• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Christmas Island Archives Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) - Ruins, relics, stories and other interesting things

Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) - Ruins, relics, stories and other interesting things

  • Home
  • Latest updates
  • Ruins, relics, old and lost sites
  • Historic newspaper articles
  • Stories, articles and videos
  • Documents
  • World War 2
  • Recommended reading
  • Early maps & views
  • Website image gallery
  • About and Contact

World War 2 – A close call

There is a very interesting entry in the log of “Ship 16” (Atlantis) dating 15th October 1940 that you can read below.

The Atlantis was a German auxilliary cruiser – a commerce raider that was in the waters off Christmas Island. In his log, Captain Bernhard Rogge wrote of considering a bombardment of the island but then abandoning the plan. It appears that a Japanese phosphate vessel in Flying Fish Cove prevented a potentially devastating attack. A close call indeed, to which the islanders would have been oblivious.

On 15 October the Norwegian vessel “Ven Roh” went to Christmas Island to take on a cargo of phosphates. I gave up the plan to attack and either capture or sink the vessel in the harbor “Flying Fish Cove”, because at first I did think that we should get a steamer off the Sunda Strait. In order to keep up the deception of a southerly course, in case our intended victim had happened to send a Q-message*, I planned to go on to attack Christmas Island and then make a sally far to the north. It would have been essential for us to leave the sea area off the Sunda Strait immediately after the attack on Christmas Island. When it became clear that the Sunda Strait was not a very promising area, a Japanese vessel, the “San Francisco Maru” replaced the Norwegian in the island’s phosphate port and an attack was therefore out of the question.

Although in the light of the aims of auxiliary warfare, an attack on Christmas Island might be a far more effective success than the sinking of several thousand tons or shipping space (one may presume that a bombardment of the island would become known the world over and would spread fear of a repetition in every small place on the coasts of Sumatra, Java, Australia, in Reunion, etc., while the loss of a cargo vessel is known only to those directly concerned), I shall abandon the plan for the time being. I consider it a greater advantage to appear unexpectedly at the approaches of the Gulf of Bengal. If opportunity arises after the close of the auxiliary cruiser operations in the region of the Equator, I shall carry out the plan while we are on our escape route to the south.

* A classified message relating to navigational dangers, navigational aids, mined areas, and searched or swept channels.

The German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis (HSK 2), known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 16 and to the Royal Navy as Raider-C

Commerce raiders do not seek to engage warships, but rather attack enemy merchant shipping; the measures of success are tonnage destroyed (or captured) and time spent at large. Atlantis was second only to Pinguin in tonnage destroyed, and had the longest raiding career of any German commerce raider in either world war. She captured highly secret documents from SS Automedon. A version of the story of Atlantis is told in the film Under Ten Flags with Van Heflin appearing as Captain Rogge. ~ Wikipedia

Share this page.

Primary Sidebar

Christmas Island Archives was selected for preservation by the State Library of Western Australia. It is now listed in perpetuity on PANDORA, Australia’s website archive established by the National Library of Australia.

Grant acknowledgement

Follow on Instagram

Follow Christmas Island Archives on Instagram for cool images and videos of ruins, relics, temples and more.

The base ruins of the Assistant Manager/Chief Engi The base ruins of the Assistant Manager/Chief Engineers house. It was once a substantial colonial home from the 1930s with beautiful gardens. It was still being occupied in June 1965 but by the 1970s it had been abandoned and neglected and fell into decay. The decision to demolish it was taken by a meeting of the CI Club members in 1977.
#christmasisland #ruin #ruins #history #historicalruins #colonialhouse #jungleruins #jungle #christmasislandarchives
A sound from the past Footsteps upon the stair I A sound from the past 
Footsteps upon the stair
I turned around quickly
But no-one was there.
#christmasislandarchives #ruins #steps #ghost #christmasisland
When exploring this old ruin at South Point on Chr When exploring this old ruin at South Point on Christmas Island with my sister-in-law, she noticed a bracket type fixture. It is located in the back corner where the white arrow indicates in the main picture. Were these meant for chains and shackles?
#christmasisland #history #shackles #oldstructure #christmasislandarchives #ruin #southpointchristmasisland
A photo of probably the first Chinese temple to be A photo of probably the first Chinese temple to be built on Christmas Island c1902-1904. This site is in Settlement at the Temple Court area on Gaze Road. The original temple, shown here in black and white, appears to have been replaced in later years by the current one (scroll across) still standing on the original site. It is today known as the Tai Pak Kong temple - Tua Pek Kong (Chinese: 大伯公; Tâi-lô: Tuā-peh-kong).
#christmasisland #taoisttemple #chinesetemple #christmasislandarchives #culture #taoist
“In the universe, there are things that are know “In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.” ~ William Blake
I think the old wooden banners around the door may have been rescued when a nearby temple was being renovated many years ago? I'm not sure about this, so if anyone can tell me their origin that would be great.
#christmasisland #chinesedoor #reddoor #christmasislandarchives
Just one of many fascinating stories that were exh Just one of many fascinating stories that were exhibited at my Faded Lost Forgotten exhibition held on Christmas Island during Territory Week in 2021 and 2022.
#christmasisland #christmasislandhistory #cemetery #headstone #gravesite #grave #arab #forgottenplaces #lostcemetery #kubur #christmasislandarchives
Load More Follow on Instagram

Follow on Facebook

Follow Christmas Island Archives on Facebook for website updates and other news.

Authentic stories reflecting the experiences of past and present Christmas Islanders.

Copyright © 2023 · Fran Yeoh. All rights reserved.