Sinking of Atlantis

22 November 1941, South Atlantic, north-west of Ascension Island

British victory; Atlantis sunk

After 602 days at sea and 22 ships taken or sunk, Atlantis was refuelling U-126 north-west of Ascension on the morning of 22 November 1941 when the cruiser Devonshire, guided by codebreaking and her Walrus aircraft, found her. Bernhard Rogge tried to pass her off as the Dutch Polyphemus, but the Admiralty signalled that no such ship could be there. Devonshire kept her distance, out of range of the raider's guns and the U-boat's torpedoes, and opened fire; after a few salvoes Rogge scuttled her. Seven Germans were killed. Devonshire steamed off for fear of the U-boat, which had dived. U-126 and the supply ship Python took the survivors on, and when Dorsetshire sank Python too a week later, U-boats towed them in boats and carried them 5,000 miles home to France.