Yet more war crimes by the British.
The British didn’t mark the craft as a prison ship, making it a prime target.
There is evidence that the British guards shot up at least one lifeboat to prevent the civilians from escaping. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/94/a2618994.shtml
The evacuation had to be organized by a German officer Otto Burfeind (one of the internees) who was recognized for his actions.
The British sent a rescue aircraft to drop cigarettes to the survivors.
The crew and guards saved themselves first, leaving the prisoners to their fate.
Crewmen
Killed 42 (including those killed in the initial explosion and engine room flooding)
Saved 119
Guards
Killed 37
Saved 163
Prisoners and Internees
Killed 713
Saved 586
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/406.html
The captain (who appears to have been an honorable man - see below) and two of his officers did stay at their post until the ship went down. Added to the two officer killed in the initial blast, that leaves 8 other officers lost in the sinking.
“The lifeboats were secured behind heavy wire mesh (some witnesses specified ‘barbed wire’ and reported lacerations to survivors) and sufficient only for the original cruising complement of 400. Alastair Maclean, in his book ‘The Lonely Sea’ (Collins 1985), claimed that obstructing access to the lifeboats was ordered in spite of protests by the ship’s captain, who pointed out that it rendered the boat a death trap. Safe evacuation of prisoners in an emergency was clearly not a priority.”
http://www.blackshouse.demon.co.uk/arandora_star.htm
War crimes?
Because there weren't enough lifeboats?
Even though the captain & other crew members went down with their ship?
I'd say, more likely simple incompetence increased by the stresses of wartime.
It reminds us, again, that Brits are want to take risks with safety when they think they might get away with it.
For a more recent example, you could consider all that oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico...
But if you are really interested in a serious definition of the term "war crimes," you might take a gander at Poland, and see what the Nazis were up to there.