- HMHS Newfoundland
HMHS "Newfoundland" was a British
hospital ship . She served during theSecond World War and was sunk in an air attack in theMediterranean .Career
"Newfoundland" spent the first part of the
Second World War carrying wounded troops from the UK to Canada, and bringing the rehabilitated troops back home. Her sailings usually took her fromLiverpool to Halifax,Nova Scotia .After the
Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943, HMHS "Newfoundland" was assigned as the hospital ship of the Eighth Army, and was one of two hospital ships sent to deliver 103 American nurses to theSalerno beaches on12 September . The hospital ships were attacked twice that day bydive bomber s, and by evening they were joined by a third hospital ship. Concerned by a number of near misses, it was decided to move the ships out to sea and anchor there for the night. All three ships were brightly illuminated and carried standard Red Cross markings to identify them as hospital ships, and their protection under theGeneva Convention .inking
At 5:00 a.m. on
13 September while under the command of Captain John Eric Wilson O.B.E, she was struck by either aFritz X or aHenschel Hs 293 air launchedanti-ship missile convert|40|nmi|km offshore ofSalerno . It struck on the boat deck, abaft of the bridge. The ship fortunately was only carrying two patients and 34 crew members. Communications were lost but, more importantly, the fire fighting equipment was completely shattered. The USS "Mayo" came alongside to rescue the patients, and also put a party onboard to help withdamage control . By now the ship had caught fire. There was another explosion and it became clear that the oil tanks had also caught fire. The injured crew left the boat and 12 crew members battled the fire for a further 36 hours. The ship was beyond repair and was towed further out to sea and intentionally sunk by the USS "Plunkett". Of the people on board, six of the British staff nurses and all of the medical officers had been killed. TheLuftwaffe 's reasons for attacking HMHS "Newfoundland" have never been known. One theory has been put forward that the American nurses were mistaken for troops because of their green uniforms.References
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/71/a3412171.shtml Info About Ship And Crew]
Bibliography
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