Editing Laconia incident (section)

=== Attack on ''Laconia'' ===
[[File:6_inch_gun_Laconia_March_1942_AWM_028101.jpg|thumb|''Laconia''{{'}}s armament, such as this [[BL 6-inch Mk VII gun]], made her a legitimate target]]
At 10 p.m., on 12 September 1942, {{GS|U-156|1941|2}} was on patrol off the coast of western Africa, midway between [[Liberia]] and [[Ascension Island]]. The submarine's commanding officer, {{lang|de|Korvettenkapitän}} [[Werner Hartenstein]], spotted the large British ship sailing alone and attacked it. Armed ships, which meant most merchantmen and troop transport, constituted legitimate targets for attack without warning.{{sfn|Blair|1998|p=431}} Armed as such, the ''Laconia'' fell into this category, and at 10:22&nbsp;p.m. she transmitted a message on the 600 [[Metre|m]] (500&nbsp;kHz) band: "SSS SSS 0434 South / 1125 West Laconia torpedoed."{{sfn|Peillard|1983|p=70}} "SSS" was the code signifying "under attack by submarine".{{sfn|Haarr|2013|p=488}} Additional messages were transmitted, but there is no record these were received by any other vessel or station.

Although there were sufficient lifeboats for the entire ship's complement, including the Italian prisoners, heavy listing prevented half from being launched until the vessel had settled. The prisoners were abandoned in the locked cargo holds as the ship sank, but most managed to escape by breaking down hatches or climbing up ventilation shafts. Several were shot when a group of prisoners rushed a lifeboat, and a large number were bayoneted to death to prevent their boarding of one of the few lifeboats available. The Polish guards were armed with rifles with fixed bayonets; however, they were not loaded and the guards carried no ammunition. Witnesses indicate that few of the prisoners were shot. Instead, most of the casualties were bayoneted.<ref name="Quinzi2">{{cite web |last=Quinzi |first=A. |title=La tragedia della Laconia |url=https://cronologia.leonardo.it/battaglie/batta108.htm |publisher=Triboo Media |date=2005 |access-date=2019-04-20 |language=it |df=dmy-all |archive-date=27 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127121943/https://cronologia.leonardo.it/battaglie/batta108.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

By the time the last lifeboats were launched most survivors had already entered the water, so some lifeboats had few passengers. Only one life raft left the ship with prisoners on board; the rest jumped into the ocean. Survivors later recounted how Italians in the water were either shot or had their hands severed by axes if they tried to climb into a lifeboat. The blood soon attracted sharks.<ref name="BBC12">{{cite news |title=Alan Bleasdale returns to BBC after long absence |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/liverpool/hi/people_and_places/newsid_9339000/9339584.stm |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=2011-01-15 |access-date=2019-04-20 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Corporal Dino Monte, one of the few Italian survivors, stated "...&nbsp;sharks darted among us. Grabbing an arm, biting a leg. Other larger beasts swallowed entire bodies."<ref name="Quinzi2" /> As ''Laconia'' was going under, bow first, ''U-156'' surfaced to capture the ship's surviving senior officers. To their surprise, they saw over 2,000 people struggling in the water.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Russell |date=2017-09-12 |title=The Laconia Incident: How Friendly Fire Changed POW Treatment for the Rest of the War |url=https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/laconia-incident-friendly-fire-changed-pow-treatment-rest-war.html |access-date=2022-07-11 |website=War History Online  |language=en}}</ref>