HMS Tuscania and Otranto

[Tuscania1918]

I am in search of talking/writing to the families of the survivors/casualties of these two tragedies. I am seeking photos, diary entries, newspaper articles letters anything that could help with the mindset of the soldiers who suffered in these two events. I would appreciate any of the members of the families could help me with. My e-mail address is salbil8@msn.com.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

I am in search of talking/writing to the families of the survivors/casualties of these two tragedies. I am seeking photos, diary entries, newspaper articles letters anything that could help with the mindset of the soldiers who suffered in these two events. I would appreciate any of the members of the families could help me with.

Again, welcome to the Forum.

I am sure other members will also advise you that it is not a good idea to publish your email address on the Forum. Members can easily be reached by use of the Forum's Personal Message system, which keeps everything private.

I was able to find some information on HMS Tuscania as follows :-

" The liner Tuscania was delivered to its owners, the Anchor Line, at the beginning of 1915 for the joint service with Cunard from Glasgow to New York via Liverpool. Its maiden voyage on 6 February of that year was on this route which it carried on for the rest of its career. In September 1915, it helped rescue passengers for the Greek Line's ship Athini which had caught fire in the Atlantic.

She first undertook trooping duties in September 1916, carrying Canadian troops from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Liverpool. In August of the following year it brought 1,236 men of the 16th US Engineer Regiment from New York to Liverpool and two more successful voyages followed.

The ship left Hoboken, New Jersey, on her final voyage on 24 January 1918 carrying 2,013 American troops and a crew of 384. She joined Convoy HX-20 at Halifax, Nova Scotia, and proceeded to cross the Atlantic bound for Le Harve. On 5 February the convoy was sighted seven miles north of the Rathilin Island lighthouse by the German Submarine UB-77 under the command of Lt. Cdr. Wilhelm Meyer. At 5:40pm he fired two torpedoes at the Tuscania, the first of which missed, the second scoring a direct hit. By 7:00pm all the ship's lifeboats had been launched, but approximately 1,350 men remained on board. The convoy's escorting destroyers assisted in removing these, but were hampered by the continuing presence of the UB-77 in the area. The Tuscania finally sank at 10:00pm, over four hours after being struck; 230 people were lost. {One estimate indicated 201 of these were American troops, the remainder crew members.]

The Tuscania was the first ship carrying American troops to be sunk, and public opinion in the USA regarded its loss as an outrage. In 1920 the American Red Cross erected a monument on the Isle of Islay, where many of the victims had been buried before their transfer that year to the American War Cemetery at Brookwood [England] or to their homeland.

Data on Tuscania:

Gross Tonnage - 14,348 tons

Length - 549 ft. Width - 66.5 ft.

Builder - A. Stephen & Sons, Glascow

Launch Date - 3 September 1914

Passenger Capacity - 271 1st cl.; 246 2nd cl.; 1,900 3rd cl.

Captain: Peter McLean, OBE

Sunk: 5 February 1918 by: UB-77, Lt. Cdr. Wilhelm Meyer, Commander

AEF Units Aboard:

20th Engineers, Companies D,E,F. [Forestry Battl.]

107th Engineer Train

107th Military Police

107th Supply Train

100th, 158th, 263rd Aero Squadrons

Replacement detachments for 32nd Division

Fifty-one casual [replacement] officers

A First Hand Account of the sinking :-

WHEN THE SEA-ASP STINGS

From the Saturday Evening Post of March 9, 1918

By Irvin S. Cobb

Because the Tuscania rode high out of the water and wallowed as she rode, because, during all those days of our crossing she hugged up close to our ship, splashing through the foam of our wake as though craving the comfort of our company, we called her things no self-respecting ship should have to bear. But when the other night we stood on the afterdeck of our ship, we running away as fast as our kicking screw would take us, and saw her going down, taking American soldier boys to death with her in alien waters, we drank toasts standing up to the poor old Tuscania.

I was one of those who were in at the death of the Tuscania. Her sinking was the climax of the most memorable voyage I ever expect to take. Five days have elapsed since she was torpedoed, and even though these words are being cabled across from London to the home side of the ocean, at least three weeks more must elapse before they can see printer's ink. So to some readers of The Saturday Evening Post this may seem like an old story; but the memory of what happened that night off the Irish coast is going to abide with me as long as I live. It was one of those big moments in a man's life that stick in a man's brain as long as he has a brain to think with.

Transatlantic journeys these days aren't what they used to be before American went into the war. Ours began to be different even before our ship pulled out from port. It is forbidden me to tell her name, and anyhow her name doesn't in the least matter, but she was a big ship with a famous skipper, and in peacetimes her sailing would made some small stir... Instead we slipped away almost as if we had done something wrong. There was no waving of hands and handkerchiefs, no good-byes on the gangplanks, no rush to get back on land when the shore bell sounded... Alone and unescorted each one of us went soberly up the side of the ship, and then sundry hours later our journey began, as the ship, like a big gray ghost, slid away from land, as quietly as might be, into the congenial gray fog which instantly swallowed her up and left her in a little gray world of sea mist that was all her own. After this fashion, then, we started.

As for the first legs of the trip, they were much like the first legs of almost any sea trip except that we traveled in a convoy with sundry other ships, with warcraft to guard us on our way. Our ship was quite full of soldiers--officers in the first cabin, and the steerage packed with khakied troopers--ninety percent of whom had never smelled bilge water before they embarked upon their great adventure overseas. There were fewer civilians than one formerly might have found on a ship bound for Europe. In these times only those civilians who have urgent business foreign climes venture to go abroad.

Except for a touch of seriousness about the daily lifeboat drill, and except that regimental discipline went forward, with the troops drilling on the open deck spaces when the weather and the sea permitted, there was at first nothing about this voyage to distinguish it from any other mid-winter voyage. Strangers got acquainted one with another and swapped views on politics, religion, symptoms and Germans; flirtations started and ripened furiously; concerts were organized and took place, providing to be what concerts at sea usually are. Twice a day the regimental band played, and once a day, up on the bridge, the second officer took the sun, squinting into his sextant with the deep absorption with which in happier times a certain type of tourist was wont to stare through an enlarging crevice at a certain type of Parisian photograph. At night, though, we were in a darkened ship, a gilding black shape upon black waters, with heavy shades over all the portholes and thick draperies over all the doors, and only dim lights burning in the passageways and cross halls, so that every odd corner on deck or within was as dark as a coal pocket...

When I emerged from [a bout of seasickness] it was to learn that we had reached the so-called danger zone. The escort of warcraft for our transport had been augmented By request the civilian passengers were expected to carry their life preservers with them wherever they went; but some of them forgot the injunction. I know I did frequently...

Our Captain no longer came to the saloon for his meals. He lived upon the bridge--ate there and , I think, slept there too--what sleeping he did. Standing there all muffled in his oilskins he looked even more of a squatty and unheroic figure than he had in his naval blue presiding at the head of the table; but by repute we knew him for a man who had gone through one torpedoing with great credit to himself and through numbers of narrow escapes, and we valued him accordingly and put our faith in him. It was faith well placed, as shall presently transpire.

I should not say that there was much fear aboard; at least if there was it did not manifest itself in the manner or the voice or the behavior of a single passenger seen by me; but there was a sort of nagging, persistent sense of uneasiness betraying itself in various small ways. For one thing, all of us made more jokes about submarines, mines and other perils of the deep than was natural. There was something a little force, artificial, about this gaiety--laughs came from the lips, but not from points further south.

We knew by hearsay that the Tuscania was a troopship bearing some of our soldiers over to do their share of the job of again making this world a fit place for hum beings to live in. There was something pathetic in the fashion after which she so persistently and constantly strove to stick as closely under our stern as safety and the big waves would permit. It was as though here skipper placed all reliance in our skipper, looking to him to lead his ship out of peril should peril befall. Therefore, we of our little group watched her from our afterdecks, with her sharp nose forever half of wholly buried in the creaming white smother we kicked up behind us.

It was a crisp bright February day when we neared the coasts of the British Empire. At two o'clock in the afternoon we passed, some hundreds of yards to starboard, a round, dark, bobbing object which some observers thought was a floating mine. Others thought if might be the head and shoulders of a human body held upright in a life ring. Whatever it was, our ship gave it a wide berth, sheering off from the object in a sharp swing. Almost at the same moment upon our other bow, at a distance of not more than one hundred yards from the crooked course we were then pursuing, there appeared out through one of the swells a lifeboat, oarless, abandoned, empty, except for what looked like a woman's cloak lying across the thwarts. Rising and falling to the swing of the sea it drifted down alongside of us so that we could look almost straight down into it. We did not stop to investigate but kept going, zigzagging as we went, and that old copy cat of a Tuscania came zigzagging behind us. A good many persons decided to tie on their life preservers.

Winter twilight was drawing on when we sighted land -- Northern Ireland it was. The wind was going down with the sun and the sharp crests of the waves were dulling off, and blunt oily rollers began to splash with greasy sounds against our plates. Far away somewhere we saw the revolving light of a lighthouse winking across the face of the waters like a drunken eye. That little beam coming and going gave me a feeling of security. I was one of a member of the group for a farewell card game.

Perhaps an hour later, as we sat there intently engaged upon the favored indoor American sport of trying to better two pairs, we heard against our side of the ship a queer knocking sound rapidly repeated - a sound that somewhat suggested a boy dragging a stick along a picket fence.

"I suppose that's a torpedo knocking for admission," said one of us, looking up from his card and listening with a cheerful grin on his face.

I think it was not more than five minutes after that when an American officer opened the stateroom door and poked his head in.

"Better come along, you fellows," he said; "but come quietly so as not to give alarm or frighten any of the women. Something has happened. The Tuscania--she's in trouble."

Up we got and hurried aft down the decks each on taking with him his cork jacket and adjusting it over his shoulders as he went. We came to the edge of the promenade deck aft. There were not many persons there, as well as we could tell in the thick darkness through which we felt our way, and not many more came afterward --in all I should say not more than seventy-five. All the rest were in ignorance of what had occurred--a good many were at dinner. Accounts of the disaster which I have read since my arrival in London said that the torpedo from the U-boat thudded into the vitals of the Tuscania, disarranged her engines, and left her in utter darkness for a while until here crew could switch on the auxiliary dynamo. I think this must have been a mistake, for at the moment of our reaching the deck of our ship the Tuscania was lighted up all over. Her illumination seemed especially brilliant, but that, I suppose, was largely because we had become accustomed to seeing our fellow transports as dark hulks at night.

I should say she was not more than a mile from us, almost due aft and a trifle to the left. But in the winter evening the distance increased each passing moment, for we running away from her as fast as our engines could drive us. We could feel our ship throb under our feet as she picked up speed. It made us feel like cowards. Near at hand a ship was in distress, a ship laden with a precious freightage of American soldier boys, and here we're we legging it like a frightened bird, weaving in and out on sharp tacks.

We knew, of course, that we were under orders to get safely away if we could in case one of those sea adders, the submarines should attack our convoy. We knew that guardian destroyers would even now be hurrying to the rescue; and we knew land was not many miles away; but all the same, I think I never felt such an object of shame as I felt that first moment when the realization dawned on me that we were fleeing from a stricken vessel instead of hastening back to give what succor we could.

As I stood there in the darkness, with silent, indistinct shapes all about me, it came upon me with almost the shock of a physical blow that the rows of lights I saw yonder through the murk were all slanting somewhat downward on what would be the bow of the disabled steamer. These oblique lines of light told the story. The Tuscania had been struck forward and was settling by the head.

Suddenly a little subdued "Ah! Ah!" burst like a chorus from us all. A red rocket--a rocket as red as blood--sprang up high into the air above those rows of lights. It hung aloft for a moment, then burst into a score of red balls, which fell, dimming out as they descended. After a bit two more rockets followed in rapid succession... Never again will a red rocket fired at night be to me anything except a reminder of the most pitiable, the most hear-racking thing I have ever seen--that poor appeal for help from the sinking Tuscania flaming against that foreign sky.

There was silence among us as we watched. None of us, I take it, had words within him to express what he felt; so we said nothing at all, but just stared out across the waters until our eyeballs ached in their sockets. So quiet were we that I jumped when right at my elbow a low, steady voice spoke. Turning my head I could make out the speaker was one of the younger American officers.

"If what I heard before we sailed is true," he said, "my brother is in the outfit on that boat yonder. Well, if they get him it will only add a little more interest to the debt I already owe those damned Germans."

Fifteen minutes passed, then twenty, then twenty-five. Now instead of many small lights we could make out only a few faint pin pricks of light against the blackness to mark the spot where the foundering vessel must be. Presently we could distinguish but one speck of light.....

Still silent, we went below. Those of us who had not yet dined went and dined. Very solemnly, like men performing a rite, we ordered wine and we drank to the Tuscania and her British crew and her living cargo of American soldiers.

Next morning, after a night during which things happened about us that may not be described here and now, we came out of our peril and into safety at an English port, and there it was that we heard what made us ask God to bless that valorous, vigilant little pot-bellied skipper of ours. May he live forever! We were told that the torpedo which pierced the Tuscania was meant for us, that the U-boat rising unseen in the twilight fired it at us, and that our captain, up on the bridge saw it coming when it was yet some way off, and swinging the ship hard over to one side, dodged the flittering devil-thing by a margin that can be measured literally in inches. The call was a close one. The torpedo it was said, actually grazed the plates of our vessel--it was that we heard as we sat at cards--and passing aft struck the bow of the Tuscania as she swung along not two hundred yards behind us. We heard, too, that twice within the next hour torpedoes were fired at us, and again a fourth one early in the hours of the morning. Each time chance of poor aim or sharp seamanship or a combination of all three saved us....."

LF

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Funerals for victims of the Tuscania sinking.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Another report on the sinking of the Tuscania :-

" The island of Islay is no stranger to shipwrecks for there are at least 250 known sunken vessels around her turbulent shores. On the southernmost tip of the island stands a monument, similar in appearance to a lighthouse, which was erected by the American Government in 1919 as a memorial to those who died on a bitterly cold February evening in 1918 when the Anchor liner Tuscania was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat in the Irish Sea some seven miles south-west of Islay. On board were 2,235 soldiers consisting of companies 'D', 'E' and 'F' of the 6th Battalion, 20th VS Engineers, members of the 32nd Division, the 100th and 103rd Aero Squadrons and a British crew.

The Tuscania was part of trans-Atlantic convoy HX20 which consisted of some fourteen vessels including the White Star liners Baltic and Ceramic. She was a relatively new ship of 14,348grt, with an overall length of 576 feet and a beam of 65.9. Like her sister, Transylvania, she had been intended for the joint Mediterranean-New York service operated by the Cunard Line. With a top speed of 16 knots she was hardly an ocean greyhound but she was a good, sturdy, reliable vessel- a workhorse of the Atlantic rather than a 'headliner'. She had commenced her maiden voyage on 7th February, 1915 after fitting out at Alexander Stephen's yard on the Clyde, leaving Liverpool for New York. With a capacity for 270 first, 250 second and 1,900 third class passengers, she sailed almost empty. The war had severely curtailed trans-Atlantic passenger traffic and the demands for men to serve in France, Gallipoli and other theatres of war ensured that she sailed without her full complement of crew - some 350. In September, 1915 the Tuscania had taken on board 409 passengers from the Greek emigrant ship Athenai adrift and on fire in the Atlantic, while the following year had seen her converted for trooping duties bringing Canadian soldiers from Halifax to Liverpool or Glasgow. The year 1917 brought the first contingent of American soldiers to British shores and in this the Tuscania played a major role embarking troops from New York via Halifax to this country.

Along with other vessels in the convoy, she slipped her moorings at 1.30 pm on a chill Sunday, 27th January, 1918 bound for Liverpool. The British cruiser HMS Cochrane led the convoy which was deployed in five columns. The Baltic followed by the Tuscania with the USS Kanawha bringing up the rear formed column 'XA'. The Kanawha was an ancient collier whose principal function was to provide rearguard protection against submarine attacks on the convoy, but she acted as a supply ship for the US Navy and had sailor recruits on board bound for Scapa Flow. 'W A' column was positioned on Tuscania's port side and totalled a mere two vessels one of which, the Scotian, was carrying Canadian troops. Column 'YA' off Tuscania's starboard beam comprised the Ceramic, Westmorland and an unidentified cattle boat, while 'ZA', still further to starboard, consisted of three merchant ships with an outer column of three more. Later, when the convoy was approaching the Irish coast, a destroyer escort would form a protective ring around the fourteen ships comprising eight warships in all.

Each merchantman lay six cables apart with three between each column. The larger and more important vessels were placed in the centre lanes; some of these were equipped with M- V sets. Basically these resembled a series of microphones set at different points along the ships hulls to pick up the underwater sounds of submersibles - an early form of hydrophone which had an effective range of around two miles.

The Tuscania's interiors had undergone a radical refit in preparation for this crossing. She had a number of compartments below for transporting livestock; these were now used as accommodation for the soldiers. The rest of the consisted of 30 mules, supply wagons, boxes of bacon aircraft spares.

Conditions for the troops were, as usual, deplorable, food frequently comprising tiny portions of steam-cooked unsalted potatoes, fish, cheese or 'slum' - a weird concoction with the appearance of bay leaves soaked in hot water and served in tin mugs. The risk of disease was always present because of overcrowding. Light calisthenics and the occasional lifeboat drill constituted the only shipboard exercise. Following her departure from Halifax, life aboard the Tuscania settled down into a pattern of dull, repetitive routine. Convoying was a relatively new phenomenon in 1918 and there had been much opposition to its introduction, not least from merchant seamen themselves who argued that a group of vessels could not be handled together without the inevitable collision, and that the speed of the convoy was dictated by the speed of the slowest ship. Herein lay the greatest risk. HX 20's progress appeared to support this view. C.W.Nice, company adjutant aboard the Kanawha, later reported that the Tuscania had much difficulty in maintaining her position within the convoy. Progress was slow, HX 20's mean speed being around twelve knots. A series of minor engine faults plagued Tuscania's master, Peter Alexander McLean, forcing him to reduce speed for most of the crossing.

Ten days out of Halifax, at around 3pm, land was finally sighted and identified as the island of Islay with Rathlin island off the Irish coast some miles to the south off Tuscania's starboard bow. The previous night the British destroyers had joined the convoy from Lough Swilly and had taken up their stations - the Beagle, Savage and Grasshopper starboard; Badger, Pigeon and Mosquito to port with Harpy and Minos astern of the Cochrane leading the convoy. Contact had been made with HX 20 at 9.30pm on the 4th February but deteriorating weather conditions made delivery of the convoy's sailing instructions impossible. Occasional rain squalls and a fresh south-westerly wind had obtained since the early morning of that day, but had steadily increased to force ten.

Once the transfer had been made, both convoy and escort proceeded by the ordered course at a steady ten knots, increasing to twelve as the wind and sea died down. By the 5th visibility had improved to a range of eight to ten miles. The high peaks of Islay and Jura were sighted just after 3pm and a new course was shaped at 4.45pm to pass through the North Channel. Zig-zagging ceased at this time and the convoy proceeded towards Liverpool.

On the 29th January the UB-77 left Borkum in Germany with her full complement of seven officers and twenty-five men on yet another tour of duty standing to the north. She was a sleek looking vessel having a distinctively raked shark's head bow and a 10.5cm deck gun as well as a saw-backed net cutter. A product of A. G. Vulcan of Hamburg, this design of submarine was so successful that it was chosen some twenty years later as the basis for the Type VII U-boat of World War II. Built in 1917, she boasted five torpedo tubes - four bow and one stern. From the outset of her career until the Armistice, the UB-77 was commanded by Kapitan-Leutnant Wilhelm Meyer.

Having sneaked past the British blockade vessels maintaining a permanent watch on all German naval activities, Meyer charted a course taking U B-77 round the north of Scotland through the Pentland Firth, an area thick with patrolling trawlers and destroyers. They encountered the UB-86, also outward bound, and travelled in tandem throughout the 31st, most of the trip being undertaken on the surface, Meyer only giving the order to dive when enemy ships were sighted. On the 1st February they passed Fair Isle and the following day the Flannan Isles. St Kilda was sighted on the 3rd but with the course now set for the Northern Irish coast, Meyer pressed southward arriving off the North Channel, where UB-97 was operating, on the 5th. Here he was obliged to dive having picked up the ponderous throb of a steamer's screw.

This proved to be a vessel of some 2,000 tons but Meyer failed to reach a position ahead of her for a bow shot, besides the submarine constantly broke surface owing to the swell, and with destroyers still in the vicinity he decided to abandon the attack. At around 11.30am UB-77 surfaced to recharge her batteries but four hours later she was forced to dive again to avoid patrolling craft. She rendezvoused with the UB-97 an hour later and after promises to celebrate their tour of duty together upon its completion, the two U-boats parted and Meyer's boat dived once more. At 5.50pm he gave the order to raise the periscope. A score of ships filled his vision.

'Well ahead there was a large steamer with two funnels painted white. Ahead of her again was a small steamer presumably acting as a 'barrage breaker' (Sperrbreccher); astern of her, a four funnelled cruiser resembling the 'Drake' Class, then six to eight steamers in line ahead'. (Meyer). This misinterpretation of the convoy's formation was probably due to periscope lens distortion. Nevertheless, Meyer ordered the utmost speed in order to reach a position ahead of the convoy.

The UB-77's torpedoes, each weighing 2,000lbs, lay in readiness waiting to be fired from her bow tubes. Meyer glanced once more through the periscope and only succeeded in homing in on the larger vessels in the convoy by using maximum magnification. The 'Tuscania' passed across the periscope field very indistinctly like a light shadow and it was not until her forward funnel crossed his field of vision that Meyer at last made her out mistaking her for the White Star's Baltic. Two torpedoes of the G-7 type were fired one after the other and aimed just abaft the second funnel.

The attack was totally unexpected, for despite the M- V set carried by the 'Tuscania', it had not registered the submarine's approach. Without warning, the ship shuddered under a dull thud accompanied by the sound of breaking glass and all the lights went out. The first torpedo struck the Tuscania between the engine room and the stoke hole on the starboard side. These compartments were filled with water and escaping steam almost at once. The force of the explosion threw a spout of water-filled debris high into the air, reaching as far as the lifeboats hanging in their davits. Several were damaged so badly as to render them totally unfit for use.

Within minutes the Tuscania had taken on an 8-10 degree list to starboard. Meyer had succeeded in manoeuvring UB-77 to a position roughly off HMS Beagle's port quarter and some 1,200 metres distant from his target. Only one detonation was heard by the U-boat's crew and recorded aboard the stricken vessel, the second torpedo having missed the target. Immediately thereafter, Meyer set a course away from 'Tuscania's' starboard beam over a distance of a few nautical miles surfacing some twenty minutes later. The sight which greeted her officers was that of a large liner heeling over to starboard and settling aft. Then a message was passed to Meyer from his radio operator who had managed to intercept the ship's distress signals and thus identified her as 'Tuscania'. Her position was given as Lat 55° 22' North, Long 6° 13' West, approximately seven miles south-west of Islay. The 'Tuscania's' steam whistle shrieked incessantly as distress rockets were fired, three of which were red indicating the presence of submarines in the vicinity. No panic was evident among the soldiery as each man made his way to his lifeboat station. They stood there in virtual silence counting off names as they waited to leave the stricken vessel. With the coming of dusk and a slight wind blowing, visibility was reduced to around a couple of miles. HX 20's escorts were quick to take action. Grasshopper, Mosquito and Pigeon were ordered to proceed to the assistance of the 'Tuscania'. 'Mosquito's' captain, J. B. Fellowes, sighted some men clinging to an upturned boat and, despite orders to the contrary from destroyer leader Harpy, stopped to pick them up. At this point a junior officer standing on the after deck reported that a torpedo had passed close under Mosquito's stern. Fellowes gave the order to proceed again at high speed and dropped depth charges in the position where he roughly believed the U-boat to be. Thereafter he returned to the 'Tuscania' and secured 'Mosquito' on her port side taking men off the liner's well deck on to the destroyer.

Launching the port side lifeboats was made almost impossible by 'Tuscania's' list to starboard. As they filled up with troops and were lowered, the waves battered them against the bilge of the liner. Oars were broken attempting to absorb the shock of the impact. Cracked and leaking, some drifted away empty; one lifeboat was accidentally parted from its davits and crashed on top of yet another trying vainly to escape crushing its occupants. Some men, thrown from these boats were caught in the wash of 'Mosquito's' propeller, while others were lost between the ships. On the starboard side the lifeboats were launched only with great difficulty as the davits and the waves held them out of reach. Many were lost trying in vain to jump the intervening space between liner and lifeboat. The Grasshopper, commanded by Lt John Smith, layoff the Tuscania's starboard bow picking up survivors who had decided to swim for it, before darting off a short distance to prevent a U-boat attack. Having picked up as many as her capacity would allow, she was obliged to leave while Mosquito, in a much more dangerous position, continued the rescue. Further assistance was rendered by HMS Pigeon commanded by Lt K. E. Eddis. He inched his ship alongside Tuscania's starboard bow and with the aid of heaving lines, rescued over 800 soldiers. Pigeon's launch was lowered in order to pick up those men still struggling in the water, but Eddis was forced to leave her behind after warnings of enemy submarines in the vicinity had been received. Petty Officer John Jones was in charge of the launch. Upon the departure of Pigeon, he continued with the rescue and methodically gathered all the lifeboats - eleven in all - and their human cargoes together. Hours later they were picked up by the trawler Elf King and returned to Larne - a total of 375 men.

When the torpedo struck the Tuscania there were 39 men toiling in her boiler-rooms stoking coal. Not one of them survived. No one was in any doubt as to what had caused the explosion, and among the troops there followed an overwhelming urge to get up on deck to escape the sinking ship. Evacuation was carried out in an orderly fashion without panic, and the majority of Tuscania's complement were rescued but not all. The Grasshopper had accounted for 500, Pigeon over 800, Mosquito 200. Some, like Coxwain Jones, were picked up later by armed trawlers but the remainder had to take their chance with the sea. The Tuscania remained afloat for some four hours before taking the final plunge, bow-first with her monstrous stern in the air. She hung there briefly then, with a muffled explosion, slid beneath the waves. Those who survived the suction struck out for land.

The rocky shores and cliffs toward which they headed were swept by storm-tossed seas. This was lslay's most southerly point called the Mull of Oa, and nowhere seems more appropriate for the enactment of the final scenes of the shipwreck. It is a wild, inhospitable place covered in bracken and heather and unutterably bleak with 600 foot cliffs continually tormented by gale-force winds. Of all places to struggle ashore this one of the worst and by this time (around 10pm) it was pitch black, Some lifeboats had not been rescued and their occupants were not equipped to withstand the freezing temperatures.

Everett Harpham and Roy Muncaster were both members 6th Battalion, 20th Engineers. They and 33 others had made it to the lifeboats and struggled for over an hour to free them from the tangle of jammed pulleys and cables. This group was one of the last to leave the Tuscania. Their boat was violently tossed about and was filled with water up to its occupants' knees, forcing them to bail out constantly just to keep afloat. After what seemed an interminable time, the dim outline of land appeared through the leaden darkness and the men steered the boat towards it, but on approaching closer they saw that they were near a rocky shoal with the breakers dashing high against the forbidding shore. Each wave drew them closer until the light craft was smashed against therocks. Harpham felt a huge wave surge over him and the current pulled him beneath the surface. His head struck a submerged rock and partially stunned him, but another enormous wave threw him high out of the water and he woke up clinging to a sharp pinnacle. He vomited violently and later sought refuge behind some rocks from the bitter wind. Early the next day he was rescued by members of the island population. Of the thirty-five men in his boat only nine survived, but his friend Roy Muncaster was not amongst them. His body was interred in the graveyard at Kilnaughton Bay by Port Ellen, Islay and, in accordance with the wishes of his remains there to this day - the only identifiable grave on the island.

A total of 166 soldiers and seamen lost their lives in the sinking of the Tuscania. For the survivors who sought warmth and comfort after their experience, the islanders were more than generous with their help, especially the people of Port Ellen whose two principal hotels were made available to them.

The public hall served as a temporary mortuary and a new cemetery was prepared at Killeyan as well as Kilnaughton. Islanders donated clothing and food while estate owner Hugh Morrison of Islay House provided a further burial ground at Port Charlotte and timber for the manufacture of coffins. The British Empire Medal was awarded to islanders Robert Morrison and Duncan Campbell in recognition of the parts they played in rescuing survivors from the cliff face where many were washed ashore.

As for Meyer and the UB-77, he had watched the sinking ship for some time before deciding to return to the scene to hasten the destruction of the liner. He manoeuvred his submarine to a position off Tuscania's port quarter and at around 7.50 fired a K-lll torpedo which missed its target. It was this torpedo which had passed under HMS Mosquito's stern and provoked the depth charge attack. Thereafter, Meyer withdrew to complete what otherwise turned out to be an uneventful tour of duty.

The subsequent Court of Enquiry Reports (on both sides of the Atlantic) praised the actions of all concerned and made no attempt to apportion hlame for what had happened. Copies of these were sent to the C-in-C AEF in France on 28th February) but a sour note was struck when several survivors, Lt Arnold Joerns among them, submitted their own scathing reports on the subject of boat drills aboard army transports in the light of their Tuscania experiences. Joerns' report (dated 16th April, 1918) highlighted the total lack of boat drills at mess times, the lack of instruction concerning the wearing of lifebelts and life preservers, the total absence of night-time drills, the poor condition of the ropes used in the davits and the fact that several of these had been painted over making launching almost impossible, the poor physical condition of the lifeboats themselves and the non-co-operative attitude adopted by the officers and ship's crew towards the soldiery. Whether there was any validity in Joerns' allegations no-one knows. They were certainly never investigated. Officially the Tuscania was just another wartime casualty.

As for the vessels involved, the UB-77 continued in service before surrendering at Harwich on 1st January, 1919, She ,was then sold for scrap and broken up by G. Cohen and Sons of London. The destroyers Mosquito and Pigeon were decommissioned from the Royal Navy in 1920 and the Grasshopper the following year."

[Lancashire Fusilier]

HMS Tuscania photographs.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

American monument on Islay, Mull of Oa, commemorating the victims of the Tuscania sinking.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Details of the memorial plaque on the American Tuscania/Otranto Monument.

The full text on the plaque reads:

Sacred

to the

Immortal Memory

of those

American Soldiers and Sailors

Who Gave Their Lives

for

Their Country

in the

Wrecks of the Transports

'Tuscania' and 'Otranto'

February 5th 1918 --- October 6th 1918

This Monument was Erected by

The American National Red Cross

near the spot where so many of

The Victims of The Disasters

Sleep

in

Everlasting Peace

On Fame's Eternal camping ground

Their silent tents are spread

While Glory keeps with solemn round

The bivouac of the dead

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The Otranto.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The Otranto sinking.

" The Otranto was originally built as a passenger liner in 1909 but was requisitioned as an auxiliary cruiser and troop ship during the war. In October 1918 it was part of a convoy transporting US soldiers to Glasgow and Liverpool. On 6 Oct 1918 the Otranto was involved in a collision with the HMS Kashmir, another passenger liner converted to a troop ship during a heavy storm. The Otranto was badly damaged and once the engines stopped was unable to navigate. With over 1000 soldiers on board it was drifting towards the cliffs of Machir Bay while SOS signals were given on order of Captain Davidson. They were picked up by the destroyer HMS Mounsey whose commander Lt Craven decided to go for a daring rescue: Due to the weather conditions the only possible option to save anyone was to go alongside the bigger ship and transfer

the crew and soldiers to the destroyer. Through skillful handling the Mounsey managed to take off several hundred soldiers and crewman in several attempts while using the lifeboats of the Otranto as fenders. Still 431 people died in the disaster and only 16 managed to swim to the shore once the Otranto sank after the Mounsey had to leave for Belfast. 75 of the victims are buried in the cemetary at Kilchoman, of which 43 are unidentified. They include the cook and the captain, who has his own much larger gravestone. "

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The Military Cemetary near Kilchoman, overlooking Machir Bay, which contains the graves of the victims from the Otranto sinking.

[sadsac]

WW1234 / Lancs Fus, find here awards to crews of ships which assisted in the rescue of survivors from the sinking of the Tuscania. Other two `Recommendations are as that for OWEN ;

OWEN Owen H N/E Lt. RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Elf King Commodore Larne N/E N/E

Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

Their Lordships' appreciation expressed to this officer for particularly good life-saving work on the occasion of the torpedoing of the Troopship "Tuscania" on the 5th February, 1918.All are specially recommended by the Commodore Larne, for various acts of bravery and untiring devotion to duty, under difficult and dangerous conditions.This is fully borne out by numerous expressions of admiration of the life-saving work made by United States Officers.

NEAVE Edgar N/E Skipper RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Gloria Commodore Larne N/E N/E

Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

EATON William F N/E Skipper RNR 83P238 H.M.T. ???? Commodore Larne N/E N/E

Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

More such if required.

Sadsac

[Tuscania1918]

WW1234 / Lancs Fus, find here awards to crews of ships which assisted in the rescue of survivors from the sinking of the Tuscania. Other two `Recommendations are as that for OWEN ;

OWEN Owen H N/E Lt. RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Elf King Commodore Larne N/E N/E

Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

Their Lordships' appreciation expressed to this officer for particularly good life-saving work on the occasion of the torpedoing of the Troopship "Tuscania" on the 5th February, 1918.All are specially recommended by the Commodore Larne, for various acts of bravery and untiring devotion to duty, under difficult and dangerous conditions.This is fully borne out by numerous expressions of admiration of the life-saving work made by United States Officers.

NEAVE Edgar N/E Skipper RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Gloria Commodore Larne N/E N/E

Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

EATON William F N/E Skipper RNR 83P238 H.M.T. ???? Commodore Larne N/E N/E

Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

More such if required.

Sadsac

Hi Sadsac:

I understand about the e-mail addresses. But oyu may write to me there but I will otherwise use the Forum. I would like to have any more, or all, information you have on either the Tuscania and the Otranto. I have been on a search for the past few years now and then it was suggested I write my requests in the Forum. I would be very appreciative you may have on the subject. Thank you I am very grateful. Thank you. Your help is appreciative very much.

WorldWarOne234 (Bill)

[BottsGreys]

See this 2007 Forum thread for an American soldier passenger's account of the Tuscania sinking--my post #7.

Chris

 

 

[BottsGreys]

Also see this link to the FindaGrave.com website which has some entries for soldiers from Texas who died on the Tuscania. The entries for Privates Sixto Flores and Patrick White each contain portrait photos.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=53179747

Also: http://www.20thengineers.com/ww1-bn06.html

Chris

[sadsac]

OK WW1234, here are three more of same. Recommendations as for all ;

ADDY Joe N/E Lt. RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Cardiff Castle

Commodore Larne N/E N/E Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

Their Lordships' appreciation expressed to this officer for particularly good life-saving work on the occasion of the torpedoing of the Troopship "Tuscania" on the 5th February, 1918.All are specially recommended by the Commodore Larne, for various acts of bravery and untiring devotion to duty, under difficult and dangerous conditions.This is fully borne out by numerous expressions of admiration of the life-saving work made by United States Officers.

MEAD Clark W N/E Skipper RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Samuel Barkas

Commodore Larne N/E Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

ARMSTRONG Ralph W N/E Skipper RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Elf King

Commodore Larne N/E N/E Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

More to come. Email sent, but I will coninue to post in the Forum.

[Tuscania1918]

OK WW1234, here are three more of same. Recommendations as for all ;

ADDY Joe N/E Lt. RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Cardiff Castle

Commodore Larne N/E N/E Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

Their Lordships' appreciation expressed to this officer for particularly good life-saving work on the occasion of the torpedoing of the Troopship "Tuscania" on the 5th February, 1918.All are specially recommended by the Commodore Larne, for various acts of bravery and untiring devotion to duty, under difficult and dangerous conditions.This is fully borne out by numerous expressions of admiration of the life-saving work made by United States Officers.

MEAD Clark W N/E Skipper RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Samuel Barkas

Commodore Larne N/E Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

ARMSTRONG Ralph W N/E Skipper RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Elf King

Commodore Larne N/E N/E Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

More to come. Email sent, but I will coninue to post in the Forum.

[Tuscania1918]

Thank you sadsac. Anything you have to share I would be in your debt. I saw your interests are the U-boats, too. Do you have any favorite books on the U-Boat Wars? I can't find a lot on this topic in the area I live, Eau Claire, WI) and have to go to Amazon whenever I want a book. But I don't know what is a good book what isn't and which one will be enjoyable as far as my interests go. Do you have any suggestions as to what books you have put on your bookshelf on this subject? But thanks, again, and look forward to receiving more infor on the U-Boats. Thank you.

[sadsac]

WW1234, here are last three awards to crews of ships assisting in rescue of ASCANIA ;

MACK Richard H N/E Lt. RN 85U091 Pigeon

Rear Admiral Buncrana 20.09.18 Gazetted

Escort & Patrol Destroyers 01.01.18 - 30.06.18 Mentioned in Despatches

On the occasion of the torpedoing of S.S. Tuscania, he shewed much ability in embarking at sea and berthing between 6 and 7 survivors, many of them Asiatics who needed firm handling. They were all successfully brought into harbour in spite of the heavy swell running.

BATY Robert N/E Lt. RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Corrie Roy

Commodore Larne N/E N/E Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

Their Lordships' appreciation expressed to this officer for particularly good life-saving work on the occasion of the torpedoing of the Troopship "Tuscania" on the 5th February, 1918.All are specially recommended by the Commodore Larne, for various acts of bravery and untiring devotion to duty, under difficult and dangerous conditions.This is fully borne out by numerous expressions of admiration of the life-saving work made by United States Officers.

THOMPSON Mortimer N/E Skipper RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Cardiff Castle

Commodore Larne N/E N/E Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

Their Lordships' appreciation expressed to this officer for particularly good life-saving work on the occasion of the torpedoing of the Troopship "Tuscania" on the 5th February, 1918.All are specially recommended by the Commodore Larne, for various acts of bravery and untiring devotion to duty, under difficult and dangerous conditions.This is fully borne out by numerous expressions of admiration of the life-saving work made by United States Officers.

EMail - am `excluded' - ????

Sadsac

[Tuscania1918]

WW1234, here are last three awards to crews of ships assisting in rescue of ASCANIA ;

MACK Richard H N/E Lt. RN 85U091 Pigeon

Rear Admiral Buncrana 20.09.18 Gazetted

Escort & Patrol Destroyers 01.01.18 - 30.06.18 Mentioned in Despatches

On the occasion of the torpedoing of S.S. Tuscania, he shewed much ability in embarking at sea and berthing between 6 and 7 survivors, many of them Asiatics who needed firm handling. They were all successfully brought into harbour in spite of the heavy swell running.

BATY Robert N/E Lt. RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Corrie Roy

Commodore Larne N/E N/E Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

Their Lordships' appreciation expressed to this officer for particularly good life-saving work on the occasion of the torpedoing of the Troopship "Tuscania" on the 5th February, 1918.All are specially recommended by the Commodore Larne, for various acts of bravery and untiring devotion to duty, under difficult and dangerous conditions.This is fully borne out by numerous expressions of admiration of the life-saving work made by United States Officers.

THOMPSON Mortimer N/E Skipper RNR 83P238 H.M.T. Cardiff Castle

Commodore Larne N/E N/E Action with enemy submarines 05.02.18 N/E

Their Lordships' appreciation expressed to this officer for particularly good life-saving work on the occasion of the torpedoing of the Troopship "Tuscania" on the 5th February, 1918.All are specially recommended by the Commodore Larne, for various acts of bravery and untiring devotion to duty, under difficult and dangerous conditions.This is fully borne out by numerous expressions of admiration of the life-saving work made by United States Officers.

EMail - am `excluded' - ????

Sadsac

Hi Sadsac:Thank you for the information. I appreciate it very much. This information is very, very valuable to me. I haven't been able to find these kind of things. Does it come from a book? Whenever you have time, I sure would appreciate to get more of this information. It is invaluable and is/will be treasured. Thank you. If I can ever repay your kindness let me know. I look forward to more if it's available. Again, thank you very much.

WorldWarOnesalbil8@msn.com

[sadsac]

WW1234 - as OTRANTO has been listed then I send this award to crew. More if required.

CRAVEN Francis W N/E Lt. RN 85U127 & 128 Mounsey

Captain (D) 2nd Flotilla 17.03.19 Gazetted

H.M.S. Mounsey - Wreck of H.M.S. Otranto 06.10.18 DSO

In recognition of his services when H.M.S. Otranto was wrecked on the 6th October, 1918. H.M.S. Otranto was damaged in collision with the S.S. Kashmir, whilst carrying a large number of American Troops. Lt. Craven displayed magnificent courage and seamanship in placing H.M.S. Mouncey alongside H.M.S. Otranto, in spite of the fact that the conditions of wind, weather and sea were exceptionally severe. After going alongside and embarking a certain number of men, it was reported that the "Mounsey" had sustained considerable damge, and that there was a large quantity of water in the engine room. Lt. Craven, therefore, left the Otranto, but on finding that the damage was not so serious as had been reported, he again went alongside, though he had previously experienced great difficulty in getting away. His action resulted in the saving of over 600 lives which would have certainly have been lost. His performance was a remarkable one and in personal courage, coolness and seamanship ranks in the very highest order.Their Lordships' high appreciation expressed.

Sadsac

[Tuscania1918]

Hi Sadsac:

I appreciate your help. Do yu also have anything more on the Tuscania? I appreciate the help wiht the Otranto, too. this material is priceless and I appreciate it. If you have more, yes, please.

WorldWarOne234

Bill

[sadsac]

WW1234, more on OTRANTO. Also ditto in Em.

STEWART Raymond B N/E Lt. RN 85U128 Mounsey

Captain (D) 2nd Flotilla 17.03.19 Gazetted

H.M.S. Mounsey - Wreck of H.M.S. Otranto 06.10.18 DSC

For gallantry when H.M.S. Otranto was wrecked on the 6th October, 1918.

WARNER Wilfrid E N/E S/Lt. RN 85U128 Mounsey

Captain (D) 2nd Flotilla 17.03.19 Gazetted

H.M.S. Mounsey - Wreck of H.M.S. Otranto 06.10.18 DSC

For gallantry when H.M.S. Otranto was wrecked on the 6th October, 1918.

BLACKBURN Albert E N/E Lt. RNR 87X287 Vigorous - for Offa 11

Commander in Charge Larne Harbour 21.06.19 N/E Post War OBE(M)

On the 19th July, 1918, when sent to the rescue of S.S. Justicia, he screened the vessel from 0500 in the morning until she sank at 1335, and took his ship alongside and took off 40 of the crew,On the 10th October, 1918 ; he behaved in a very gallant manner when the "Otranto" stranded on the coast of Islay, and endeavoured to reach the vessel under extreme conditions of weather, the wind blowing hurricane force, and a very heavy sea in the Race of Oversay. He got within sight of the "Otranto", but had to heave to, his boats being washed away, and his ship nearly foundering in the seas. He has been second in command of trawlers, patrolling the Fremone Oversay minefields for six months.

Sadsac

[Guest Amando Gonzalez]

I found this URL related to the units that were aboard the HMS Tuscania. Maybe this will help:

i've written two tributes on two Hero's (Pvt Rosendo Diaz and Pvt Guadalupe Garza) from Duval County, TX that were lost aboard the Tuscania. Unfortunately, I've had a lot of problems getting information in that the military records were burned in a massive fire of the respository of records in Kansas City in 1974. I've got some clippings taken from Newspapers.com and other research. Let me know if I can provide other info.

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~carmita/Regiment/news/Travis_2.html

[Mark Hone]

An interesting article on the 'Islay Blog':

http://blog.islayinfo.com/article.php/islay-and-u-boats-1914-1918-war

[Felix C]

I found this and thought to park it here for anyone future research: