Talk:HMS Otranto

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S.S. Otranto   Orient line. A brief history from the back of the dinner menu card Wednesday 9th January, 1957.

"Otranto" Gross Registered tonnage = 20,051 Shaft Horse Power            = 20,000 Service speed                   = 17 1/2 knots Length overall                  =  658ft 7 in Breadth                             = 75ft N. of passengers              = 1,394 No. of crew                      = 487 Built by                            = Vickers - Armstrong Ltd., Barrow

"Otranto" was launched on 9th June, 1925, and was originally designed to carry First and Third class passengers. She had a distinguished war service as a Trooper and was present at the North African, Sicilian and Salerno landings. She was frequently subjected to air attack, fortunately without sustaining damage. "Otranto" was the fourth and last of the pre - war Orient liners to return to commercial service, and in 1948 she was reconditioned as a One - Class Tourist ship at a cost of £1,250,000. She made her first post - war voyage as a passenger vessel from Tilbury on 14th July, 1949. 86.131.105.139 (talk) 12:42, 4 April 2013 (UTC)Martin Riddall 

Burial
' The American servicemen were exhumed and repatriated to the United States in 1920. '
 * Not all were repatriated, only those whose family requested repatriation. The others and unidentified bodies were buried in Brookwood American Cemetery.  Two identified American soldiers and an identified American YMCA officer were buried at Kilchoman on Islay along with the British crew members of the vessel.  An unnamed black sailor was buried at Port Ellen.  jmb (talk)