admiralty a ofishin kyaftin, ya umarce shi da zigzag kuma, bayan ya bar Tekun Atlantika, ya bi hanyar arewa ta daidaitacciyar hanya. Tun daga 1938: 13, ƙarin fasinjoji sun shiga Athenia - akwai 00 daga cikinsu. Saboda haka, a cikin duka, jirgin ya dauki mutane 546 a kan jirgin ruwa, fiye da yadda aka saba. Jama'ar Kanada (1102) da Amurka (469) sun yi rawar gani, tare da fasfo na Burtaniya - fasinjoji 311, daga nahiyar Turai - 172. Ƙungiya ta ƙarshe ta ƙunshi mutanen 150 na asalin Yahudawa masu fasfo na Jamus, da Poles da Czechs.

Ireland ta Arewa

A ranar Asabar 2 ga Satumba a 16 Athenia ya fara barin bakin Mersey. Tun kafin ta je tekun buɗaɗɗiyar, an sake ƙara ƙararrawar jirgin ruwa. Yayin da ake cin abinci, daya daga cikin fasinjojin da ke zaune a teburin kyaftin ya yi ra'ayin cewa jirgin ya cika da cunkoso, inda jami'in rediyon David Don ya amsa masa da cewa, "Don Allah kada ka damu, akwai rigar ceto." Rashin kulawar sa, na gaske ko na kace-nace, yana da tushe mai tushe, domin akwai jiragen ruwa guda 30, rafts 26, sama da riguna 21 da motocin ceto 1600 a cikin jirgin. Yawancin kwale-kwalen an jera su ne da matakan hawa, kowanne daga cikin manyan kwale-kwale, na kanana na daukar mutane 18, kuma kananan na sama masu lamba daya da harafin A, 86 kowanne, injinan konewa ne ke tuka su. Gabaɗaya, jiragen ruwa na iya ɗaukar mutane 56, da rafts - mutane 3.

Da misalin karfe 3:03 na ranar 40 ga Satumba, wani duhu da zigzag Athenia ya wuce tsibirin Inishtrahal zuwa arewacin Ireland. Jim kadan bayan karfe 11:00 ma'aikacin gidan rediyon da ke bakin aiki ya samu sako game da yanayin yaki tsakanin Biritaniya da Rikici na Uku. Nan da nan kuma cikin nutsuwa kamar yadda zai yiwu, an isar da saƙon ga fasinjojin. Cook ya kuma ba da umarnin kaddamar da jiragen ruwa da rafke, sannan a duba na'urorin kashe gobara da na ruwa. Da yamma, tashin hankalin da ke cikin jirgin ya fara lafa, yayin da kowane minti daya jirgin ya yi nisa daga ruwa mai hadarin gaske. Ba da dadewa ba bayan 19, a tsayin tsayin kulli 00, ta kai kusan matsayi na 15°56'N, 42°14'W, kimanin mil 05 na nautical miles kudu maso yammacin Rockall. Ganuwa yana da kyau, iska mai haske tana kadawa daga kudu, don haka raƙuman ruwa sun kai kusan mita ɗaya da rabi kawai. Wannan, duk da haka, ya isa ya hana fasinjoji da yawa fitowa a liyafar cin abincin da aka fara. Ƙarfafawa na gabatowa a lokacin da misalin ƙarfe 55:19 wani ƙaƙƙarfan ruɗani ya faɗo a ƙarshen Athenia. Da yawa daga cikin ma'aikatanta da fasinjojin nan da nan sun yi tunanin cewa jirgin ya yi hadari.

Colin Porteous, jami'i na uku da ke kula da agogon, nan da nan ya kunna hanyoyin rufe kofofin a cikin manyan kantunan da ba su da ruwa, ya juya na'urar ta wayar tarho zuwa matsayin "Tsaya" kuma ya ba da umarnin "Don" don aika siginar damuwa. Yana barin wurinsa a teburin, Cook ya nufi gada da fitilar wuta, saboda duk fitilu na ciki sun fita. A hanya, sai ya ji jerin jirgin a hannun hagu sosai, sa'an nan ya miƙe a wani yanki ya ɗauki datsa. Bayan isa ga gadar, sai ya ba da umarnin kunna janareta na gaggawa sannan ya aika da jami’in injina domin ya tantance barnar da aka yi. Komawa, kyaftin din ya ji cewa dakin injin ya cika da ruwa, babban kan da ke raba shi da dakin tukunyar jirgi yana zubowa sosai, ruwan da ke gefen bene C ya kai kusan 0,6 m, kuma a cikin ramin da ke karkashin murfin rike No. .5. Jami’in kanikancin ya kuma shaida wa Cook cewa wutar lantarkin ta isa kawai don yin haske, amma har yanzu famfunan ba su iya jure wa irin wannan kwararar ruwa ba.