Neuer Fachartikel: Langensiepen/Nottelmann - Die Versenkung der FALABA

[Mark Alt]

Zeitrechnung

Seite 72 im ,,Proceedings", Befragung von Walter Baxter (chief officer):

The Commissioner : You changed the time between 8 and
10 o'clock ?
Mr. Baxter : Yes.
The Commissioner : And how much change would you make?
Mr. Baxter : Something like 35 minutes. It was after breakfast that the clock was altered. The third officer altered the clock himself.
The Commissioner : Were all the ship's clocks changed at that time.
Mr. Baxter : Yes, except in the engine room, and we
generally ring that about midday.

Das Schiff wurde ungefähr auf Koordinaten 51° 30' N und 06° 36' W. versenkt. Morgen früh wurde die genaue Ortszeit festgestellt, also etwas östlicher als hier angegeben. Wenn 360° 24 Stunden ausmachen, dann sollte 6° nicht nur etwa 24-26 Minuten ausmachen statt 35? Entsprachen diese 35 Minuten angegeben von Mr. Baxter der damaligen Zeitangaben auf diesem Längengrad der Angaben anderen Schiffe, die aus westenglischen Häfen ausliefen und die gleiche oder ähnliche Strecke in den ersten Tagen zurücklegen brauchten?
 


Seite 64, Befragung von Hugh Brown (fourth engineer):

2696. You have given evidence about the order coming down for more steam. Was it about that time that the clock was put back to noon ?—The first order that we got was " Full speed ahead " on the telegraph. We usually get full speed ahead on the telegraph at 12 o'clock to correct our clock, and when we get full speed ahead we take that to mean 12 o'clock, and we shifted the clock about four minutes.

Wenn ich es richtig verstehe Mr. Brown sagt hier aus, dass der Befehl zum Geschwindigkeitssteigerung pünktlich um 11:56 GMT kam. Die Leute dachten es gelte für die Uhreinstellung wie immer um die Mittagszeit. Eigentlich sollte die Uhr zurückgestellt werden (nach Baxter um 35 Minuten). Bedeutet hier ,,shift" den Minutenzeiger nach vorne drehen, oder kann es auch Zurückversetzen bedeuten und dann 12:04 GMT war es?

Seite 48, Befragung von J. D. Bathgate (Passagier):

1916. " Many men from the swamped boats were struggling in the water when the torpedo hit the ship and doubtless the explosion killed a number of them. Dr. Grant (Nigeria) I think probably lost his life in this way, as I saw him in the water in this vicinity. There were still some 20 or 30 people (perhaps more) on the steamer when she was hit and as all the boats had gone we could only take to the water. I was one of a party of about a dozen who made their way to the forward deck and we, one by one, got overboard. Hermon-Hodge, A. C. Francis, and myself (all Nigerian officials) were among the last half- dozen to leave. I jumped off about five minutes after the explosion and my watch stopped at 12.57 p.m. All three of us were rescued eventually by small boats after being about an hour in the water. Henderson of the Nigeria Marine Department was still on the forward deck when I left and I am afraid stayed too long, as his name is on the lost list. The ship was now fast settling down and she sank four or five minutes after I got into the water. One of the ' Falaba's " boats, manned by the third engineer and three sailors, picked up Francis and myself about two o'clock. We were put on to the steam drifter ' George Baker,' which had just come up, and we landed at Milford Haven about midnight. The bulk of the survivors were put on the trawler ' Eileen Lanna ' and afterwards transferred to the destroyer ' Liffey,' which took them into Milford Haven. I feel that something should be said about the ship's boats. They did not appear to have been equal to the strain put upon them as one collapsed shortly after being launched and two others seemed to swamp rather easily. Only one of them - returned to pick up people out of the water after delivering her first load" to the trawler, and it would appear that either the boats were not fit to return or the crews were too exhausted to work them." That is your idea of the explanation ?—Yes, my point, my Lord, is that the boats were insufficiently manned, that if they had been properly manned they could have come back and rescued the passengers.

Am Anfang seiner Aussage erzählt Mr. Bathgate Dinge über den Torpedotreffer und Umstände aus, die hinsichtlich des Fotos vom U-Boote nicht zu rechfertigen sind, und am Ende übt er scharfe Kritik gegen Rettungsboote und Personal aus. Inzwischen teilt er aber die merkwürdige Information mit, das er Ungefähr 5 Minuten nach der Explosion (bei von Forstner: 12:53 GMT!) ins Wasser sprang und sein Armbanduhr pünktlich um 12:57 stehen blieb. Ich weiss nicht, wie lange damals die Armbanduhre unter Wasser funktionieren konnten oder wie aufprallfest sie waren, aber wenn der Herr die nicht nach einer der Uhre in den Salons neueingestellt hat, und seine Uhr ausgerechnet nicht wasserfest war, dann liefert er einen ganz starken Beleg für die deutsche Version der Geschehnisse. Ob er seine Armbanduhr entsprechend der neuen Zeit eingestellt hatte, wurde nicht nachgefragt...