The steel steamship Tuscania was launched from the Linthouse, Govan yard of Alexander Stephens and Sons Ltd (Yard No 459) on 3rd March 1914. She measured 549.3′ x 66.0′ x 41.7′ and her tonnage was 14348 gross tons, 8714 net tons. She was powered by four single reduction Parsons geared steam turbines by her builders delivering 9000 shaft horse power.
Built for the Anchor Line Ltd (Henderson Brothers) of Glasgow and laid down amid rising political tensions between Britain and Germany, she was launched exactly one month after Britain had declared war on Germany. Despite the outbreak of hostilities she sailed on her maiden voyage from Glasgow and Liverpool to New York in February 1915 without incident. In September of the same year she was involved in a dramatic mid Atlantic rescue of 339 passengers and 70 crew of the burning Greek liner Athinai. Tuscania continued in service as war raged in Europe despite the growing threat of German U-boats and even completed one voyage to Bombay before she was requisitioned as a troop carrier in 1917 under the Liner Requisition Scheme and painted olive drab to hide the once magnificent livery of her owners. It was on this service, on 24th January 1918, as the First World War reached its climax, that she left Pier 56, New York, destination Le Havre, France via Liverpool on her final voyage as part of convoy HX20. The convoy consisted of three other troop carriers and eight cargo ships escorted by two torpedo destroyers and led by the US cruiser Seattle. She had 2500 US troops aboard plus her own officers and crew numbering close to 200 under the command of Captain Peter McLean.
The nervous chatter of the American troops aboard the Tuscania increased as they neared the British coast, as by now the threat of the German U-boasts was very real and dozens of allied ships had been sunk in the deadly Western Approaches. The arrival of eight British escort destroyers to provide further support to the approaching convoy did nothing to calm the nerves of the young soldiers. What they did not know was, as they steamed towards the North Channel, they were heading straight for the German submarine UB-77, commanded by Captain Wilhelm Meyer, lying in wait to pounce on the approaching ships. Captain Meyer first sighted the convoy in the late afternoon of 5th February and set a parallel course to pick out his target and choose the right moment for his attack. They were about seven miles north of Rathlin when he fired three torpedoes from 4000 yards at Tuscania. Two of the torpedoes raced harmlessly behind the ship but the third hit her amidships.
It was immediately obvious that the blow was fatal. She listed heavily to starboard severely hampering the launching of her lifeboats. Many of the boats fell into the sea as they were being lowered tipping their occupants into the icy water and, at other parts of the ship where lowering was impossible, some of the men jumped into the sea in an attempt to save themselves. Of the thirty lifeboats launches attempted only twelve or so actually remained afloat to save the men aboard. Meanwhile the SOS radio message was answered by three of the escort destroyers, Grasshopper, Mosquito and Pigeon, who raced to the scene and clustered round the sinking ship to take off more survivors. Some four hours after the initial impact of the German torpedo the Tuscania slowly slipped beneath the surface. It was some days before the final death toll of 166 was established as the survivors were taken to various ports by the different ships which had helped in the rescue. Many of the bodies washed ashore around Islay and were buried in cemeteries in Port Charlotte, Kilnaughton, Killeyan and Kinnabus. Most were disinterred two years later and returned to the United States. In 1920 a twenty metre high monument, commissioned by the American Red Cross, was constructed on the Mull of Oa overlooking the wreck site and remains as a lasting tribute to the men that lost heir lives on the Tuscania.
The wreck of the Tuscania lies in position 55° 29.364’N, 006° 20.107’W some six miles south of the monument on the Mull of Oa built to commemorate the men who lost their lives on the Tuscania and Otranto. The wreck lies oriented roughly west/east in 105 metres of water with a least depth over the wreck of 90 metres. The wreck is rarely dived as the obvious danger of the depth of the water combined with the exposed nature of the site and the unpredictable tides of the North Channel make this wreck a significant challenge even for the most experienced technical divers. The bell has been recovered from the wreck and is on display in Museum of Islay Life in Port Charlotte.