The Sinking of the Lancastria: The Twentieth Century's Deadliest Naval Disaster and Churchill's Plot to Make It Disappear

By Jonathan Fenby

Book Overview

On June 17, 1940, just after the Dunkirk evacuation had supposedly ended in success, several thousand of the many British troops still left in France boarded a five-decked cruise liner called the Lancastria. Right after they boarded, the ship was dive-bombed by the German Luftwaffe, and a short time later the 17,000-ton Lancastria sank. German fighter planes strafed the oil slick sea, setting it ablaze as British troops banded together singing "Roll Out the Barrel" in the hopes of mustering any hope that still remained. In the end, with 4,000 soldiers, women, and children dead--with some estimates as high as 6,000--the disaster would eclipse that of both the Lusitania and the Titanic. Although the story was picked up in the United States a few weeks later, it was reported only once by any British news outlet, and as the war progressed the tragedy eventually vanished. Author Jonathan Fenby argues that this was the result of a ruthless but necessary kibosh put in place by Winston Churchill in order to preserve British morale. Through firsthand interviews with survivors, some of whom had never spoken about it to anyone until being interviewed for this book, Fenby reconstructs the entire tragic saga.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786715324
• ISBN13: 9780786715329
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.6" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Lest We Forget

As British soliders and noncombatants fled the Nazi overthrow of France, the horror was compounded by the sinking of the sturdy Cunard liner where they thought they had found sanctuary. Thousands died, and a well-intentioned and much beloved Prime Minister misled his people about the gravity of this particular aspect of the event. The pride that the British felt in the rescue of some troops from Dunkirk was a valuable commodity in the grim days that followed, Would the truth have prevented the British people's standing firm and protecting their island until a concerted effort by the civilized world could defeat the evil that had enslaved some of Europe and annihilated the rest? I suspect knowing the truth would only have hardened their resolve. For us today, there is a realization that we should never forget the sacrifices made to rid the world of the Nazi madness. Denby has illuminated this dark moment in history for all to see, exposing the fact that cover-up is never a good thing, no matter how bitter the truth may be. A great job by a very thorough writer.

A forgotten tragedy brought back to life

In June 1940 Britain's war efforts against Germany were truly on the back foot and the Dunkirk evacuations were in full swing. Only by recovering our troops could we hope to regroup, rearm and then rejoin the fight. Off Normandy, an armada of small boats did an amazing job of work ferrying as many troops as possible safely home to England. Further away, off St. Nazaire a few large ships were also working to that same common cause. Then, on 17 June 1940, more people died - as one particular troopship was bombed, sunk and then strafed, than on the more famous losses of the Titanic and Lusitania combined. Sadly, apart from the survivors, the relatives of those who perished plus a few divers who visit the wreck, few people have ever heard the name of that ship. She was the Cunard passenger liner "Lancastria" and in this book the author brings her back to life in a most vivid and poignant fashion. Nowadays, more and more people are asking questions about what "really" did happen with regard to specific incidents during both world wars - and quite right too. Furthermore, divers have begun to ask all the right questions about the shipwrecks they are visiting. It is accounts, such as this that go a long way towards answering those questions and filling in the gaps created by the historical events which followed the sinking of this once great ship. Altogether, this is more than just a book about a ship that was lost in dreadful circumstances. With the skills of a consummate wordsmith, author Jonathan Fenby has carefully brought this tragedy back to back to life because people had forgotten it had happened. In so doing, he has created an historical document of great importance - a document which is of great interest to divers and historians alike. If you really want to know how the Lancastria met her end, this book is possibly the only document you will ever need. NM

Dead in the water...

An excellent and fast moving account if you want an informative read on a little known event in British WW2 history. The loss of the Lancastria, the straffing of defenceless people and the stories of the survivors in this nightmare sinking highlights war at it worst and amply illustrates how everything can change in the blink of an eye.

Well written account of a sad event

A well researched account of this unfortunately little known incident. Much of it heart-wrenching. One slight problem - to follow what happened to a particular person entails a bit of page-turning, back and forth, to follow an individual's story..