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Summary
Heroism,
tragedy, devotion to duty, and scandal are just a few of the ingredients
that make up this dramatic account of troopship losses in wartime. International
in scope, the book offers a compilation of stories about historic troopship disasters
caused by torpedoes, aerial attacks, mines, surface fire, foul weather, friendly
fire, and poor planning by military decision makers. Some incidents are well known,
such as the explosion of the steamship Sultana on the Mississippi while
transporting more than two thousand Union soldiers home from Confederate prisons.
Some 780 survived, but 200 later died in the hospital totaling a greater loss
of life than on Titanic. Other tragedies are little known, including the
June 1945 sinking of the Japanese cruiser Ashigara by a British submarine with
eight hundred Japanese soldiers lost. A few sinkings far surpass the other disasters
highlighted here, both in terms of troop losses and acts of heroism.
Among the most memorable disasters is the 1852 sinking of Britain's
first designated troopship, Birkenhead, resulting in the loss of 445 lives when
only three lifeboats could be launched. The story of her gallant men standing
steady in their ranks as the ship went down is considered to be the proudest moment
in the annals of the British Army. One of the greatest maritime disasters in Britain's
history is the June 1940 sinking of the converted troopship Lancastria. Three
thousand men were lost-more than Titanic and Lusitania combined. This sinking
along with others included here were kept secret for decades, the authors explain,
and remain largely unknown to the general public.
Board
of inquiry hearings, action reports, survivor debriefings, and personal correspondence
collected from archives in Germany, Italy, Russia, Australia, Britain, and the
United States help tell the stories of the fifty vessels described in this book.
An introductory chapter provides an overview of troopship evolution and losses
at sea, beginning with the age of galley warfare. The first to provide a sweeping
survey of the subject, this book pays long overdue tribute to the soldiers who
lost their lives in vast oceans far from home.
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