Film screening “Rohna Classified” honors the sailors of the deadliest naval attack

After five years of blood, sweat and tears, producers Jack Ballo and director Michael Walsh will tell the story of HMT Rohna – the greatest naval loss in the history of any U.S. war – with a free virtual screening of the World War II documentary beginning this Memorial Day weekend.

The sinking of the HMT Rohna, which was kept secret for 50 years, remains one of the most outrageous events of World War II, but it proved to be one of the most devastating. On November 26, 1943, the United States suffered its greatest loss of life at sea due to enemy action – 1,105 soldiers were killed. But no one learned of this loss until about half a century later.

The film, titled “Rohna Classified,” will stream online starting Friday and will run through June 1. On May 29, three survivors of the deadly Rohna attack, including 101-year-old Herman Vinnet of New Jersey, will meet online for a live panel discussion. Viewers can register and join the discussion starting at 7 p.m. The film and panel discussion are free to watch.

The 60-minute documentary uncovers the best-kept secret of World War II, says Ballo, who lives in South River and first discovered a family connection to the Rohna in 2018. About six years ago, Ballo came across a box of 23 yellowed handwritten letters from Sergeant Joseph Pisinki, the great-uncle of Ballos’ wife.

Pisinski died in the attack on the HMT Rohna. He was 23 years old.

It was his second official day of the war.

The aim is for the documentary to reach the families of the soldiers killed in the sinking of the HMT Rohna, said Ballo.

On that fateful day, 2,000 U.S. troops boarded a transport ship with lifeboats so rusted that they could never be re-launched. The following day, the ship was sunk by a remote-controlled missile, killing 1,015 U.S. troops.

“It’s time to tell the truth,” Ballo said.

The film seeks to honor the forgotten soldiers while uncovering the story behind the sinking. Ballo hopes the documentary will finally give the secret Rohna raid its rightful place in U.S. history and provide closure for Gold Star families still searching for answers.

The film uncovered confidential documents that showed that negligence and oversight contributed to the high number of victims in the secret disaster, Ballo said.

“The government has denied responsibility by declaring the disaster secret and ordering all survivors to remain silent,” he said. “The families of the victims were turned away and most of them went to the grave without ever knowing what had happened.”

Across the country, families of the victims are still trying to figure out how their loved ones died. Some believe the government covered up the incident, Ballo said.

As part of the film’s outreach initiative, the filmmakers hope to locate families of soldiers from 47 different states across the country. A list of Rohna’s victims, sorted by state and hometown, is available on the film’s website.

For details, visit the film’s website at www.RohnaClassified.com. For more information and/or to register for the panel, visit watch.showandtell.film/preview/rohna-memorial-day.

Email: [email protected]

Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter forMyCentralJersey.comPart of the USA Today Network. Contact: [email protected] or@CherylMakin. To get unlimited access, subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Related Posts

Woman dead, man critically injured in shooting in Southern California

Silver Alert issued for 68-year-old woman from Fayette County

Four arrested for shoplifting – Loveland Reporter-Herald