The Attack on Aruba was an attack on oil installations and
tankers
Tanker may refer to:
Transportation
* Tanker, a tank crewman (US)
* Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids
** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk
** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanke ...
by
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
*Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinate ...
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. On 16 February 1942, a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
U-boat
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...
attacked the small Dutch island of
Aruba
Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...
. Other submarines patrolled the area for shipping and they sank or damaged tankers. Aruba was home to two of the largest
oil refineries
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefie ...
in the world during the war against the Axis powers, the Arend Petroleum Maatschappij, situated near the Oranjestad harbor, and the
Lago Oil and Transport Company
Lago Oil & Transport Co. Ltd. had its beginning in 1924 as a shipping company carrying crude oil from Lake Maracaibo to its transshipment facility on the island of Aruba.
History
With the discovery of a vast amount of crude oil under Lake M ...
at the San Nicolas harbor. The attack resulted in the disruption of vital
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
fuel production.
Background
![Aruba map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Aruba_map.png)
The
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
island of Aruba had two major oil installations. The production of aviation fuel had been expanded to supply British requirements prior to the American entry into the war. It was the largest such refinery in the world and a strategic target.
In early 1942, several Axis submarines patrolled the southern Caribbean with the objective of attacking Allied convoys and disrupting the oil operations. , a long range submarine, entered the waters off southwestern Aruba on 13 February. She was under the command of
Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
Werner Hartenstein
Werner Hartenstein (27 February 1908 – 8 March 1943) was a German naval officer during World War II who commanded the U-boat . He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary ...
who wanted a
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
of the area before attacking the Lago Company oil tanks near
Oranjestad. Hartenstein commanded the ''
Neuland Gruppe'', a
wolfpack of five German and two
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
submarines.
Previously the commander had coordinated an attack on oil-related targets in between Aruba and
Maracaibo
)
, motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal")
, anthem =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_alt = ...
in order to disrupt the production of
aviation fuel
Aviation fuels are petroleum-based fuels, or petroleum and synthetic fuel blends, used to power aircraft. They have more stringent requirements than fuels used for ground use, such as heating and road transport, and contain additives to enhanc ...
. ''U-156'' was assigned to attack the refineries, while the six other submarines attacked merchant ships wherever found. These other submarines were , , and and two Italian submarines. They patrolled the
Gulf of Venezuela
The Gulf of Venezuela is a gulf of the Caribbean Sea bounded by the Venezuelan states of Zulia and Falcón and by La Guajira Department, Colombia. The western side is formed by the Guajira Peninsula. A strait connects it with Maracaibo Lake to ...
, to the southwest of Aruba, and other nearby waters for oil tankers.
Attack
On 16 February, after observing the area for a few days, ''U-156'' came around to the refineries. There in front of her target were two Lago Company steamers, and
''Oranjestad'', both British owned oilers. At 01:31, ''U-156'' surfaced in
San Nicholas Harbor some offshore and attacked the two British tankers at anchor. Hartenstein ordered the firing of one torpedo from his bow tubes at ''Pedernales''. The torpedo attack was successful and ''Pedernales'' was hit amidship. Loaded with
crude oil
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude ...
, the steamer immediately burst into flames, killing eight of her 26 crewmen and wounding her captain
Herbert McCall.
''Oranjestad'' then began to lift anchor and steam away but she was too late and was hit by a second torpedo fired from ''U-156''. She too burst into flames and an hour later, sank in about of water. Fifteen of her 22 crewmen were killed.
At this time, several Dutch sailors flocked to their small wooden patrol craft at harbor in order to get them away from the burning oil of the tankers.
At 03:13, ''U-156'' attacked the
Texaco
Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American Petroleum, oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its Gasoline, fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an Indepe ...
owned tanker which was
berthed at
Eagle Beach
Eagle Beach (or Arend Beach) is a beach and neighbourhood of Oranjestad, Aruba
Oranjestad ( , , ; literally "Orange City") is the capital and largest city of Aruba, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is located on the ...
next to the Arend/Eagle Refinery. Just one of the torpedoes struck ''Arkansas'' and partially sank her but the damage was moderate and caused no casualties.
Commander Hartenstein then steamed further around Aruba and directed his men to take to the deck guns and prepare for a naval bombardment of the large oil tank in view. The crew of the gun forgot to remove the water cap from the barrel, so when Hartenstein ordered them to fire, the gun blew up in the faces of the two gunners. Gunnery Officer
Dietrich von dem Borne
Dietrich () is an ancient German name meaning "Ruler of the People.” Also "keeper of the keys" or a "lockpick" either the tool or the profession.
Given name
* Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg (c. 1398 – 1440)
* Thierry of Alsace (german: Dietric ...
was wounded badly, one foot having been severed. His comrade and trigger man Heinrich Büssinger was badly wounded as well and died several hours after the attack. Hartenstein ordered the flak gun to continue the attack.
Sixteen rounds from the 37mm AA gun were fired, but only two hits were found by the Allies: a dent in an oil storage tank and a hole in a house. Hartenstein ordered a cease-fire, and set his course toward the other end of the island. En route, ''U-156'' was found and attacked by a
Fokker F.XVIII
The Fokker F.XVIII was an airliner produced in the Netherlands in the early 1930s, essentially a scaled-up version of the Fokker F.XII intended for long-distance flights. Like its predecessor, it was a conventional high-wing cantilever monoplane ...
maritime patrol aircraft of the
Netherlands West Indies Defense Force which took off from Oranjestad, Aruba at 05.55 hours and dropped a number of or 80 mm improvised
anti-submarine
An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...
bombs without achieving a hit.
[''Central American and Caribbean Air Forces'', Daniel Hagedorn, Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., Tonbridge, 1993, p.135, ] The U-boat continued towards Oranjestad harbor and at 09.43 hours torpedoed ''Arkansas'' lying at the pier of the Eagle Refinery, after missing with two torpedoes.
Meanwhile, the six other Axis boats patrolled the area in search of oil tankers. ''U-502'' under
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...
Jürgen von Rosenstiel
Jürgen von Rosenstiel (23 November 1912 – 6 July 1942) was a German U-boat commander in World War II.
Naval career
Jürgen von Rosenstiel joined the ''Reichsmarine'' on 1 April 1933. During his training he sailed on ships such as the '' Gorch ...
made contact with at least three Allied vessels that day in the Gulf of Venezuela, two British oilers,
and .
were sunk along with the Venezuelan steamer ''Monagas''.
''U-67'', under
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Günther Müller-Stöckheim, attacked two additional tankers off Curaçao that morning. Stockheim fired four torpedoes from his bow tubes at the tankers in
Willemstad
Willemstad ( , ; ; en, William I of the Netherlands, William Town, italic=yes) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdo ...
Harbor. All four failed to hit their targets or failed to explode. Stockheim tried again and fired two more torpedoes from his stern tubes at the Dutch ''Rafaela''; one hit and heavily damaged the ship.
''U-67'' then slipped away, unaware a
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...
A-20 Havoc
The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II.
Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for a bomber, it was or ...
light bomber
A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance.
The earliest light bombers were intended to dro ...
was in pursuit. The aircraft dropped its payload of both flares and explosives when over the surfaced U-boat but the bombs missed and ''U-67'' submerged and got away. The flames from burning steamers around Aruba were reportedly so large that they could be seen easily from
Curaçao
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
.
The four other U-boats and submarines were apparently unsuccessful in engaging Allied ships that morning. The Dutch patrol boats did not engage either.
Aftermath
After the attack, the Axis force steamed for
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
, where they offloaded their two casualties for medical treatment. Four Allied ships had been sunk accounting for 14,149 tons. ''Pedernales'', ''Arkansas'' and ''Rafaela'' survived the encounter; though damaged or sunk, they were repaired and put back to use transporting goods for the Allied war effort. During ''U-156''s attack on ''Arkansas'', one of the missed torpedoes slid up "Arend"/"Eagle" Beach and did not explode. On 17 February, four
Dutch Marines were killed when it detonated while they were examining it. At least 47 Allied merchant sailors were killed, and several more received wounds.
The American
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
writer Herbert White was on the island during the attack along with an inspection party under
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Frank Andrews. Both men witnessed the attack. The United States military, with the approval of the Dutch government, had just sent a large occupation force to guard the islands and oil refineries from Axis attacks and it now proved to be needed though Aruba was never bombarded again during the war.
See also
*
American Theater (World War II)
The American Theater was a theater of operations during World War II including all continental American territory, and extending into the ocean.
Owing to North and South America's geographical separation from the central theaters of ...
*
Bombardment of Ellwood
The Bombardment of Ellwood during World War II was a naval attack by a Japanese submarine against United States coastal targets near Santa Barbara, California. Though the damage was minimal, the event was key in triggering the West Coast invas ...
References
Notes
Sources
* "Shells at Aruba", ''Time'', February 23, 1942
retrieved 7/11/2010
* Pedernales, The Phoenix of Arub
* Woodman, Richard. ''The Real Cruel Sea: The Merchant Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939–1943'' (2004)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Attack On Aruba
Naval battles and operations of the European theatre of World War II
Caribbean Sea operations of World War II
Naval battles of World War II involving the Netherlands
1942 in Aruba
Naval battles of World War II involving Germany
Naval battles of World War II involving the United States
1942 in the Caribbean
February 1942 events