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The sinking of the H.M.T ROHNA . On November 26, 1943, the United States suffered the greatest loss of life at sea in American history. The troopship HMT Rohna, in a convoy on the way to the China-Burma-India Theater of War, was sunk by a guided missile launched from a German bomber off the coast of North Africa. 1,015 American troops perished that day. Some from the initial explosion but many more from the lack of lifeboats, (many rust-chained to the Rohna) lack of safety equipment and lack of leadership from the crew. Of the 22 lifeboats on board, eight got away but most were swamped or capsized by the waves or overcrowding. Those men that went into the water, some with severe injuries, were met with rough and angry swells, enemy fire, and pandemonium. The convey traveled on... The rule of convey is to keep moving, but a few ships stayed behind for rescue although many more were needed. Darkness and rough seas hampered the rescue efforts and 15-to-20 foot swells prevented the rescue ships from launching their own boats. Most of our servicemen were in the water for over 5 hours and while some were able to swim toward the ships to increase their chances of survival, many were just too cold, too exhausted and perished in the water while awaiting rescue. Also, upon reaching the ships the men found the freeboards were so high that it was difficult to get ropes to the survivors and have them hang on long enough to come aboard. Of the 2,000 men that embarked the Rohna, over half were lost that day and nearly all were American troops. Because of the severity of the loss and the new technology used to sink the Rohna, the disaster was immediately covered up, unacknowledged and remained classified for decades. Families were told their loved ones were "missing in action" and then much later, "presumed dead" but little other information. Most family members died never knowing the truth which was only released after pressure from the Freedom of Information Act many decades later. This brave soldier was one of those men. Please read and tell this story. If you have a story about this brave young man, please share with Rohna: Classified online.