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Overview
On 29 October 1914 the hospital ship Rohilla left Queensferry with 234 people on board bound for Dunkirk. Just after 4 a.m. on 30 October there was a tremendous impact as the ship ran onto rocks at Saltwick Nab, a mile south of Whitby. Mortally wounded only 600 yards from shore, she was 'so close to land yet so far from safety'. It was impossible to launch the Whitby No. 1 lifeboat to aid those stranded on the ship, instead the No. 2 boat, John Fielden, was lifted over the sea wall and hauled over the rock Scar to opposite the Rohilla. Despite being holed, the lifeboat reached the wreck after great difficulty and rescued five nurses and twelve men. A further eighteen men were saved in a second trip, but damage to the lifeboat barred any further rescues. This book unfolds the heroic events that transpired as members of the public and lifeboatmen struggled to reach those stranded on the wreck. The final fifty souls were saved in an impressive rescue from a motor lifeboat that had travelled over 40 miles in perilous conditions to reach them. Of the 234 people on board the Rohilla eighty-nine were lost. Such was the effort involved that the RNLI bestowed some of its highest medals on several of those involved in the rescue. The loss of the Rohilla is still regarded as one of the worst tragedies to have occurred amongst the annals of the RNLI.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780750957519 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The History Press |
| Publication date: | 09/22/2014 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 160 |
| File size: | 16 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Into the Maelstrom
The Wreck of HMHS Rohilla
By Colin Brittain
The History Press
Copyright © 2014 Colin BrittainAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7509-5751-9
CHAPTER 1
ALLIED HOSPITAL SHIPS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR
Hospital ships were primarily large liners fitted out with the necessary facilities to serve as an efficient hospital. They were registered with the Red Cross and equipped to deal with most cases of injury and disease, and to transport the wounded back to Britain for more specialist treatment or recuperation. They were equipped wholly or in part by private individuals or by officially recognised societies. In 1907 the Hague Conference laid down conditions under which hospital ships would be accorded immunity from attack. In order to be easily distinguished, vessels assigned as hospital ships were given a unique colour scheme: their hulls and superstructure were painted white, a green band ran round the hull parallel to the waterline, broken to fore and aft by a large red cross. As well as flying their national flag, hospital ships displayed the flag of the International Red Cross. To ensure that they were distinguishable at night, the hulls were brilliantly illuminated with long rows of red and green lights along the sides. Identified in this way, it was reasoned that they would be protected from attack under the Geneva Convention; sadly, however, in practice this was not always the case.
The Red Cross insignia, red arms of equal length on a white background, was accepted as the emblem of mercy, and is in fact the Swiss flag with its colours reversed, recognising the historic connection between Switzerland and the original Geneva Convention of 1864. The insignia has two distinct purposes:
• to protect the sick and wounded in war, and those authorised to care for them
• to indicate that the person or object on which the emblem is displayed is connected with the International Red Cross
The emblem was intended to signify absolute neutrality and impartiality; its unauthorised use was forbidden in international and national law.
When the insignia was accepted as the design for the Red Cross, one shipping company, Rowland & Marwood based in Whitby, was required to change its company logo, which until then had been a red cross on a white background, with a blue border. To avoid confusion with the Red Cross, they redesigned their logo by swapping the blue and red around.
Altogether, seventy-seven military hospital ships and transports were commissioned during the First World War: twenty-two in 1914, forty-two in 1915, seven in 1916 and six in 1917. Among this number were four Belgian government mail steamers: the Jan Breydel,Pieter de Connick,Stad Antwerpen and Ville de Lire. Five yachts were used for the transport of patients.
Among the vessels used were three of the giant liners of the period. The Aquitania, built for Cunard by John Brown & Co., had the greatest accommodation with 4,182 beds. The Aquitania was launched in 1913 and, after her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York, begun on 30 May 1914, she made only two more Atlantic crossings before the First World War began. The vessel completed just over two years' service as a hospital ship from 4 September 1915 to 27 December 1917. On one journey from the Dardanelles she had almost 5,000 patients on board, and twenty ambulance trains were needed to dispatch them from Southampton to various hospitals across Britain.
During the war Aquitania served as a hospital ship, an armed merchant cruiser and a troop transport, returning to commercial service in June 1919. Later that year she was taken out of service for refitting and conversion from coal to oil. When the Second World War began, she was again called into service as a troop transport, one of a small number of ships to serve in both World Wars. In 1948–49 Aquitania was placed on a Southampton to Halifax austerity route, and her last transatlantic crossing was from Halifax to Southampton. After making 443 transatlantic roundtrips, steaming over 3 million miles and carrying almost 1.2 million passengers over a thirty -five year career, Aquitania was scrapped in 1950 at Faslane on the Gareloch.
HMHS Britannic was the biggest of the three Olympic-class ships (Olympic, Titanic and Britannic). The Britannic had the second largest accommodation for patients, being capable of holding over 3,000, and was in service for just over a year from 13 November 1915. When the Titanic was lost in April 1912, the building of Britannic had just started, allowing modifications to be made to improve the vessel's safety.
The Britannic was launched on 26 February 1914 and was requisitioned as a hospital ship when the First World War began. At around 8 a.m. on Tuesday 22 November 1916, Britannic was steaming in the Aegean Sea when she was rocked by an explosion. As the ship began to list, Captain Charles A. Bartlett tried desperately to steer her towards shallower water. Despite the modifications made in construction, the Britannic sank in just fifty-five minutes, miraculously taking with her only thirty people out of the 1,100 reported to have been aboard. The Britannic was located in 1976 by Jacques Cousteau resting at a depth of 100m. An expedition was made in October–November 1997, during which a memorial plate was laid on the wreck.
Built for the Cunard Line by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend-on-Tyne, Mauretania measured 762ft x 88ft. Her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York was made on 16 November 1907. Although severe storms and heavy fog hampered this first voyage, the ship still arrived in New York in good time on 22 November, no doubt aided by her service speed of 25 knots. A later refit saw a change of inner shafts and a move to four-bladed propellers. By April 1909 the Mauretania had made both westbound and eastbound records, retaining the Blue Riband Trophy for twenty years. At the end of 1909, the ship's first captain, John T. Pritchard, retired and Captain William Turner assumed command. The Mauretania's reputation attracted several prominent passengers, including HRH Prince Albert (later George VI) and Mr Carlisle, the managing director of Harland and Wolff. In June 1911 the ship brought thousands of visitors to Britain for the coronation of George V.
When Britain declared war on Germany, the Admiralty sent out an order requisitioning the ship as soon as it returned to Liverpool. On 11 August, however, the Mauretania was released from government duties. After the loss of the Lusitania, the Mauretania was required to return to service. At the end of August 1915, she returned to Liverpool, where she was fitted out as a hospital ship offering room for nearly 2,000 patients. She then left Liverpool in October to assist with the evacuation of the wounded from Gallipoli. The Mauretania made several further voyages as a hospital ship and completed her last on 25 January 1916.
The liner had a chequered career, undergoing numerous calls to service and refits before making her final passenger sailing from Southampton on 30 June 1934 – the day the Cunard and White Star Lines merged. The completion of the Queen Mary meant that the Mauretania was now outdated. After a lay-up the liner was sold to Metal Industries Ltd of Glasgow for scrap, with her fixtures and fittings auctioned on 14 May 1935 at Southampton Docks. The Mauretania reached the Firth of Forth on 3 July and was moved to Rosyth for dismantling.
In operations against German-occupied Namibia, the hospital transport City of Athens and hospital ship Ebani were used, the latter serviced by the South African Red Cross Society. In an emergency the Ebani could carry 500 patients. She was staffed by South African Medical Corps personnel and on the termination of the campaign was handed over to the Imperial authorities.
Even when the enemy obeyed the Geneva Convention, the white hospital ships still faced hazards. In the years 1914–17 seven military hospital ships struck mines and were either sunk or badly damaged. In 1917 the Central Powers decided to disregard international law, and hospital ships, no matter how prominently marked, were no longer given their due protection. In 1917 and 1918 eight hospital ships were torpedoed and the resulting casualties were indeed tragic.
HMHS Asturias
Built: Harland and Wolff, Belfast.
Tonnage: 12,105 gross, 7,509 net.
Engine: Twin screw, quadruple expansion; 2 x 4 cylinders; three double- and four single-ended boilers.
Cruising Speed: 16 knots.
Steel Hull: Two decks, five holds, with ten hydraulic cranes.
Passenger Capacity: 300 First Class, 140 Second Class, 1,200 Steerage.
The Asturias was the first RN vessel to be fitted with a passenger lift. Forecastle and bridge 447ft (136.25m); poop 52ft (15.85m).
History
1906: Keel laid down, the fifth of the 'A' class ships for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company.
1907: Launched.
1908: Maiden voyage from London–Brisbane, then transferred to Southampton–River Plate service.
1914: Requisitioned for use as a hospital ship.
1917: Torpedoed at Bolt Head off the Devon coast, whilst in full hospital colours, with the loss of thirty-five lives.
1919: Purchased by Royal Mail before once again being laid up at Belfast.
1923: At the end of a two-year rebuild at Harland and Wolff, emerged as the cruise liner Arcadian.
1930: Laid up in Southampton Water.
1933: Sold to Japan for scrapping.
HMHS Rewa
Built: William Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton (Yard No. 762).
Tonnage: 7,267 gross, 3,974 net.
Classification: Passenger Cargo Ship.
Engines: Triple screws with Compound Parson's turbines, two double- and four single-ended tube boilers operating at 152 psi.
Coal Capacity: 1,506 tons.
Estimated Speed: 16 knots. During trials she anaged just over 18 knots.
Steel Hull: Three decks.
Build Description: Five holds, eight watertight bulkheads, two hydraulic cranes to each hatch, with main and lower decks lighted and ventilated, ensuring suitability for trooping.
History
1905: Launched for British India Steam Navigation Co. Sister of SS Rohilla.
1905: Delivered to London. Cost £159,680.
1905: Maiden voyage to India. First turbine steamer on the route.
1905: The vessel became a permanent trooper during the season.
1910: Carried the members of the House of Commons to the Coronation Naval Review at Spithead.
1914: Became Hospital Ship No. 5 equipped with eighty doctors and 207 nurses.
1915: Detailed for Gallipoli.
1915: Left Gallipoli with wounded soldiers.
1918: While steaming fully illuminated in the Bristol Channel, and carrying 279 wounded from Greece, the ship was torpedoed.
The hit was amidships, mortally wounding the vessel. All the lifeboats were successfully launched, ensuring the escape of those on board, with the exception of three people killed in the initial explosion. The captain had only minutes earlier warned that the alert should be maintained until she docked: 'It isn't over until we berth.' It is highly likely that this vigilance conttributed to the remarkable survival record of those who were later landed at Swansea.
CHAPTER 2THE BEGINNING
Ship number 381 was launched at the Harland and Wolff shipyard, Belfast, on 6 September 1906. She was delivered to her owners, the British India Steam Navigation Co. Ltd, on 17 November 1906, and named SS Rohilla.
Formed in 1856 to carry mail, the Calcutta & Burma Steam Navigation Co. operated until 1862, when, after raising more capital in the UK, it became the British India Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. Operating ships ranging from small service craft and tugs to major vessels both passenger and cargo, between its founding and 1972 the company owned more than 500 vessels. The British India Steam Navigation Co. retained its separate identity after amalgamation with the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. (P&O) in 1914, with P&O operating as the parent company, but in 1971 P&O was reorganised into divisions: general cargo, passenger and bulk handling. All ships were progressively transferred to one of these divisions, resulting in the loss of all those individual shipping company names which made up the P&O group. Relatively unknown in the UK, British India had the largest number of ships flagged under the Red Ensign at any one time, reaching 161 in 1920.
Carrying passengers from the beginning, many ships were only 500 tons or so, plying their trade on coastal services round India or from India to Burma, East Africa and around the Persian Gulf. Such was the expansion in trade that within less than twenty years ships on order exceeded 2,000 tons each.
With few exceptions, ships under the control of British India used names which were derived from, or based on, Indian place names, and those places which ended in the letter 'A'. The SS Rohilla was no exception to this practice, being named after an Afghan tribe who had entered India in the eighteenth century during the decline of the Mughal Empire, gaining control of Rohilkhand (formerly Katehr, United Provinces, east of Delhi)
The British India Steam Navigation Co. operated fortnightly voyages from London to Colombo, Madras and Calcutta. The Rohilla was built as a passenger cruise liner and registered at Glasgow. After her completion, the Rohilla entered the London to India service, operating from Southampton to Karachi. Those who travelled on the Rohilla when she was still a cruise ship remarked on the opulence and attention to detail. The varierty of meals offered on the Rohilla were carefully thought out ensuring that the high standards passengers had come to expect whilst cruising were maintained throughout.
Number in Book: 685
Official Number: 124149
Code Letters:
HJQK
Name:
ROHILLA
Material / Rig:
Steel / Twin Screw Steamer
Master:
Captain David Landles Neilson
No. of Decks:
Three decks, mild steel, part teak with eight watertight bulkheads.
Special Surveys:
Electrical, Light Wireless.
Registered Tonnage: 7,409 tons
Gross: 5,588 tons
PARTICULARS OF CLASSIFICATION
Special Survey:
January 1910
Port of Survey:
Southampton
Built: 1906
Builder:
Harland and Wolff Ltd, Belfast
Owner:
British India Steam Navigation Co. Ltd
REGISTERED DIMENSIONS
Length: 460ft 3in
Breadth: 56ft 3in
Depth: 30ft 6in
Port of Registry:
Glasgow
Flag:
British
ENGINES
Cylinders and Diameter: Quadruple eight-cylinder engines – 27in, 38.5in, 55.5in, 80in
Stroke: 54in
Boiler Pressure:
HS21894
Horse Power: 1,484hp
Boilers and Furnaces: 3D & 35B, 27cf, G5527, FD
Engine Maker:
Harland and Wolff Ltd, Belfast
The Rohilla was well equipped, fitted with the latest Marconi wireless telegraphy, and capable of a top speed of 17 knots. In general, British India ships prior to 1955 shared the same livery, having a black hull with a single white band, and a black funnel with the company's distinctive two white rings, whilst ships after 1955 were painted with white hulls with a black band painted around the topsides. The Rohilla, like many British India ships, experienced multiple colour changes during her service, depending on the service operated.
Captain David Landles Neilson was given command of the Rohilla from the outset. Neilson was born in Tranent, East Lothian, in 1864 and had worked hard throughout his career, qualifying as a 2nd mate when only 18 years old; he was awarded a Master Mariner's Certificate when he was 34. He is recorded as having served aboard the Dwarka in 1904 and the Sofala in 1906, and spent his whole career with the British India Steam Navigation Co.
In 1908 the Rohilla joined her sister ship, the SS Rewa, as a troop ship. It would appear that during her troopship service the Rohilla was allocated several different numbers. She was initially designated HMT Rohilla No. 6, but extant illustrations only show the Rohilla bearing the numbers 1, 2, 4 and 6; the numbers signified the route she was operating.
It was expected that, as a troopship in 1908, the Rohilla would have operated under the approved troopship livery, a white hull with a thin blue band, white upperworks and a yellow/buff funnel, with minor variations to this scheme being observed.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Into the Maelstrom by Colin Brittain. Copyright © 2014 Colin Brittain. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Title,Dedication,
Acknowledgements,
Foreword,
Author's Preface,
1. Allied Hospital Ships of the First World War,
2. The Beginning,
3. The Barnoldswick Connection,
4. The Rescue Begins to Unfold,
5. The Funeral Ceremonies,
6. The Inquest Procedures,
7. The Repercussions of the Rohilla Disaster,
8. Anniversaries and Commemorations,
9. Exploring the Wreck of the Rohilla,
10. RNLI Coxswains and Crew,
11. The William Riley of Birmingham and Leamington,
12. The Tynemouth Motor Lifeboat Henry Vernon,
Appendix I Fleet Surgeon Ernest Courtney Lomas,
Appendix II Nursing Sister Mary L. Hocking,
Appendix III Mary Kezia Roberts,
Appendix IV Survivors and Hosts,
Bibliography,
Copyright,