Venâncio de Almeida was a crew member on the Greek ship Antonis when it was boarded by the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran on January 6, 1941. Although Greece had not yet entered the war, the vessel was carrying three English machine guns and almost five tons of Welsh coal, enough reasons for the Germans to seize it.

The ship was sunk and the crew imprisoned. 

In addition to Venâncio Almeida there was also Manuel António Carlos, another Portuguese on board.

On February 7, off Cape Verde, the Kormoran met with the Nordmark, a supply ship to which about 170 seafarers imprisoned on several Allied ships were transferred.

Nordmark managed to return to France, probably in May, with around 800 Allied prisoners on board. The seafarers were transferred to the Marlag and Milag Nord prison camp, north of Bremen, a camp designed to house the crew of merchant ships.

Venâncio de Almeida was assigned prisoner number 88966, while Manuel Carlos was assigned number 88967. In August 1943 the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs received from the British authorities a list with several Portuguese prisoners in which both men are mentioned, as prisoners lacking financial support.

Five of the mentioned Portuguese were held until February 1944, when, thanks to the intervention of the Portuguese government, they were released and sent by train to Lisbon. Venâncio, and three other companions - Florêncio da Silva, João da Cruz and Manuel Lopes Brioso - arrived in the Portuguese capital on the 20th of the month, while Manuel António Carlos had arrived the day before.