SS Persia
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SS Persia was a P&O passenger liner, built in 1900 by Caird & Company, Inverclyde, Greenock, Scotland. Nearly 500 feet (152.34 m) long, with a beam of 53 feet (16.55 m), draft of 24.5 feet (7.47 m) and a size of 7,974 tons (8,102 tonnes), the Persia carried steam triple expansion engines capable of driving the ship at a respectable 18 knots (33.3 km/h).
Persia was sunk off Crete on December 30, 1915 by German World War I U-Boat ace Max Valentiner (commanding U-38), killing over 300 passengers. She sank in five to ten minutes, killing 334 of the 501 aboard. The sinking was highly controversial, since it broke naval international law or the "Cruiser Rules" whereby merchant shipping carrying passengers should be given opportunity for the passengers to disembark before combat could commence. A warning shot across the bow should have been given first. Instead, a torpedo was fired with no warning. At the time of sinking, Persia was carrying a large quantity of gold and jewels belonging to the Maharaja Jagatjij Singh.
Among the passengers to survive were John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu. His secretary (and mistress) Eleanor Thornton, who was the model for the Rolls-Royce "Spirit of Ecstasy" mascot by Charles Robinson Sykes, perished. The story was front page news on many British newspapers including the Daily Mirror and the Daily Sketch.
The wreck of the Persia was located off Crete in 2003 at a depth of 10,000 feet (3,000 m), and an attempt made to salvage the treasure located in the bullion room. The salvage attempt met with limited success, retrieving artifacts and portions of the ship, and some jewels from the bullion room.
