The British Government was sending a relatively small number of aliens to the British Dominions, but when the tragedy on the 2 July, 1940 with the sinking of the liner Arandora Star by the German submarine U-47, the British Government had to re-think its policy of transferring aliens. the Arandora Star was taking 754 Italians and 479 Germans from Liverpool to St Johns, Newfoundland for internment, many of whom had either been briefly interned in the Isle of Man or had relatives interned on the Island. 486 Italians and 175 Germans were drowned. This ended the British Dominions being used for internment and instead concentrated on internment within the British Isles, and so the Isle of Man became one of the main interment camps.