Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod of North America. Board of Foreign Missions.

See also AUG 24 Administrative History, AUG 24/9/1 Background.

On March 20, 1941, the S.S. Zamzam left a New York port bound for Suez, Egypt, via Trinidad, Pernambuco, Brazil; Capetown, South Africa; and Mombasa, Kenya. It was carrying 201 passengers on board, over half of whom were church missionaries. On April 17, 1941, at 5:30 a.m., when the Zamzam was approximately 1500 miles off the coast of Capetown, it came under fire from the German raider Tamesis.

The Zamzam was shelled for 10 minutes. Shortly thereafter orders were given for passengers to board the lifeboats. The majority of the lifeboats had been badly compromised from the shelling, and it looked as if the only hope for survival of the passengers would be to board the Tamesis. Lifeboats still in working condition were ordered by the captain of the Tamesis to come alongside. Motor boats were dispatched to pick up passengers stranded in the water. By 7:00 a.m. the last motor boat brought the remaining passengers to the Tamesis. All passengers and crew had been saved. The Synod itself did not hear of the tragedy until May 19, when it was reported in the news that the Zamzam had been sunk by a German U-boat and all aboard were lost. This story proved to be inaccurate when on May 20, Germany admitted that one of its raiders had shelled and sunk the Zamzam, but that all aboard had been rescued before the ship sank. On May 22, 1941, the Synod received official word that all passengers aboard the Zamzam were safe and had been taken aboard a supply ship sailing north to the coast of France.