 Atlas V
|
| History
|
|---|
| Name
| Atlas V
|
| General characteristics
|
|---|
| Type
| Tugboat
|
| Length
| 23.5 m (77 ft 1 in)
|
| Beam
| 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in)
|
| Height
| 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
|
| Installed power
| 35
hp
(26 kW)
|
Atlas V
was a Belgian
tugboat
which was armed by resistance forces, sailing under the command of Jules Hentjens during the
First World War
. On the night of 3 and 4 January 1917, the boat arrived in The
Netherlands
with 107 people aboard from
Liege
,
Belgium
, which was occupied by the
German Empire
.
Context
[
edit
]
Map of military defenses of Liege during World War One.
Atlas V
left Liege towards Maastricht to the north.
Belgium had been invaded in August 1914 by German troops, and the eastern city of Liege, except for the
fortified position of Liege
, was taken following this. Only the northwestern part of the country was still under Belgian rule, and under command of King
Albert
.
Many Belgians sought to join the still active Belgian army. Others attempted to escape the country. For the inhabitants of Liege, roughly 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the Dutch border, this was generally done via
Maastricht
, in the
Netherlands
, which was neutral.
[
citation needed
]
Specifications
[
edit
]
Some of the technical specifications include:
[
citation needed
]
- length: 23.5 metres
- width: 5.5 metres
- height: 3.5 metres
- power: 35 HP
Escape
[
edit
]
Atlas V
arrived at about midnight, at the wharf in the Coronmeuse section of Liege, in the north of the city, on the left bank of the
Meuse
. It ran silent, carried by the current through the populated localities of
Herstal
and
Jupille
without encumberment. Exiting the city,
Atlas V
was not discovered by the Germans until it was near Argenteau/Hermalle-under-Argenteau, where it was attacked by a
motorboat
. Moving at speed, she was able to sink the motorboat in her wake.
Atlas V
then proceeded at 45 km/h (28 mph), encountering heavy fire all along the river, lit by powerful lights. Later, the tugboat broke the railway bridge downstream of
Vise
, then tore off the electrified chain and wire which barred the river. It ran into a pontoon armed with machine guns and escaped from intense fire. It approached the right bank of the Meuse at
Eisden
in the Netherlands (opposite
Eben-Emael
) around one in the morning, with the sound of
La Brabanconne
playing and flying the Belgian flag to the wind.
[
citation needed
]
Plaque on the Pont Atlas, Liege
The boat was recovered by its owner in Liege four days later.
[
citation needed
]
The family of Jules Hentjens, suspected of assisting in the escape, were arrested and given long prison sentences.