HAWERA SURVIVOR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 65, 16 April 1943, Page 3

HAWERA SURVIVOR

OF TORPEDOED SHIPS TELLS GRIM STORY

Typical of tlie hardship and prk rations suffered by men of the merchant navy is a graphic story told by a ship's engineer now living at ffawera, Mr W. H. Pitts, who was torpedoed twice Avithin a few Aveeks and spent seven days in a lifeboat in the ic3 r Avaters of the Atlantic, He is suffering from the. effects of frozen feet. Leaving New Zealand in February, 1942, the ship on which Mr Pitts Avas engineer carried a valuable cargo of foodstuffs estimated to be valued at about £2,000,000 for England. The journey Avas uneven ful until March 29, Avhcn in the afternoon the ship Avas torpedoed when Avithin eight hours off Halifax, NoA*a Scotia. Mr Pitts was Hung up and down as if by a huge earth-® quake. The ship shuddered and rocked Avith the concussion and all the lights Avent out. Lifeboats in Shambles "I picked, myself , up, grabbed Avhat belongings I could and a life- 1 belt and made <l'or my life boat station,'' he said. "The force of the explosion tore off all the cabin doors and the alleyway Avas full of steam. , I found, my lifeboat in a shambles and Avent to the port side Avhere, luckily, a boat. Avas being lowered. The captain ordered me into it,and lie himself Avas the last to k-aV'e the stricken ship; lie Avas killed lat 4 -» er in a submarine action." The Aveather Avas icy cold, and mountainous seas Avere running. After tAVo hours aircraft appeared and cruised round looking for the submarine. They promised the sailors help, but this failed to come, and night crept on. Continual bail-> ing and. heaA'ing OA'crboard of ice chunks AAas necessary, and to make things Avorsc all hands Avere affected Avith sea sickness. An electric s.toirm Avas encountered and the boats became separated. "We spent seA r en days of hell in the,boat," Mr Pitts continued. "On the sixth day all Avere exhausted and some Avere frozen and suffering cruelly. Some died and Avere throAvn OA r erboard. It became impossible to bale out. the boat. We .thought the end of things had come and didn't care. Then, on the seventh day, one man ' gathered enough strength to AvaA r e a flag to attract the attention of a passing ship and we Avere. picked up." Rushed to hospital with the other victims, Mr Pitts lay for two months with frozen limbs and frost-bite. Five Ncav Zealanders Avere among those Avho had limbs amputated,: others of the creAV died. Convoy Attacked When he had been hobbling rouno Avith the aid of sticks for about three weeks' Mr Pitts was told *to join a com'oy sailing for Ncav Ze:ir land. Soon after sailing the ships ran into a fcg bank", during which time they continually bIeAV their whistles. "I reckon this gaA*e our position away to the submarines that. Avere waiting for us," he said, "for Avhcn we came out of the fog hell started to pop. We had run into a nest of six subs! We were the commodore ship and the first to be hit. We got. tAVo or three torpedoes. A transport got not less than four. What the others got no one knoAvs. When able to stand I managed to put. on some clothes and my life* jacket and all I e;jn remember is jumping overboard. I Avas not in the Avater for more than an hour, and as summer time Avas coming it A\ r as not as bad as, my lirst experience, although it. Avas fairly cold and heavy seas Avere running. A corvette picked us up and took us into Boston. Our ship Avas torpedoed 88 miles off the United. States coast." The kindness and consideration of the people of the United States Avere stressed by Mr Pitts, who spent seA'eral months in a New York hospital. In every city he visited during convalescent he received, overAvheiming hospitality.