Historic Preservation on Tybee Island
A dedication ceremony of an historical marker to commemorate the sinking of the HMS Otranto will be held September 15 at 10am in front of the Tybee
Island Museum. Mayor Jason Buelterman will read a proclamation from Governor Nathan Deal. There will be a social gathering at the American Legion Post
at 11:30, then a screening of Islay: For Those in Peril at 2pm at the Tybee Post Theater.
So what’s the connection between the HMS Otranto and Tybee Island? Here’s the back story…
100 years ago this year, in the summer of 1918, 2nd Lt Samuel E. Levy was ordered by the Commander of Fort Screven to muster 580 new recruits to the
Western European Front following America’s entry into World War I. On September 19, 1918, the recruits from the surrounding Georgia counties, including
Chatham, set out by train from Tybee Island to New York where they boarded the British Troopship, HMS Otranto, a converted luxury liner and armed merchant
raider.
The Otranto was loaded with more than 1,025 British and American servicemen, including 701 US soldiers bound for port in Liverpool and ultimately the
battle fields of France. On Sunday October 6, 1918, while in 40-foot seas, during a severe storm off the Isle of Islay, Scotland, the HMS Otranto collided with
another British Troopship, the HMS Kashmir. Despite orders to stand clear and in heavy seas, a rescue attempt was made by the HMS Mounsey under the
command of Lieutenant Francis Craven.
Lieutenant Craven was able to rescue 590 men, including more than 300 American troops. Many more men attempted rescue, only to be washed from the
decks of the pitching destroyer and were drowned or crushed between the two ships before the Mounsey ceased its rescue attempt. Three hours after the
collision, the Otranto struck a reef less than a mile off the rocky shore, broke in half and sank. Less than 20 of the remaining men onboard were able to swim
ashore.
The final death toll was 470 US and British servicemen, including one American Officer and 357 American enlisted men. It was the single greatest loss of life
in troop transport during the war. Of the American casualties, more than 130 were from Georgia. Among the dead were 11 men from Chatham County and
dozens more from surrounding counties, especially Screven County and Berrien County. One month later, on November 11, 1918, the armistice was signed
in Paris ending World War I.
We look forward to seeing you at the dedication ceremony and sharing more Tybee history.
Thanks to John Calvert, Sarah Jones and Jan Will for contributing to this article.
Next month we will be looking at the dark side of Tybee history. The Beachcomber may not be big enough to cover this topic, but we’ll give it a shot!
TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | SEPT 2018 31
By Kathy Dennis, Historic Preservation Commission member
HMS Otranto Dedication Ceremony –You’re Invited!