HMHS Rewa was a steamship built for the British-India Steam Navigation Company, constructed by William Denny & Bros at Dumbarton in 1905. Designed initially for mail and passenger service between London and Calcutta, Rewa was one of two sister ships, the other being Rohilla, with Rewa featuring triple screw propellers powered by steam turbines. This design distinguished her from Rohilla, which had quadruple expansion steam engines and twin screws. Rewa's engineering allowed her to serve as a troopship during periods of increased military activity. Rewa’s service history included notable incidents such as running aground at the Suez Canal in 1906, where she blocked the canal temporarily before being refloated. In 1913, she carried the 2nd Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment from Karachi through the Suez Canal back to England. During the First World War, Rewa was requisitioned and fitted out as a hospital ship. Her most significant and tragic event occurred on 4 January 1918, when she was returning from Malta to Britain with 279 wounded officers aboard. Spanish neutral inspectors had boarded her at Gibraltar to verify her non-military status. Despite her designation as a hospital ship, she was torpedoed approximately 19 miles off Hartland Point by the German U-boat U-55. The attack resulted in her sinking over two hours, with the loss of four engine room crew members who died in the explosion. The remaining wounded and crew members survived by evacuating in lifeboats. The sinking of Rewa caused considerable outrage in Britain, as Germany had violated international conventions by attacking a hospital ship. The U-boat captain, Wilhelm Werner, later claimed he believed he was sinking a cargo vessel, though evidence suggests he was ordered to target Allied ships regardless of their status. Post-war, Werner was charged with war crimes but fled to Brazil. The wreck lies off the west coast of the UK at a depth of about 200 feet, making it accessible only to experienced divers. During WWII, the wreck was often mistaken for a German U-boat by British sonar, leading to destructive depth charge attacks that left the vessel in ruins. A memorial stone was erected near Hartland Point in 2002 to honor those who served and died aboard Rewa.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.