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Simon Katanga

Simon Katanga in 1936.

Simon Katanga (1904-) was a Liberian ship captain and pirate.

Biography[]

Simon Katanga was born in Monrovia, Liberia in 1904. Katanga's father was an engineer aboard a Liberian ship, the Golden Sun, where Simon was introduced to the ways of the sea as a cabin steward. He eventually worked his way up to First Mate of the Bantu Wind, and took over control of the vessel when the previous captain was mortally wounded in a gunfight during a smuggling run.

In 1936, Katanga was contacted by Sallah, who was seeking secret passage for his friends, Dr. Henry Jones and Marion Ravenwood, and their cargo — the Ark of the Covenant, stolen from the Nazis. Katanga agreed to provide passage from Egypt across the Mediterranean, and loaded the cargo and passengers at night and set out, even giving up his quarters to Jones and Ravenwood.

The next morning, somewhere between Egypt and Sicily, the Bantu Wind was ordered to stop by a surfaced German U-Boat. On the bridge, Katanga told an alerted Jones to hide. When his ship was boarded by René Belloq and his Nazi companions, Katanga surrendered to protect his ship and crew from the well-armed soldiers, and gave up the Ark. As a captured Ravenwood attempted to strike Dietrich, Katanga grabbed her and appealed to the Nazis to take the Ark but leave Marion with his crew, claiming that she had value where they were headed while Jones was dead and thrown overboard. Dietrich refused and seized Ravenwood, but Belloq took custody of her instead. Acting without defiance, Katanga allowed Ravenwood and the Ark to be turned over to the Nazis, even after being labeled a savage by Dietrich. As soon as the Nazis were back on their submarine, Katanga ordered his men to find Jones, still hidden on the ship. While watching the Germans depart, Katanga stood on the side of his ship when one of the pirates reported to him that Jones could not be found. Ordering his man to search again, the pirate looked across to the German U-Boat and pointed out Jones to Katanga, who saluted the archaeologist.

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