In honor of our courageous veterans this Veterans Day Weekend, the Greenwich Historical Society will host a screening of the documentary film Rohna Classified.
This illuminative documentary sheds a spotlight on the captivating true story of the HMT Rohna, a British transport ship carrying 2,000 U.S. soldiers journeying to China to aid in their war efforts against Japan in WWII. The HMT Rohna was destroyed en route by a German assault from one of the first radio-guided missiles in war history. This culminated in the loss of 1,015 U.S. soldiers who were aboard the ship. Among the lives lost were 16 men from Connecticut, including Greenwich native John Campbell Moore. This remains the most significant loss of soldiers at sea in U.S. naval history. The documentary examines why the casualties were so high in this catastrophic event, and further explores the circumstances that concealed it from common knowledge.
Following the screening, there will be a Q&A session with the documentary’s filmmakers and descendants of those aboard the Rohna. Producer, director, and writer, Jack Ballo will share the story of how he learned about the Rohna disaster and his family’s connection to it. The niece of a survivor, Catherine Ladnier, will discuss her process of researching John Campbell Moore. This Q&A will provide an in-depth and personal perspective on this event that has largely been obscured from U.S. history, and aims to put the HMT Rohna back into the historical narrative for its veterans.
Registration is required due to limited capacity. This event is free and open to the public.
For more information on the documentary, and to view the documentary trailer, visit: https://www.rohnaclassified.com/.
