Daily Event for January 17, 2012

Even after the end of the Great War, mines were a huge problem, dozens of ships of all sizes were lost to left over mines, and on January 17, 1919 the French passenger ship Chaouia hit one of those mines. Chaouia was built in the Netherlands in 1896 as Köningn Wilhelmina, in 1911 she was sold to Compagnie de Navigation Paquet of Marseille, France and renamed Chaouia.

She was used as a troopship in the Great War and survived to sail in the post-war era, but the war caused her end. She was en route from Marseille to Greece and Turkey, carrying over 400 Greek troops and more than 100 other passengers. As she approached the Messina Strait the ship detonated a mine that had been laid by SMS UC-53. The ship sank in a few minutes and took between 450 and 550 souls with her. Those who survived, about 150 people, were picked up by SS Daghestan.
© 2012 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com




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