Submarine guard on board HMT Transylvania. The Transylvania sailed from Alexandria of 30 March ...

Submarine guard on board HMT Transylvania. The Transylvania sailed from Alexandria of 30 March 1916 bound for Marseilles carrying 3000 Australian troops including reinforcements for the 1st Division and Lieutenant General Sir William Birdwood's headquarters staff of I Anzac Corps. German submarines were active in the Mediterranean during this time and during daylight hours a submarine lookout was maintained and at night ships travelled without any visible lights and all deadlights were shut. Troops on board Transylvania carried life-belts at all times during daylight hours and many used them as pillows at night. C.E.W. Bean, the Official correspondent at the time, and later the Australian Official Historian, noted in his diary the passengers on board the Transylvania were issued with the newest kapok filled life-belts. He also noted Transylvania was escorted by the sloop HMS Veronica. On 3 May 1917 HMT Transylvania, carrying a full complement of British troops bound for Egypt, was torpedoed by the German submarine U-63 off the Italian coast and sank with the loss of ten crew and 402 British officers and men.