 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Norway | |
| Name | SSOria |
| Owner | Fearnley & Eger, Oslo |
| Builder | Osbourne, Graham & Co., Ltd., Sunderland |
| Yard number | 222 |
| Launched | 17 June 1920 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sank, 12 February 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 86.9 m (285 ft 1 in) |
| Beam | 13.3 m (43 ft 8 in) |
| Propulsion | 1 ×triple expansion steam engine |
| Speed | 10knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
SSOria was aNorwegian steamer that sank on 12 February 1944, causing the death of some 4,095Italian prisoners of war, 21 Greeks and 15 Germans. It was one of the worst maritime disasters in history, and the worst maritime disaster caused by the sinking of a single ship in theMediterranean Sea.[1]
TheOria was built in 1920 by Osbourne, Graham & Co inSunderland. It had a tonnage of 2,127 GRT, and was the property of the Norwegian company Fearnley & Eger ofOslo.[2] At the beginning of World War II, it was part of a convoy sent to North Africa, and was inCasablanca when interned in June 1940, shortly after theGerman occupation of Norway. One year later the ship was requisitioned by theVichy French, renamedSainte Julienne, and used in the Mediterranean. In November 1942 it was formally returned to its former owner and therefore renamedOria, but soon after it was assigned to the German companyMittelmeer-Reederei GmbH [de] of Hamburg.[citation needed]
In the fall of 1943, after theGerman invasion of the Dodecanese, the Germans transferred tens of thousands ofItalian prisoners to mainland Greece. These transfers were made often using unseaworthy vessels, cramming prisoners onboard without any safety standard. Several ships were sunk, either by Allied attack or by accident, causing the death of thousands of prisoners.
Oria was one of the vessels used to carry Italian prisoners. On 11 February 1944, it sailed fromRhodes bound forPiraeus, carrying 4,116 Italian prisoners (43 officers, 118 non-commissioned officers and 3,955 enlisted men),[3][4] 21 German soldiers (part of whom were tasked with guarding the prisoners, while others were on passage to Greece),[2] and a crew of 22 Greeks. The next day the ship was caught by a storm and sank offCape Sounion on the South East rocks ofPatroklos island. Some tugs, arriving the next day on the scene, could only save 21 Italians, 6 Germans, the Norwegian captain and one Greek. The remains of the wreck were discovered in 1999 by Greek pro diverAristotelis Zervoudis.[citation needed]
37°39′N23°59′E / 37.650°N 23.983°E /37.650; 23.983
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in February 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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