RMS Mendi

Type of vessel - Steam Ship

How sunk – Collision

Former names – None

Wreck height - 7m

Travelling from South Africa for Plymouth with a cargo of coal and South African labour battalion the steam ship ‘Mendi’ was struck on her starboard side by the 11,480 ton ship ‘Darro’ who was travelling silently a full speed in dense fog with no lights. To make matters worse the ‘Darro’ stood off from the Mendi, not even lowering any rescue boats for fear of nearby enemy submarines. In all 645 crew and troops were lost in the sinking of the ‘Mendi’, making it one of the worst maritime disasters in British waters. The Captain of the ‘Darro’ later had his master’s certificate suspended for a mere 12 months.

The wreck lies on her starboard side. She is a substantial wreck. The stern gun lies on the seabed.

South Coast
Shipwrecks

For the full story
click here