Fritz Joubert Duquesne was an inveterate anti-British spy who apparently used a number of IEDs to destroy British vessels sailing from South America in WW2. Duquesne’s spying career started when as a British soldier serving in his home country during the 2nd Boer War, be was horrified at the British treatment of women and children. His sister had been killed and his mother was dying in a British Concentration camp.
Duquesne then lived in the USA and became a German spy in 1914. He was sent to Brazil as “Frederick Fredericks” under the disguise of “doing scientific research on rubber plants.” From his base in Rio de Janeiro, he allegedly planted time bombs disguised as cases of mineral samples on British ships; he was credited with sinking “22 ships”. Among them, allegedly, were the Salvador; the Pembrokeshire; and the Tennyson and the “liner” Liger. One of his bombs allegedly started a fire on the Vauban.
I have been trying to find reference to the explosives planted on the British ships – little other than a reference to “infernal machines” in a press report. At the time numerous German saboteur plots were operating from N America (see earlier posts).
However, in investigating this I have found some discrepancies. For instance the SS Tennyson, was not sunk – it was still operating from Brazil in 1922. I can find no record of the “Liger” or a fire on the Vauban. The S.S. Pembrokeshire was “hulked” in 1913. Very curious. Was this a British misinformation campaign?
Here’s a press report of the time giving some details
Duquesne once again operated for the Germans in WW2, running the “Duquesne spy ring” which was broken by the FBI.
My Grandfather, Stanley Mordaunt Sherwen, Sr., was the officer on Watch aboard the SS Tenneyson when the explosions occurred. He wrote a letter to his wife (Janet Mundell), describing what happened.
I still have that letter (it’s pretty fragile!) and recently transcribed it with my niece (i.e. typed it onto my computer), as we are trying to compile the family history.
I would be happy to send you the typed/transcribed version of the letter, describing the events aboard the Tenneyson in 1918, my Grandfather being a first-hand witness. I don’t know how well a copy of the letter would be, as the writing is faint, written on extremely thin stationary that has a heading of “on board SS Tennyson’. I could try to copy it, however, if you wish.
Author
Thank you for posting the transcript Liz. A remarkable story.
Letter addressed to Miss J. Mundell, Room 1214, St. Regis Hotel, New York
from Stanley M. Sherwen, Sr., postmarked March 15, 1918
Letter head of stationary – “on board S.S. Tennyson”. Note: below letter typed as written, without any corrections.
Dear Janet,
No doubt by the time you receive this letter, you will have heard of the poor old Tennyson. I am not going to try and write you an account of it, but a short plain fact report. At 4:15 a.m. on the 18th inst, I was on watch when three terrific explosions happened. I stopped the engines and when I turned again (a matter of seconds), saw the whole after-part of the ship in flames, the crew all ran up on the bridge and as we made sure we were finished with the ship swung out and lowered the boat, then mustered everybody and found some missing, seven had be buried by the debris so tried to get them out, four got out and then the fire got too fierce, so had to leave them, the three others crying for help, to die as the fire worked towards where they were caged up like rats in a trap and beyond all human help.
We then started getting all the boats well-provisioned and all available fire hoses to work, as we could not get any way near enough to sound the ship to find out if she was leaking, owing to the intense heat.
At daylight, we found she was only making a little water in one hold, so started with renewed vigor to fight the fire. The whole of the after-end of the ship was blown up and a blazing mass, heavy beams thrown sky-high and
falling all round the ship, breaking three boats, derricks, deck, and after-mast.
The whole of after-hold and third and second class spaces were ablaze, by about 4:00 p.m., we got the fire in the hold under control and let the rest burn itself out as it was working ask all the time and could not put out. The steering gear was all broken and as the main engine were unhurt, we set to work in a boat to fuse wires on the rudder outside, with the ship’s hull red hot and burning paint falling on us, and burning us pretty badly, eventually we succeeded and to our satisfaction it worked beautifully so hoisted up the remaining boats clear of water (but still ready to lower at a moment’s notice). And proceeded to Maranham, the nearest port (190 miles).
The fire broke out several times but keeping plenty of water on succeeded in putting out. As I am next morning we lost another boat owing to its unhooking, so had to let it go, sorry as we were, as it was baggeboat and contained nearly all the crews’ effects. At 4:00 a.m., the fire broke out again but soon got it under and made sure this time it was out properly. We arrived here at 2:30 p.m. on the 19th, so all is well. The only sorrowful thing was the poor fellows watching the flames getting nearer and nearer to them and shouting for help and no one could get near them. At the first, the carpenter got my big axe that was in my room and tried to cut one fellow out, but could not stand the heat any longer passed the axe into him to do what he could for himself, he took the axe but the poor chap failed as we found his charred remains when the fire was out in the same place. The bos’un was pinned down by a beam, his hands and legs free but couldn’t get him out, trying until the last second all we could, the messroom steward must have been hurt during the explosion as no one heard him speak or even heard him at all and his place was totally wrecked. I won’t try to write what I saw because I couldn’t. I will tell you about it when I see you.
Being my watch when it all occurred, I was the only man that saw the actual explosion from start to finish. We only had sixteen cases amongst the entire cargo and they were supposed to contain photo films and minerals but without a doubt they were the bombs as one broke in Bahia and contained copper ore on top most likely bomb underneath as the case was lined with thick felt, but we were too unsuspecting and only nailed it up without examining it at all.
We have taken several photos of the wreckage and will send you one of each when they are developed and printed.
We find now there is no engineering shop here big enough to do any repairs so we’re leaving for Para on Tuesday just as we came in. I won’t write any more just now. As you can imagine I am dead tired as you know I always have to be on the spot when anything is doing an more so in anxious times like that, most of the crew were too frightened to sleep expecting more bombs to go off any time.
Second Edition:
We find we will not leave here until the 23rd and that they will be able to patch us up to get back to New York in Para but it will take several weeks as the ship from the saloon deck aft is a total wreck.
“A little bug will catch you some day.”
Life has a bright side and all might have been worse. I lost a lot of my clothes but had them insured against war risks for 50 pounds, so I have sent my claim home also we will most likely get some compensation from the government also from L&H, so we may not have had our trying experience for nothing.
The Brazilian government has taken it up seriously, it is such a such a serious explosion and quite evident the man who placed the bombs expected the Tennyson and crew to be scratched off the list, they say here the charge was strong enough to blow a dozen ships up and only for having solid cargo underneath the ship would be missing now as one can’t imagine the amount of damage done unless you saw, it makes you shiver to look at, even now.
I had your photo in the boat to save it, but when we decided to stick to the ship, I took it out so it would not get broken and it is still in the same old place as if nothing had happened all smiles. The small photo album is lost as it was in the boat that capsized during the night and I am rather sorry as I had some photos in it I treasured. Now it’s practically over we don’t worry much. Today the ship is not leaking anymore and we will go close to land round to Para if only three hundred miles and all the boats are ready for immediate use so there is not much danger. By the time we get to New York, it will be nice warm weather and Coney Island is in full swing. It will probably be April now as the repairs will take a month and then a couple of months in New York to finish them. Will write to you from Para. Ring up Pier 8 they will give you information when you require it.
Yours etc,
Stanley
http://ssmaritime.com/Lamport-Holt-Line.htm