EMPRESS OF BRITAIN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 269, 10 February 1941, Page 2

EMPRESS OF BRITAIN

GRAPHIC STORIES OF LAST HOUR ON LARGE LINER iI.VLF-HOUK FROM HOME, ''Wei!, another couple of watches should see" this trip through. How long in the go nl old home port this time? What's the betting?" It was in the liner's messroom, 8.-50 or so, on the morning of October 20, writes Mr Watson, in the Daily Telegraph. Homeward bound after three months' absence. "Precious ■.•liort, judging by the way we've been chased home. Looks' like a quick turn round." "Surely a week, anyway." "And surely a bit of leave." Within an hour, suddenly and without warning, there appeared n plane out of :he clouds. Too far ofF to see her markings. Friend or foe? She Hew past, circled ,round, was almost over 'Jv* stern before the markings eouid be distinguished. Then the anti-aircraft guns went into action. Each Bomb a Bull's Eye. The enemy Hew the full length of the ship, each bomb a bull's eye. Never had a Nazi such luck. Fires spread and met. Within half an hour the Empress of Britain was blazing from end to end. Up on the navigation bridge, the -captain; down in the engine room the watch —awaiting his iin.il word —"F.W.E." (finished with engines). No one left bis post; they could trust that man standing up there on the burning bridge to tell them when to quit. And the gallant captain on the bridge did not trust in vain the men below to keep the engines running up to the fateful "F.W.E." Some of the lifeboats and the rope ladders were burning fiercely, so men dropped lifelines to the water. Those for whom there remained no more to do, and those who must imescape the flames began to' go over the side; but with a

sailor's wisdom,, those who could remain held back, looking out fur ahy sign of rescue before taking a gambler's plunge. Doctor Slicks to Work. The ship's doctor, a dauntless Canadian, stuck to his dispensary, attending to the sick and. wounded, going about his duties heedless of the explosions from the ship's magazine of anti-aircraft shells. Not until his stretcher cases had been lowered to the boats did he leave the: ship. Then he continued to work, transferring from one boat to another as* thev claimed his help. The after end of the ship was now clear of passengers and crew. The fire was spreading forward and no boats were in sight. The men who were left busied themselves making rafts. Below, two lifeboats floated helplessly, four men in each were trying in vain to bring the heavy boats round to their comrades' rcseue. Others, working desperately, repaired a damaged motor boat at leng'h, and it towed the lifeboats to where the men could reach them. Heroic Electrician. I heard the story of the heroism of one of the electricians. Knowing that in the working alleyway" about 50 men were caught, he tried to force his way to them through smoke and fumes. Then, when this failed, he undertook, with a sailor, a perilous climb to the. boat deck, from which they managed to lower a lifeboat so that those 50 should be enabled to escape through a side door opening 011 to the sea from the alleyway. There were many other tales, but only half told. The men in this sister of the Silent Service are far from willing to talk much, especially if the. talk seems to lead them' to the verge -)f self-praise. So it was in vain that 1 tried to learn some things which will for ever be suppressed. Yet I learned enough to prove that the men of the Empress of Britain were worthy of their noble ship—flagship of her line and the largest and fastest of all ships plying between two ports of the British Empire. Two years and a half it took to build the Empress of Britain, and the cost was over £2,500.000. By the misfortune of war —a mischance in a million—it took but a brief halfhour for the enemy to compass her destruction.