List of hospital ships sunk in World War I


During the First World War, many hospital ships were attacked, both on purpose or by mistaken identity.
They were sunk by either torpedo, mine or surface attack. They were easy as well as tragic targets, since they carried hundreds of wounded soldiers from the front lines.

Background

A hospital ship is designated for primary function as a medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces or navies of various countries around the world, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. Hospital ships were covered under the Hague Convention X of 1907. Article four of the Hague Convention X outlined the restrictions for a hospital ship:
If any of the restrictions were violated, the ship could be determined as an enemy combatant and be sunk. Investigators from neutral countries like Spain were allowed to inspect hospital ships to confirm that Article Four wasn't being violated.
The high command of Imperial German viewed Allied hospital ships as violating the Hague Convention and ordered its submarine forces to target them as part of their Unrestricted submarine warfare on Allied shipping. Even with the inspections from neutral countries the German High command alleged that hospital ships were violating Article Four by transporting able-bodied soldiers to the battleground. The biggest hospital ship sunk by either mine or torpedo in the First World War was Britannic, the sister of Olympic and the ill-fated Titanic. Britannic hit a mine on November 21, 1916; 30 people were killed, but the rest of the crew and passengers were able to escape. The largest loss of life caused by the sinking of a hospital ship would be Llandovery Castle. The ship was hit by a torpedo from the German U-boat on June 27, 1918. Shortly thereafter, the submarine surfaced and gunned down most of the survivors; only 24 were rescued. After the war, the captain of U-86, Lieutenant Helmut Patzig, and two of his lieutenants were charged with war crimes and arraigned for trial, but Patzig disappeared, and the two lieutenants both escaped after being convicted and sentenced to prison. The Allies weren't the only ones who had their ships attacked at the beginning of the war, the German hospital ship Ophelia was seized by British naval forces as a spy ship and near the close of the war the Austrian hospital ship Baron Call was unsuccessfully attacked by torpedo on October 29, 1918.

Hospital Ships sunk

NameImageNationalityDateLocation of wreckCauseLives lostNote
UKOne mile east of Folkestone Gate134
UK6 miles off Start Point35
UK off the Boulogne LV.2
UKAegean sea 30
UKMediterranean Sea 7
HMHS Donegal UK19 miles south of the Dean lightship on passage Le Havre for Southampton 40
HS Elektra Austria-HungaryOff Cape PlankaTorpedoed by French submarine Ampère. Out of service until early Sep 1916; returned to her owner 04 Dec 19162
HMHS Galeka UKFrench coast, near Le Havre Struck a mine laid by 19
UKBristol Channel 162
UKen route from Le Havre to Southampton3
Greek hospital ship India being sunk in the Mediterranean Sea, east of Gibraltar, by German U-boat SM U-35 U 35, 12 April 1917.Torpedoed by German U-boat
Netherlands21 miles East of Leman lightship7
UKEnglish Channel 40
CanadaPortuguese Cove, Halifax HarbourGrounded out due to a pilot error in heavy fog1
Canadaoff southern Ireland 234
ItalyOff Cape Laghi, Durazzo, Albania33
HS Oceania Austria-HungaryBetween Cape Rodoni and DurazzoMined and beached near Cape Rondoni, and on October 15, 1918 was blown up by the Austrians to avoid falling into Italian hands.?
HS Portugal Russia
Near Rize Province off the Turkish coast in the Black Sea90
UK13 miles off Hartland Point, UK4
HMHS Rohilla UKSaltwick Nab, one mile south of WhitbyStruck Whitby Rock84
UKnear Le Havre, France 130
German EmpireDar es Salaam harbour, East AfricaSunk by gunfire from the British warships HMS Vengeance and HMS Challenger?
HS Tirol Austria-HungaryOff DurazzoMined. Returned to service 07 Oct 191640
HS Vpered Imperial RussiaIn the Black Sea, between Batoum and the Rize Province off the Turkish coast7
English Channel 123