[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17784]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                REMEMBERING THE SINKING OF THE HMT ROHNA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Metcalf) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. METCALF. Mr. Speaker, the greatest naval disaster in the United 
States during World War II was the sinking of the USS Arizona. 1,177 
were killed. The Arizona has been memorialized in the national 
consciousness.
  On November 26, 1943, however, a loss of American military personnel 
of almost identical magnitude occurred when the British troop transport 
ship, the HMT Rohna, was sunk by a radio-controlled rocket-boosted bomb 
launched from a German bomber off the coast of North Africa. By the 
next day, 1,015 American troops and more than 100 British and Allied 
officers and crewmen had perished.
  The U.S. troops aboard the Rohna have been largely forgotten by their 
country. I only learned of this disaster because a neighbor of mine on 
Whidbey Island had a brother who was lost when the Rohna was sunk. He 
made me aware of the issue and the book about the sinking of the Rohna.
  It is a grim story. Hundreds died when the German missile struck. The 
majority, however, died from exposure and drowning when darkness and 
rough seas limited the rescue efforts. Less than half, over 900, 
survived, which was less than half.
  American, British and French rescue workers worked valiantly to save 
those Rohna passengers and crew who made it off the ship and into the 
ocean. The USS Pioneer picked up two-thirds of all those that were 
saved, 606 GIs. Many of those in the water had to endure hours of 
chilling temperatures before being picked up. As the evening moved into 
the middle of the night and the early morning hours, some men were 
speechless with the cold. Many died deaths of unbelievable agony.
  The United States Government had not properly acknowledged this 
event. Because inadequate records were kept, some survivors had to 
fight for years to prove that the Rohna even existed, let alone that 
survivors might be due some recognition.
  Finally, at a 1996 memorial dedication honoring the Americans who 
died on the Rohna, survivor John Fievet spoke the following words:

       I dedicate this memorial to the memory of those who fell in 
     the service of our country. I dedicate it in the names of 
     those who offered their lives that justice, freedom and 
     democracy might survive to be the victorious ideals of the 
     world. The lives of those who made the supreme sacrifice are 
     glorious before us. Their deeds are an inspiration. As they 
     served America in the time of war, yielding their last full 
     measure of devotion, may we serve America in time of peace. I 
     dedicate this monument to them, and with it, I dedicate this 
     society to the faithful service of our country and the 
     preservation of the memory of those who died, that liberty 
     might live.

  The men who gave their lives for their country on board this ship 
were heroes who deserve to be recognized and not forgotten. Parents of 
virtually all of them died without learning how their sons had died, 
because this was something that was not made public. Their brothers and 
sisters, wives and children need to hear their story. All Americans 
need to learn of their bravery and sacrifice. Not only do the victims 
of the tragic sinking need to be honored, but also their comrades, who 
survived, to be sent on to the Burma-India-China theater of the war and 
there to serve valiantly.
  On November 11, 1993, Charles Osgood featured the Rohna story on his 
widespread radio program. For the first time, in 1993, a broad cross-
section of America got to hear the story of some of its unknown 
warriors. Osgood revisited the subject two weeks later. According to 
Osgood, ``It is not that we forgot, it is just that we never knew.''
  Americans need to know about the Rohna. They need to know about the 
men who died on board, sacrificing their lives in the fight against 
tyranny. Americans need to know, and certainly must never forget.

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