An item referred to an official statement of the British Admiralty reporting that the British auxiliary cruiser Voltaire was over time and considered to be lost. The Nieuwe Tilburgsche Courant of the same date confirmed this item reporting that the family of the crew was informed. The Bataviaasch nieuwsblad dated 5 May reported that she measured 13.245 ton and was a former passenger ship of Lamport&Holt. De Tijd dated 6th referred to a tiding dated Berlin, Germany of the 5th reporting that a German warship operating overseas sunk the stronger British auxiliary cruiser Voltaire and a British transport.(1)
Note
1. The fight found place off he Cape Verde Islands an with as opponent the German auxiliary cruiser Thor captain Otto Kähler on 4 April 1941. Of the crew of the Voltaire captain J.A.Blackburn were 74 men killed and 100 wounded (195 prisoners of war). Thor had a gross register tonnage of 3.862 tons, a displacement of 9.200 tons, a crew numbering 149 men and an armament of 6-15cn/5.9” guns, 2-3,7cm/1.5” guns, 4-2cm/0.9” guns and 4-53,3cm/21” torpedo tubes. The Voltaire of 13.245 gross register tonnage and an armament of 8-15cm guns and 3-7,62cm/3” guns.
