SS Gallia
SS Gallia was a transatlantic ocean liner converted into a troopship in 1915. She was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea on 4 October 1916 with great loss of life.
Gallia was built as an ocean liner for service between France and South America. She sailed between Bordeaux and Rio de Janeiro in 10 days, and between Bordeaux and Buenos Aires in 13 days. The ship, with several others, was refitted for use as a troopship during World War I.
On 3 October 1916, Gallia left Toulon unescorted, destined for Thessaloniki in Greece. Aboard were 2,350 people and a cargo of artillery and ammunition. The next day, between Sardinia and Tunisia, she was hit by a torpedo from the German submarine commanded by Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière.
Ammunition aboard Gallia exploded, and the ship sank in 15 minutes. Because of the rapid sinking, panic broke out on board resulting in lifeboats capsizing, and thousands of soldiers jumping overboard. The ship′s radio was disabled by the explosions, preventing the sending of a distress signal. The next day the French Navy's protected cruiser rescued the remaining survivors.
About 600 people died as a result of the sinking. A list of missing personnel was published on 31 October 1917 by the Tribunal Civil of Toulon. It contained the names of 44 sailors and 553 soldiers. Several individual soldiers known by their family members to have perished are not on the list. The Serbian soldiers were also not included.
It was one of the worst maritime disasters ever involving a single French ship.Links
