In the Today in History in the November 26th Goldsboro News-Argus there was a tragic entry: "In 1943, during World War II, the HMT Rohna, a British transport ship carrying American soldiers, was hit by a German missile off Algeria; 1,138 men were killed."
I did not know missiles were used in such a manner during the war, nor had I ever heard of it.
I just typed HMT Rohna into the label and I saw that I had written about it before on June 29 and July 9, 2009. Those posts were related to the death of John Lynwood Smith who was a survivor of the Rohna.
A Sad Day. --Cooter
Showing posts with label HMT Rohna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HMT Rohna. Show all posts
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Thursday, July 9, 2009
HMT Rohna
Back on June 29th, I wrote about a survivor of the HMT (His Majesty's Troopship) Rohna, dying in North Carolina.
Again, this story was covered up at the time, and for decades after the war for fear the Germans would learn how effective their glide bombs (kind of the smart bomb of that era) were.
Here are some more facts about the incident from Wikipedia.
The HMT Rohna was sunk by the German Luftwaffe November 26, 1943 in the Mediterranean Sea, north of Algeria, while carrying American troops. Of the 1,138 men who lost their lives, 1,015 were American, with 35 later dying from wounds.
Seven large landing craft LCI(L)s failed to pick up survivors. Six hundred and six were picked up by the minesweeper USS Pioneer.
Details of the incident were released slowly and not fully disclosed until 1967 with the Freedom of Information Act.
The Rohna was sunk by a Henschel HS 293 radio-controlled glide bomb. Other vessels were sunk by this early guided missiles, but also hushed up.
TODAY
In 1996, a monument was erected at the Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Seales, Alabama, to commemorate the incident. There is also a Rohna Survivors Memorial Association that has a website with more information on the event.
Again, Something I Had Never Heard Of. --Cooter
Again, this story was covered up at the time, and for decades after the war for fear the Germans would learn how effective their glide bombs (kind of the smart bomb of that era) were.
Here are some more facts about the incident from Wikipedia.
The HMT Rohna was sunk by the German Luftwaffe November 26, 1943 in the Mediterranean Sea, north of Algeria, while carrying American troops. Of the 1,138 men who lost their lives, 1,015 were American, with 35 later dying from wounds.
Seven large landing craft LCI(L)s failed to pick up survivors. Six hundred and six were picked up by the minesweeper USS Pioneer.
Details of the incident were released slowly and not fully disclosed until 1967 with the Freedom of Information Act.
The Rohna was sunk by a Henschel HS 293 radio-controlled glide bomb. Other vessels were sunk by this early guided missiles, but also hushed up.
TODAY
In 1996, a monument was erected at the Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Seales, Alabama, to commemorate the incident. There is also a Rohna Survivors Memorial Association that has a website with more information on the event.
Again, Something I Had Never Heard Of. --Cooter
Monday, June 29, 2009
Dead Page: Survivor of HMT Rohna
JOHN LYNWOOD SMITH
A resident of Winston-Salem, NC, retired in 1983 after career in banking. A native of Halifax, NC, was aboard the British freighter-turned-troop ship sunk November 26, 1943, while steaming through "Suicide Alley" off the Algerian coast in the Mediterranean en route to the Far East by way of the Suez Canal.
The German Luftwaffe located the convoy and a German bomber unleashed a Henschel Hs 293 radio-controlled glide bomb that struck the ship and put a 50 foot hole in it. The troops had been ordered below for safety and there was a mad-scramble to escape as the ship sank. Lifeboats were found to be rusted and many painted to the deck, so the men went overboard in rough seas. Many drowned and were killed by the stern of a rescue ship.
Losses were 1,138 of the troops, crew, and Red Cross personnel. Of those, 1,015 were Americans, making it a heavier loss than which occurred on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor.
Survivors were under a gag order not to talk about it and little was said of it by the government for fear of alerting the Germans as to the effectiveness of their weapon. The Freedom of Information Act of 1967 made details available to the public.
Afterwards, Smith served in the Far East and returned in 1946. He never talked much about his war experiences but was always grateful to his Maker for having survived the disaster.
I Had Never Heard of This Incident.
A resident of Winston-Salem, NC, retired in 1983 after career in banking. A native of Halifax, NC, was aboard the British freighter-turned-troop ship sunk November 26, 1943, while steaming through "Suicide Alley" off the Algerian coast in the Mediterranean en route to the Far East by way of the Suez Canal.
The German Luftwaffe located the convoy and a German bomber unleashed a Henschel Hs 293 radio-controlled glide bomb that struck the ship and put a 50 foot hole in it. The troops had been ordered below for safety and there was a mad-scramble to escape as the ship sank. Lifeboats were found to be rusted and many painted to the deck, so the men went overboard in rough seas. Many drowned and were killed by the stern of a rescue ship.
Losses were 1,138 of the troops, crew, and Red Cross personnel. Of those, 1,015 were Americans, making it a heavier loss than which occurred on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor.
Survivors were under a gag order not to talk about it and little was said of it by the government for fear of alerting the Germans as to the effectiveness of their weapon. The Freedom of Information Act of 1967 made details available to the public.
Afterwards, Smith served in the Far East and returned in 1946. He never talked much about his war experiences but was always grateful to his Maker for having survived the disaster.
I Had Never Heard of This Incident.
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