Palatia
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Khazan
was built in Lübeck and was launched in 1928. She sailed
for the German company HAPAG and was sold to the Soviet
Union in 1940. When
the German forces rolled over the Baltic states under
Operation Barbarossa in 1941, she was confiscated by
Kriegsmarine and renamed Palatia. Under a
journey from Stettin to Ålesund via Kristiansand carrying
Soviet prisoners of war she was attacked by an Allied
airplane from RNZAF squadron
489 outside Sagnvår lighthouse 21.October
1942. Flying
Officer Richardson who sit behind the controls on the
Hampden plane takes her down to 30 meters and heads
straight towards Palatia. Six hundred meters from the ship
he releases the torpedo and Palatia is hit in the stern.
The German escort vessel UJ-1704 arrives besides Palatia
to assist but has to abandon her. The stern goes down, and
soon after she disappears in the deep. UJ-1704 saves
survivors from the cold water until the evening, but of
1137 people on board, 954 Russian prisoners and German
soldiers perish. At
Spangereid, a monument has been raised to
honor the Russians who died in the sinking. The
wreck was found by the Norwegian divers Bjørn Kjustad,
Ronny Arnesen and Stein Hjemdahl on a depth of 70 to 100
meter at Sagnvår lighthouse.
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 Picture: Palatia in 1928 Courtesy of Lindesnes Fyrmuseum Originally from skovheim.org |
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