GERMAN FREIGHTERS IN ARUBA
 AT OUT-BRAKE OF WW-II
THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS CAME FROM THE EBay SCRAPBOOK.  THE PHOTOS BRING TO MY MIND A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. 

1) WAS ONE OF THESE THREE FREIGHTS THE "ANTILLA" THAT WAS LATER SCUTTLED?

2) WERE THE THREE THERE AFTER HOLLAND WAS INVADED AND IF SO DID THEY LATER RETURN TO GERMANY OR  WERE THEY TURNED OVER TO THE ALLIES?

3) WHY WERE THE GERMAN FREIGHTS WAITING IN "NEUTRAL" WATERS?  THIS QUESTION MAY BE ANSWERED ON DREAMWRECKS WEB SITE, SEE BELOW, AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.

 

THIS IS CROPPED OUT OF THE PHOTO ABOVE.

 

THIS IS WHAT IS WRITTEN ON THE BACK OF ONE OF THE PHOTOS OF THE THREE FREIGHTERS.  GERMANY INVADED HOLLAND ON MAY 10, 1940 SO THE SHIPS WERE THERE BEFORE HOLLAND WAS INVADED BUT AFTER POLAND WAS INVADED WHICH THE WRITER MAY HAVE DEEMED THE BEGINNING OF WORLD WAR II.

 

 

THIS WAS WHAT WAS WRITTEN ON THE BACK OF THE OTHER PHOTO.  IT DOES NOT ADD MUCH.
BELOW ARE BLOW-UPS OF THE THREE FREIGHTERS.

FROM THE SAME EBay SCRAPBOOK COME THESE PHOTOS OF THE "ANTILLA", AFTER SHE WAS SCUTTLED BY HER GERMAN CREW.
THIS IS WHAT IS WRITTEN ON THE BACK OF THE PHOTO ABOVE.
BELOW IS A PHOTO OF THE "ANTILLA" FROM BOB SCHLAGETER'S PHOTOS.  I HAVE READ THAT THE ANTILLA WAS SCUTTLED ON MAY 10, 1940, THE DAY HOLLAND WAS INVADED BY GERMANY.  IN THAT STORY THE CAPTAIN OF THE "ANTILLA" DID NOT WANT TO BE THE FIRST GERMAN SHIP CAPTURED SO HE SUPERHEATED THE BOILERS, AND BLEW A HOLE IN THE SIDE OF THE SHIP.  SEE WHAT DREAMWRECKS SAY ABOUT THE REASON FOR THE SCUTTLING.
CHECK OUT DREAMWRECKS WEB SITE ABOUT DIVING THE "ANTILLA".  ACCORDING TO THEIR WRITE-UP THE ANTILLA WAS WAITING FOR GERMAN SUBS THAT WERE TO COME AND ATTACK THE ISLANDS OF ARUBA & CURACAO AFTER HOLLAND WAS INVADED.  ACCORDING TO DREAMWRECKS THE "ANTILLA" WAS CARRYING SUPPLIES FOR THESE SUBS.  THERE IS ALSO A DRAWING OF THE "ANTILLA" ON THIS SITE.
http://www.dreamwrecks.com/antilla.htm
 
THERE IS ALSO A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE THREE GERMAN FREIGHTERS AND PHOTOS OF DIVES ON THE ANTILLA AS WELL AS THE MID-SECTION OF THE PEDERNALES THAT WAS REMOVED BECAUSE OF DAMAGE DONE WHEN IT WAS TORPEDOED ON WILLEM DONCK'S WEB SITE.
http://willemsubmerged.spaces.live.com/
In September of 2011 Billie Keefer Shambley sent me a scrapbook from that had belonged to Les Seekins.  The scrapbooks inside cover said the photos were from 1938 to 1940.  When Germany invaded Holland ( May 10, 1940) the three German freights, which this page is about, were also photographed by Less Seeking.  This is the photo that was in his scrapbook.  His photographs are much clearer.  I added the lettering to identify the three ships and did the cropping.
This is the same photo after I cropped and labeled the ships.
These are the three ships cropped out of the photo above.
 
These are just a little clearer photos and better views of the three ships. If anyone has other photos of these ships please share them with the viewers of the web site.
CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE WORLD WAR II DIRECTORY
CLICK HERE TO SEE ITEMS SALVAGED FROM THE ANTILLA