RMS Lancastria: The Ghost of St. Nazaire

Made in honor of the 67th Aniversery of the Sinking of RMS Lancastria: June 17 2007

She is one of the worst maratime disasters in the history of the world, with a death toll surpasing that of the Titanic and the Lusitania. Yet she all but forgotten. Her name: RMS Lancastria.
June 17 1940: Lancastria, carrying 9,000 refugees and RAF personel, was bombed and sunk by the Luftwaffe taking all but 2,500 of her passengers and crew to the bottom of the ocean.
Today all information relating to the Sinking of the Lancastria is classified, and her wreck is now off limits to divers.

Song: Sleeping Sun
Artist: Nightwish
Subject: RMS Lancastria

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• RMS
• Lancastria
• World
• War
• II
• Nightwish
• Sleeping
• Sun
• Allied
• Powers
• Lusitania
• Titanic
• Nazi
• Germany
• Forgotten
• Tribute
• Secret

[nazrat1st]

--Are you sure that germans sunk this ship??.....It is known that germans, by Hitler`s orders, were not allowed to attack english retiring troops, and much less ships loaded with civilians!! It`s hard to believe that germans, in the first stage of the war could done that. Its simply unbelievable!! WHY is still kept secret??...Sealed until 2040?? Is not logical, mostly because after the bombing raids over England people was used with loses and suffering....is not logical, is FAKE!

[snakes3425]

@nazrat1st

Survivors, and German Records all seem to confirm it was indeed the Luftwaffe. It was kept sealed due to the belief that the news would damage British Moral even further, Dunkirk had occured two weeks prior and France was on the verge of collaspe so moral wa at an all time low. Hitler had also recinded the restricutions on the Wermarcht as they marched through France

[valleyshrew]

Did the person who dropped the bombs ever come forward after the war, or are they presumed to have died?

[snakes3425]

@valleyshrew

Since there were numerous bombers attacking St. Nazire at the time, it's unknown which plane or planes struck the Lancastria, let alone if the four man crew came forward after the war or if they were killed in action. The only thing known about the plane which sank Lancastria is that it was a Junkers Ju-88 belonging to Kampfgeschwader 30, a Medium Bomber Wing that was operating out of Chievres Air Base at the time

[prudenceislandboy]

Despite the tragedy, it is good to see the German Navy personnel giving the Lancastrias dead a proper burial at 2:15.

[Electricca2]

thanks you for a beautifultribute and who sings the tribute song???

[Redrosewitch]

I have ancestors who were amongst the crew on this ship. Thanks for this tribute.

[40bluedevils41]

@nazrat1st i see what ur saying 

[Ultimaton100]

@40bluedevils41 I am in no way defending what Germany did to the british liners, but Lusitania was listed as an armed cruiser by the british admiralty and was carrying weapons for the war. That does not excuse what happened, not at all, but the British certainly did not take steps to prevent her sinking either. I also remind you and others of the Wilhelm Gustloff. In war, innocence is the first casualty.

[40bluedevils41]

@nazrat1st its just like the germans sinking the lusitania they were told not to sink civilian ships and yet they still did. If you ask me i think the germans have a grudge against the cunard in the world wars

[SuperTitanicfreak]

I can't believe that Lancastria was total before she made it out. How can people be so cold?

[RubiStah]

My grandad was on that ship the day it was bombed, but he was one of the lucky ones that lived to tell the story. He jumped overboard and he couldnt swim, but a priest that was onboard gave him a cross and mum still has that cross X

[hungarygator]

@snakes3425 true about the geneva convention part. Still, the things he did were clearly in violation of the rules of war that had been in force in the western world for centuries at that point and had he found himself on the losing side of any war at that time, he would have been executed. He even admitted as much himself.