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British troopship SS Mendi sinks off Isle of Wight, 646 die

SS Mendi was a British 4,230 GRT passenger steamship that was built in 1905 and, as a troopship, sank after collision with great loss of life in 1917. Alexander Stephen and Sons of Linthouse in...

SS Mendi was a British 4,230 GRT passenger steamship that was built in 1905 and, as a troopship, sank after collision with great loss of life in 1917.

Alexander Stephen and Sons of Linthouse in Glasgow, Scotland launched her on 18 June 1905 for the British and African Steam Navigation Company, which appointed group company Elder Dempster & Co to manage her on their Liverpool-West Africa trades. In 1916 during the First World War the UK Admiralty chartered her as a troopship. On 21 February 1917 a large cargo steamship, Darro, collided with her in the English Channel south of the Isle of Wight. Mendi sank, killing 646 people, mostly black South African troops, as well as white Southern African officers and NCOs, and crew.

Historical Significance

SS Mendi was a British 4,230 GRT passenger steamship that was built in 1905 and, as a troopship, sank after collision with great loss of life in 1917.

Events Before

  1. The first blood transfusion using stored and cooled blood is performed during World War I

    The first blood transfusion using stored and cooled blood is performed during World War I

  2. Rodman Wanamaker organises a lunch to discuss forming a golfers association (later the PGA) at the Taplow Club, Martiniq

    Rodman Wanamaker organises a lunch to discuss forming a golfers association (later the PGA) at the Taplow Club, Martinique Hotel, New York City

  3. Battle of Verdun begins with a German offensive, leads to an estimated 1 million casualties, and becomes the longest bat

    Battle of Verdun begins with a German offensive, leads to an estimated 1 million casualties, and becomes the longest battle of the entire war (9 months)

  4. British author of "The Lord of the Rings", J.R.R. Tolkien marries Edith Mary Bratt at St. Mary Immaculate Roman Catholic

    British author of "The Lord of the Rings", J.R.R. Tolkien marries Edith Mary Bratt at St. Mary Immaculate Roman Catholic Church, Warwick

  5. Actress Gloria Swanson (17) weds actor Wallace Beery (30)

    Actress Gloria Swanson (17) weds actor Wallace Beery (30)

Events After

  1. Last day of the Julian calendar in Finland; January 2 becomes January 14

    The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception).

  2. Russian Bolshevik Party is renamed the All-Russian Communist Party

    The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), also known as the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party (RSDWP) or the Russian Social Democratic Party (RSDP), was a socialist political party…

  3. Fearing foreign invasion, Vladimir Lenin shifts revolutionary Russia's capital from Petrograd (St. Petersburg) to Moscow

    Fearing foreign invasion, Vladimir Lenin shifts revolutionary Russia's capital from Petrograd (St. Petersburg) to Moscow

  4. American jazz musician Louis Armstrong (17) weds Daisy Parker (21); divorce in 1923

    American jazz musician Louis Armstrong (17) weds Daisy Parker (21); divorce in 1923

  5. German World War I fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen aka "The Red Baron," is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur S

    German World War I fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen aka "The Red Baron," is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur Somme in France. Canadian pilot Arthur Roy Brown is credited with the kill.

More from the 1910s

birth

Hank Greenberg is born

Hank Greenberg, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1911-01-01.

Belgian mining law introduces a 9.5-hour workday

Belgian mining law introduces a 9.5-hour workday

First running of San Francisco's famed "Bay to Breakers" footrace (7.63 miles/12.3 km); Robert Vlught wins in 44:10

First running of San Francisco's famed "Bay to Breakers" footrace (7.63 miles/12.3 km); Robert Vlught wins in 44:10

The US Post Office begins parcel post delivery

The Bronx General Post Office (also known as the Bronx Central Post Office or Bronx Central Annex) is a historic post office building at 558 Grand Concourse in the South Bronx in New York City, New…

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 21, 1917?
SS Mendi was a British 4,230 GRT passenger steamship that was built in 1905 and, as a troopship, sank after collision with great loss of life in 1917. Alexander Stephen and Sons of Linthouse in Glasgow, Scotland launched her on 18 June 1905 for the British and African Steam Navigation Company, which appointed group company Elder Dempster & Co to manage her on their Liverpool-West Africa trades. In 1916 during the First World War the UK Admiralty chartered her as a troopship.
Why is British troopship SS Mendi sinks off Isle of Wight, 646 die significant?
SS Mendi was a British 4,230 GRT passenger steamship that was built in 1905 and, as a troopship, sank after collision with great loss of life in 1917.

Explore More

February 21 in HistoryYear 1917