Editing Laconia incident (section)

== RMS ''Laconia'' ==
{{Main|RMS Laconia (1921)}}
[[File:RMS_Laconia.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|{{RMS|Laconia|1921|2}} on a [[Cunard Line]] postcard {{circa|1921}}]]
{{RMS|Laconia|1921|6}} was built in 1921 as a civilian ocean liner by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend, Northumberland. In January 1923 Laconia began the first around-the-world cruise, which lasted 130 days and called at 22 ports. On 8 September 1925, Laconia collided with the British schooner Lucia P. Dow in the Atlantic Ocean {{convert|60|nmi|km|abbr=off}} east of Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States. Laconia towed the schooner for {{convert|120|nmi|km|abbr=off}} before handing the tow over to the American tug Resolute. In 1934, her code letters were changed to GJCD.[5] On 24 September 1934 Laconia was involved in a collision off the US coast, while travelling from Boston to New York in dense fog. It rammed into the port side of Pan Royal, a US freighter. [6] Both ships suffered serious damage but were able to proceed under their own steam. Laconia returned to New York for repairs, and resumed cruising in 1935. During [[World War II]] she was requisitioned for the war effort, and by 1942 had been converted into a [[troopship]]. At the time of the incident she was transporting mostly Italian [[prisoners of war]] from [[Cape Town]] to [[Freetown]], under the command of Captain Rudolph Sharp. The ship was carrying 463&nbsp;officers and crew, 87&nbsp;civilians, 286&nbsp;British soldiers, 1,793&nbsp;Italian prisoners and 103&nbsp;Polish soldiers acting as guards of the prisoners.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tucker |first=Spencer C. |title=World War II: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection [5 volumes]: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wm_YDAAAQBAJ&q=rms+laconia+463+officers&pg=PA980 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |date=2016 |isbn=978-1-85109-969-6}}</ref>

Sharp had previously commanded {{RMS|Lancastria}}, which had been sunk by German bombs on 17&nbsp;June 1940, off the French port of [[Saint-Nazaire]], while taking part in [[Operation Aerial]], the evacuation of British nationals and troops from France, two weeks after the [[Dunkirk evacuation]].{{sfn|Grattidge|Collier|1956|p=160}}