Robert Hughes "SS Almeda Star"

ROBERT DONALD REDVERS HUGHES

Leading Airman Royal Navy H.M.S. Daedalus (S.S. Almeda Star)

Service Number: FAA/FX. 80571

Died 17 January 1941, Age 19 years

Today, the victims of Almeda Star are commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London (Merchant Navy crew) and the Lee-on-Solent Memorial Bay 2 Panel 2 in Hampshire (Fleet Air Arm personnel). Son of Benjamin and Constance Hughes. Corbels, Totteridge Green, Totteridge

SS Almeda Star

The SS Almeda Star represents one of the most devastating maritime losses of World War II's Atlantic theatre. Originally built as a luxury passenger and refrigerated cargo vessel, this Blue Star Line ship met a violent end in January 1941 at the hands of German submarine U-96, with the complete loss of all 360 souls aboard.

Before the war, Almeda Star primarily carried passengers between the United Kingdom and South America, with scheduled stops at Boulogne, Madeira, Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires. The vessel also transported refrigerated beef from South America to London, serving a crucial economic role in transatlantic trade.

When World War II began, the Almeda Star continued to operate on her regular route between the UK and South America. However, she had been fitted with defensive armaments, including multiple guns, and had DEMS (Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships) gunners assigned aboard. The ship had survived an air raid while anchored at Liverpool on December 12, 1940, receiving slight bomb damage that was repaired quickly.

On January 15, 1941, Almeda Star departed Liverpool under the command of Captain H.G. Howard, who held the position of Commodore of the Blue Star Line. The vessel was bound for Trinidad and ultimately Buenos Aires, carrying general cargo along with 194 passengers. Among these passengers were 142 Fleet Air Arm personnel (21 officers and 121 ratings) from 749, 750, and 752 Squadrons who were en route to RNAS Piarco in Trinidad. Unlike many vessels of the time, Almeda Star sailed unescorted through the dangerous waters of the North Atlantic.

Shipping between Britain and the Atlantic had to navigate through the Western Approaches, an area notorious for U-boat activity. The German submarine U-96, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, was actively hunting in these waters and had already sunk the passenger liner Oropesa on January 16, with the loss of 106 lives.

At 7:45 AM on January 17, 1941, while approximately 35 miles north of Rockall in heavy seas, Almeda Star was struck by a torpedo fired from U-96. The torpedo hit amidships, bringing the ship to a stop. The vessel immediately transmitted a distress signal, providing her position (58° 16'N, 13° 40'W).

When the ship failed to sink quickly, U-96 fired two additional torpedoes at 8:05 AM and 9:07 AM, hitting Almeda Star in the stern and amidships. Despite sustaining severe damage, the ship remained afloat, and the crew managed to launch four lifeboats while passengers and crew were still visible on deck.

At approximately 9:32 AM, U-96 surfaced and began shelling Almeda Star with its 88mm deck gun. For 16 minutes, the submarine fired 28 incendiary shells at the stricken liner, with about 15 of these shells finding their mark. The shelling started small fires aboard the ship, which were quickly controlled and extinguished.

Having failed to sink the vessel with gunfire, Lehmann-Willenbrock ordered a fourth and final torpedo fired at 9:55 AM. This torpedo struck the forepart of Almeda Star with devastating effect, causing the ship to sink by the bow within three minutes in the rough seas. By this time, U-96 had been attacking the passenger liner for over two hours.

In response to Almeda Star's distress signal, seven Royal Navy destroyers were dispatched to search the area. Despite an extensive search, they found no survivors, lifeboats, or wreckage. All 360 people aboard- 136 crew members, 29 DEMS gunners, and 194 passengers (including 142 Fleet Air Arm personnel)-perished in the sinking. This tragic event represents the single highest number of deaths suffered in naval aviation history to date.

The submarine that sank the Almeda Star, U-96, was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, who would become one of World War II's most successful U-boat commanders. Throughout his career, Lehmann-Willenbrock sank a total of 24 Allied ships. His experience as a U-boat commander made him a valuable technical advisor for the 1981 film "Das Boot," which portrayed life aboard a German submarine during World War II. 

Sources: The National Archives Kew AIR 81/5076