(For instance, 61 Goans died on the British SS Khadive Ismail, sunk in 1944 by a Japanese submarine, 63 aboard the British SS Rohna destroyed by German aircraft fire in the Mediterranean, 60 aboard the MV President Doumer, flying the flag of Aden, and sunk by a U-boat in the North Atlantic in 1942, 44 aboard the British SS Calabria also sunk by the German U-boat U-103 in the North Atlantic under Captain Shutze and so on. Goans were killed aboard British, Indian, Norwegian, Dutch,Hong Kong, South African,Egyptian and even a Kenyan Ship -- the SS Oltania II.)
Take a look at this fascinating story of the Britannia <http://www.misquita.net/britannia> pieced together by journalist Melvyn Misquita.
But Goa's history with the sea is not just connected with World War II, or even just the 20th century. It goes back to beyond the Portuguese period. Guess what? Drawn by strange stories and the lure of the sea, a network of Goans of a younger generation are working to set up a cyber maritime museum.
Together with Melvyn, one of the moving spirits behind this initiative is Cliff J Pereira. Read a longish story about the work he's doing and why his interest here <http://www.indiamike.com/india/showthread.php?t=10086>.
Mario Alvares is one of those who's behind this initiative and he's the person behind the Goan.Name genealogy site <http://goan.name/>.
The Xavier Centre of Historical Research <http://www.geocities.com/goajesuits/xchr.htm> has come out in support of this initiative. So have other cybernauts like Cecil Pinto.
This meeting -- a report on which got too overdelayed, all my fault -- resulted in the launch of a Goa Maritime Cyber Museum list <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/goa-maritime-museum/>
There's space for a lot more to come up here.
FN ------------------------------------------------------------------------ d88888b d8b db Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa India 88' 888o 88 f r e d @ b y t e s f o r a l l . o r g 88ooo 88V8o 88 http://www.bytesforall.org * http://fn.swiki.net 88~~~ 88 V8o88 Phone 0091.832.2409490 Mobile 09822 122436 88 88 V888 784 Nr Lourdes Convent, Sonarbhat Saligao Goa 403511 YP VP V8P Writing ... with a difference, on issues that matter
