Series synopsis
The Sinking of the Laconia is a British drama war & politics television series that premiered on BBC Two on January 6, 2011. It ended on January 7, 2011. It stars Franka Potente, Ken Duken, Jacob Matschenz and Stefan Rudolf.
The true story of the Allied ship Laconia, sunk in WWII by a German U-Boat, which then surfaced against orders to rescue the civilian crew
Premise
The true story of the Allied ship Laconia, sunk in WWII by a German U-Boat, which then surfaced against orders to rescue the civilian crew
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Franka Potente as Hilda Smith
- Ken Duken as Werner Hartenstein
- Jacob Matschenz as Mannesmann
- Stefan Rudolf as Remmert
- Matthias Koeberlin as Rostau
- Frederick Lau as Fiedler
- Andrew Buchan as Thomas Mortimer
- Lindsay Duncan as Elisabeth Fullwood
Supporting cast
- Thomas Kretschmann as Karl Dönitz
- Jodi Balfour as Sarah Fullwood
- Nikolai Kinski as Walter Drexler
- Nicholas Burns as Benjamin Coutts
- Brian Cox as Captain Sharp
- Morven Christie as Laura Ferguson
- Ben Crompton as Harry Townes
- Ciarán McMenamin as Declan McDermott
- David Butler as George Steel
- Paul Hilton as Henry Bates
- Lenny Wood as Billy Hardacre
- Matthew Aubrey as William Williams
Episodes
This series spans 2 seasons with 4 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 2 | January 6, 2011 | January 8, 2011 |
| Season 1 | 2 | January 6, 2011 | January 7, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Sinking of the Laconia - The Movie Drama based on the true story of the Allied ship Laconia, sunk in WWII by a German U-Boat, which then surfaced against orders to rescue the civilian crew. |
January 6, 2011 |
| 2 |
The Sinking of the Laconia: Survivors' Stories Documentary following the story of the sinking of the Cunard Liner Laconia in World War II through the personal testimonies of six survivors. The real life accounts of the survivors are supplemented with illustrative archival moving footage, photographs of the actual incident and short exerts from the drama 'The Sinking of the Laconia'. |
January 8, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Part 1 On the 12th September 1942 the Laconia - a cruise ship turned troop ship - was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-156 commanded by Werner Hartenstein. She carried a motley crew of women, children, wounded soldiers and Italian Prisoners of War. Having sunk the ship, Hartenstein should have left them to their uncertain fate in the water, but instead he made the incredible decision to save as many lives as he could. A true story of unexpected gallantry and humanity in the fog of war. |
January 6, 2011 |
| 2 |
Part 2 U-boat commander Werner Hartenstein has torpedoed the Laconia and mounted an extraordinary rescue operation. U-156's deck is crowded with Allied survivors fished out of the South Atlantic. But in the fog of war confusion reigns and U-156 is spotted by an American bomber which moves in to attack. |
January 7, 2011 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC Two |
|---|---|
| First aired | January 6, 2011 |
| Last aired | January 7, 2011 |
| Runtime | 90 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Thursday, Friday at 20:15:00 |