The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-10-12
STEAMER is DASHED
To PIECES ON ROCKS
OF SCOTTISH COAST
American Transport OtrantO is RAM
med by the KRshmir, Another
Vessel In Convoy With
OtrantO, and Sinks
British Destroyer
Attempts Rescue
In Terrific
Gale,

Ill leTTlHc
Gale,
II "A large number of American
troops have been lost as the result of
the sinking of the transport Otranto
in the North Channel between the
Scottish and Irish coasts In a COLI
sion with the steamer Kashmir.
The Otranto after the collision was
dashed to pieces on the rocks off the
south Scottish coast, with a probable
loss of 972 American soldiers.
Three hundred and one men were
taken to Belfast by the British de-
stroyer Mounzy, the only vessel which
made an attempt at rescue in the ter
rife gale when the Kashmir, another
vessel in the convoy with the Otranto,
rammed the Otranto amidships.
Seventeen men were picked up alive
on the Scottish coast. OF the 500
American soldiers on board the
Otranto, 13O were landed. Seventeen
were rescued alive at Islay, leaving
372 unaccounted for.
The Otranto and the other vessels
of the convoy were battling with the
heavy seas and high winds Sunday
morning The storm was so severe
and the visibility so bad that the
Kashmir, a former Peninsular and
Oriental liner, crashed into the
Otranto squarely amidships.
The Kashmir backed away badly
damaged but was able to make port.
AS the bows of the Kashmir were
pulled from the great hole in the side
of the Otranto, the water rushed in
but for time it did not serve to stop
the engines. The Otranto tried to
proceed but made no headway against
the gale in her crippled condition.
Within a short time the water put
out her fires and the Otranto drifted
helplessly toward the rocky coasts of
Islay Island where most OF the Tus-
cania victims met their deaths. Thir-
ty minutes after the crash the Brit
ish destroyer .Mounzy, herself dam
aged by the heavy seas, appeared out
of the haze in answer to the distress
calls of the others. When the de-
stroyer maneauvered to get alongside,
Captain Davidson of the Otranto
warned Lieutenant Craven, command
ing the destroyer, not to make the at
tempt.
When it was seen that Craven
would make the attempt anyway the
men were ordered to remove their
shoes and heavy clothing and try to
save themselves as best they could,
The destroyer stood off about
hundred feet and then gradually
came nearer against the great odds of
high waves and the wind, which
threatened momentarily to carry her
entirely away from the Otranto, or to
dash her to pieces against the side of
the wounded vessel.
The Otranto struck the rocks Sun
day night south of Saligo Bay, Islay
Island, an uninhabited section where
the coast line in many places rises
straight out of the water to the rocky
peaks, many feet above.
AS the destroyer neared the side OF
the Otranto the men began to jump
from 80 to 40 feet from her decks.
The more experienced sailors of the
crew of the steamer had better sue
cess than the soldiers, many of whom
had never seen the sea until this trip.
Many of the men leaped too quickly
and missed their reckoning and drop
ped between the boats Some disap-
peared in the water, but others were
caught and crushed to death between
the boats and the life boats which had
been lowered to act as buffers. The
destroyer was badly battered.
The captain of the destroyer, each
time it was brushed away from the
side of the Otranto, again would push
near enough for many more men to
jump to the deck of his vessel. He
described 1t as veritable rain of
men landing on the destroyer.
Many of these who reached the
decks of the vessel suffered broken
bones or otherwise were hurt Those
who missed the deck of the destroyer
went to almost instant death,
Four times the battered destroyer
came alongside, and each time the
previous scenes were repeated, At
the end OF the fourth trip she had $40
Americans, 236 OF the crew, 80 French
sailors and one British officer on
board. The bow was full and having
done all possible, she started for port,
The survivors saw the otranto drift
ing helplessly toward the rocks as
they pulled away toward the Irish
coast. The destroyer barely had time
10 send brief message when her