Loss
Rohilla was called up at the outset of the First World War and converted into a naval hospital ship.[1] HMHS (His Majesty's Hospital Ship) Rohilla had only a short life in that role. On 30 October 1914, sailing from South Queensferry, Firth of Forth for Dunkirk to evacuate wounded soldiers, the ship ran aground on Saltwick Nab, a reef about a mile east of Whitby, North Riding of Yorkshire, during a full North North East gale and with the lighthouses unlit due to the war. The reef is about 400 yd offshore and the ship soon broke her back.[1][2][3]
The conditions made rescue extremely difficult. In all, six lifeboats were called; the John Fielden and Robert and Mary Ellis (ON 588), Whitby No.1 and No.2, William Riley of Birmingham and Leamington from Upgang, Queensbury from Scarborough, and the motor lifeboats Bradford from Teesmouth, and Henry Vernon from Tynemouth. The Bradford was being towed to the scene by a Teesside Harbour tugboat, when she developed a serious leak, and had to return to Middlesbrough. Ultimately it was the Henry Vernon that was to take off the final souls and attempted to close on the wreck.[2][4] Over the next three days, some of those who attempted to swim to safety in the raging seas were rescued, though many were lost, and lifeboats were able to rescue others.[5] In all, 146 of the 229 people on board survived, including Captain Neilson and all the nurses, as well as Mary Kezia Roberts, already a survivor off the RMS Titanic.[2][6][7][8]
Captain Nielson believed that the ship had struck a mine before grounding.[9] An inquest jury exonerated Nielson from all blame and recommended that all passenger vessels carry rocket apparatus rather than rely on rockets fired to the ship from shore, and also that a motor lifeboat be stationed at Whitby.[9]
The Gold Medal of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Institute's highest honour, was presented to Superintendent Major H. E. Burton and Coxswain Robert Smith of the Tynemouth lifeboat Henry Vernon and to Coxswain Thomas Langlands of the Whitby lifeboat. The Empire Gallantry Medal (subsequently changed to the George Cross) was awarded to Burton and Smith in 1924.[10][11] In 1917 a monument was erected at Whitby Cemetery by the British India Steam Navigation Company, commemorating all those who lost their lives in the tragedy.[12][13]
