Sylvania in Screven County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Sinking of the H.M.S. Otranto
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, November 4, 2020
1. The Sinking of the H.M.S. Otranto Marker
On September 25, 1918, the British troopship H.M.S. Otranto left New York carrying more than 1,025 U.S. soldiers and crewmen as part of a convoy headed to fight in Europe during World War I. Most of the soldiers onboard had trained at Fort Screven on Tybee Island. On October 6, nearing the Scottish coast in stormy seas, the Otranto was accidentally rammed by sister ship H.M.S Kashmir. In a desperate rescue attempt that saved over 500 lives, men jumped from the foundering Otranto onto the nearby British destroyer H.M.S. Mounsey. Approximately 470 soldiers and crew died, including nearly 130 from Georgia, the single greatest loss of life in troop transport during the war. Nearly a third of the soldiers from Georgia who lost their lives on the Otranto were from Screven and Berrien counties.
Erected 2017 by Georgia Historical Society, Georgia World War I Centennial Commission, and VFW Post 7116. (Marker Number 124-1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • War, World I • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lost at Sea series list. A significant historical date for this entry is October 6, 1918.
Location. 32° 45.02′ N,
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Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Coastal Plain. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sylvania (a few steps from this marker); Screven County (a few steps from this marker); Wesleyanna Memorial Church (approx. 4 miles away); Jacksonborough (approx. 5.4 miles away); The 14th Corps (approx. 5.4 miles away); The Goodall House (approx. 5.4 miles away); Washington's Route (approx. 5.4 miles away); John Abbot (approx. 5.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sylvania.
Additional keywords. The Sinking of the H.M.S. Otranto
Credits. This page was last revised on November 9, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 4, 2020, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 1,028 times since then and 77 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on November 4, 2020, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide shot of marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?
