ATLANTIS (From Daily Echo)
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ATLANTIS
3:56pm Wednesday 31st May 2006 in Historic Ships
FINE LINER: Atlantis in Southampton bringing home servicemen injured during the D-Day landings in 1944
In September, 1943 cinema audiences were able to watch a newsreel film of the first exchange of wounded British and German prisoners-of-war, carried out by the hospital ship Atlantis with her Royal Mail Lines crew.
During the exchange Atlantis was commanded by Captain Percy Cooper, who for many years was a well-known Southampton master mariner.
For the first part of her career, this fine old liner sailed under another name. She was built in 1913 as Andes and was in a class of four ships, the others being Arlanza, Alcantara and Almanzora.
They were graceful liners, with a single tall funnel amidships and operated on the route between Southampton and the River Plate in South America.
After the First World War, in which she served as an armed merchant cruiser, the ship resumed work on the South American route but in 1930 she was converted and given her new name, as well as a white hull.
With accommodation for 450 passengers and offering the highest standards of service the ship quickly built up a strong reputation.
When the Second World War broke out she was again converted, this time into hospital ship No.33 and made many voyages carrying the wounded to safety.
She put into Southampton many times after the Normandy Landings in 1944 and following the war she carried emigrants to Australia and New Zealand until she was finally scrapped in 1952.
