German tanker Altmark

E7273

The German tanker Altmark was a World War II-era naval auxiliary ship of Nazi Germany, best known for its role in the 1940 Altmark Incident involving the rescue of British prisoners in Norwegian waters.

Aliases (1)
  • Altmark ×43

Statements (43)
Predicate Object
instanceOf German ship
naval auxiliary ship
tanker
armamentDuringWar light defensive guns
attackedBy HMS Cossack
builtFor German Navy logistics support
capturedBy Royal Navy
carriedPrisonersFrom merchant ships sunk by Admiral Graf Spee
claimedStatusDuringIncident unarmed merchant vessel
completed 1939
conflict World War II
countryOfOrigin Germany
dateOfEvent 1940
dateOfLoss 1942
displacementApproximate about 20,000 tons
eventLocation Norwegian waters
fate destroyed by explosion
flagAtTimeOfIncident German merchant flag
historicalSignificance precedent for British actions in neutral waters
symbol of German commerce raider support network
laidDown 1937
launched 1938
legalIssue violation of Norwegian neutrality alleged by Britain
violation of international law alleged by Germany
neutralWatersInvolved Norway
notableFor Altmark Incident
numberOfPrisonersApproximate around 300 British prisoners
operator Kriegsmarine
placeOfLoss Yokohama
primaryFunction supply ship for warships
propulsion diesel engine
relatedIncident Battle of the River Plate
renamed Uckermark
renamedInYear 1940
resultOfIncident diplomatic crisis between United Kingdom and Norway
release of British prisoners
roleInEvent transport of British prisoners of war
routeDuringIncident from South Atlantic to Germany via Norwegian coastal waters
serviceEntry pre-World War II
shipType fleet oiler
supportedVessel Admiral Graf Spee
usedBy Nazi Germany
usedFor refueling German surface raiders

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Altmark Incident
involvedShip

Please wait…