Lee Metcalf: “the greatest naval disaster in the United States during World War II was the sinking of the USS Arizona. 1,177 were…”

“the greatest naval disaster in the United States during World War II was the sinking of the USS Arizona. 1,177 were killed. The Arizona has been memorialized in the national consciousness. On November 26, 1943, however, a loss of American military personnel of almost identical magnitude occurred when the British troop transport ship, the HMT Rohna, was sunk by a radio-controlled rocket-boosted bomb launched from a German bomber off the coast of North Africa. By the next day, 1,015 American troops and more than 100 British and Allied officers and crewmen had perished. The U.S. troops aboard the Rohna have been largely forgotten by their country. I only learned of this disaster because a neighbor of mine on Whidbey Island had a brother who was lost when the Rohna was sunk. He made me aware of the issue and the book about the sinking of the Rohna. It is a grim story. Hundreds died when the German missile struck. The majority, however, died from exposure and drowning when darkness and rough seas limited the rescue efforts. Less than half, over 900, survived, which was less than half. American, British and French rescue workers worked valiantly to save those Rohna passengers and crew who made it off the ship and into the ocean. The USS Pioneer picked up two-thirds of all those that were saved, 606 GIs. Many of those in the water had to endure hours of chilling temperatures before being picked up.”