Sinking of the SS Mendi tragedy remembered off the Isle of Wight

WARSHIPS of the Royal Navy and the South African navy are due to visit the site of the sinking of the troop ship SS Mendi to commemorate the disaster today (Tuesday).
The SS Mendi troop ship sunk on February 21, 1917, 11 miles off St Catherine’s Point, off the Isle of Wight, while it was on the final leg of its 6,000 mile journey to France during the First World War.
Without warning, the cargo steamship, SS Darro, crashed into the vessel in thick fog, which resulted in the loss of 646 men.
Most of those who perished were predominantly black South African troops, of the South African Native Labour Corps.
Stories of the men’s bravery as the ship went down in the icy waters of the English Channel have been well documented.
At the site of the wreck, the South African frigate, SAS Amatola, accompanied by two British navy vessels, were due to lay a wreath to mark the centenary of the disaster.
The Amatola will be carrying relatives of about 30 of the black troops who died.
The sinking is one of approximately 1,100 vessels lost off the south coast of England during the First World War, and many, like the Mendi, were due to collisions caused by bad weather or navigation and sailing practices put in place during the war.
Many of these sites are being researched by the Maritime Archaeology Trust, with the help of hundreds of volunteers through their Heritage Lottery Funded 'Forgotten Wrecks of the First World War’.
It is an event organised by Portsmouth City Council and the South African High Commission.