BWPicRobertRowanSinking

On July 9, 1943 Allied forces, primarily British, Canadian and U.S.
invaded Sicily in Operation Husky. Among the hundreds of ships
supporting the vast Allied invasion fleet were dozens of the ubiquitous
mass produced U.S. Liberty ships. The SS Robert Rowan, one such
Liberty ship, had been tasked with transporting soldiers and carrying
supplies for U.S. Lt. General George S. Patton's Seventh Army. All told
the Robert Rowan carried over 400 sailors, crewmen and soldiers from
the U.S. Seventh Army. In spite of the hundreds of service personnel
and crew packed on board, logisticians had seen fit to cram
thousands of tons of ammunition on the ship in addition to other forms
of less combustible supplies and equipment.

From the invasion's first hours the Axis had made a determined effort
to impede the Allied effort and Axis aircraft made regular appearances
over the invasion fleet. July 11th was no exception and early in the
afternoon well over two dozen German Ju-88 bombers targeted the
U.S. fleet off Gela. Invariably the Robert Rowan was staggered by a
series of bomb hits and flames began to sweep the ship. Given the
explosive nature of the ship's cargo the order to abandon ship was
quickly given. Miraculously, everyone escaped as the brave crews of
nearby ships organized an efficient and daring rescue operation.
Meanwhile, nearby craft not directly involved in the rescue
maneuvered away from the doomed merchant ship. Shortly thereafter
the flames ignited the ammunition in the cargo holds and the massive
explosion pictured here tore the Robert Rowan in half, sent a column
of smoke thousands of feet into the sky and flung pieces of metal
across the entire area. The burning hull settled on the coastal seabed
with significant sections of the burning and smoking ship protruding
above water. Although an American destroyer attempted to put out
the flames illuminating the vulnerable Allied shipping the shallow
waters stymied its efforts, and the Robert Rowan would smolder on
for days thereafter.

Picture Courtesy of US Army Signal Corps: Photo #MM-43-L-1-23