Greek passenger steamship Nea Hellas arrived at Lisbon, Portugal in end October 1940

In his letter dated Lisbon dated 3 November 1940 No. 890 to the Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine wrote the German Marineattaché Portugal that according to the newspapers Seculo and Diario de Lisboa, Lisbon dated 28-30 October the Greek passenger steamship Nea Hellas arrived on 28 October coming from New York, USA. The intention was to wait for new orders of the Greek government and not to depart on 4 November back to the USA as was announced. The 500 passengers mostly refugees which were to depart with her, had to go with other ships chartered by the Greek Line including one Yugoslavian steamship. About 40 Greek crew members were paid off and replace by a similar number of Portuguese. The Dutch newspaper Nieuwe Utrechtsche courant dated 28 March 1941 reported that she with a tonnage of 16,991 tons was bought by the Bristish Department of Shipping. Launched as the Tuscania by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, Scotland with yard number 595 on 4 October 1922, sea trials on 8 September 1922, renamed Nea Hellas in 1939, a stroop transport in the Second World War, renamed New York in 1955, stricken in 1959 and broken up in 1961.

Source

Bundesarchiv. German Marineattaché Portugal. RM 11-16