For the next year, Mongolia ferried American troops and supplies to Europe. Two American nurses, Clara Ayres and Helen Burnett Wood, were accidentally killed during one of these crossings, and another was wounded. During the afternoon of 20 May 1917, the nurses were on the deck of the Mongolia, observing the firing of the aft 6-inch gun, when they were struck by fragments of the shell's brass casing.
For a year, Mongolia transported American troops and supplies to Europe. Two American nurses, Clara Ayres and Helen Burnett Wood, were killed or injured during one of these trips. On May 20th, 1917, while observing the firing of the aft 6-inch gun on the deck of the Mongolia, they were struck by fragments of the shell's brass casing.