The Odenwald
United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
71 F. Supp. 314, 1947 AMC 666 (1947)
- Written by Carolyn Strutton, JD
Facts
In 1941, a German ship, the Odenwald (defendant) attempted to disguise itself as an American-flagged ship, the Willmoto, in an effort to run the British naval blockade of Germany that was in place during World War I. Two United States naval vessels, the Omaha and the Somers, encountered the Odenwald using this false flag in the Atlantic and became suspicious of the vessel. As the naval vessels approached, the crew of the Odenwald attempted to scuttle the ship and abandoned it. Crew members from the Omaha boarded the Odenwald and prevented it from sinking in dangerous conditions through substantial effort. The Omaha crew members eventually succeed in bringing the Odenwald back to port. The United States (plaintiff) was not at war with Germany at the time of the salvage. The United States brought an in rem action under admiralty against the Odenwald to claim a maritime lien for salvage.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Cooper, J.)
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