BOMBED AT SEA

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 45, 16 November 1940, Page 12

BOMBED AT SEA

N.Z. Liner Attacked AMAZING ESCAPE Wellington Lad’s Close Call In the front of the Battle of Britain on the seas since the lirst clay of the war, the men of the M etchant Naw have carried on in spite of the worst a barbarous enemy can do. Scarcely a day passes but the news tells some story of unflinching devotion to duty on the part oi the men who go down to the sea in ships. Often the ships do not get home and their story is not told. Most times, however, the ships do get home, but their stories are not alwavs told.

The grim tale of how a greatBritish motor-ship, well known in the New Zealand trade, got home after being savagely bombed and machine-gunned by a German airman is simply told in a letter to his mother by voting John Coleman, '.McFarlane Street, Wellington, who is seventh engineer of the ship, which must remain anonymous. Here is the story. “. . . Well, we had a quiet trip for three parts of the journey and then the fun started. The usual reports were coming in on the ships wireless about sinkings ami bombings, and we grew so used to them that we were really sceptical and placed them as rumours to keep us on the alert; but we soon were to know differently. “We had left a certain port on the African coast in company with another ship, and we had only another three days to go for port when we lost our companion amid a haze ot-smoke and flame late in the afternoon. She had been torpedoed right under our nose, and we missed the same fate by about, six feet, a torpedo running just past our stern. Actually we never saw our friend the sub., but we made off as fast as possible. Aeroplane Attack. "Of course it was the topic of conversation that night and everyone was feeling a little nervy. I know I did not sleep too well, but probably I would not have slept at all had I known what was in store on the morrow. Round about 6 a.m., I woke up as though by premonition and lay in my bunk, tossing and turning and wondering whether I should get up or wait for the steward to call me. when I heard a. succession of sharp cracks. At first I wondered what it was, but slowly it dawned on me that it was a gun. “Then there came km almighty crash, followed by a second and yet a third. What exactly happened for I lie next two minutes 1 am not exactly clear, but t remember the roof and one side of my cabin falling in on me and lighting my way out of that wreckage. Anyway, I finished up on deck, more or less fully clothed, and witnessing the cruellest desolation in the world. “Our chief refrigerating engineer was lying on the deck, but seemed to be alive, and clouds of smoke and steam were coining from the engine-room. While gazing distractedly around, trying to gather my wits, the rat-tat-tat of a machine-gun broke the spell and I made a hurried scurry for shelter. Only then did I realize that it was a German bomber —and it had to perform its dirty, underhand attack on us about 600 miles from the nearest land. Bomb Down The Funnel.

"I went down into the engine-room —aud what a mess! 1 shall not attempt. to describe it as you perhaps would not understand: but I shall never forget it, like a picture stamped on the brain. All tlie engineers on watch were unhurt, as the bomb, which fell down the funnel by the way, had exploded on tlie donkey-boilers, blowing litem to hell. The boilers were placed on the top platform of tlie engine-room, as proved indeed lucky for us.

"Anyway, after a few minutes' work, we got the engines away and were soon going at top speed. There had been, as we found out later, two bombs dropped, one down the funnel and the other on No. 2 hatch, the latter causing a fierce lire. All the time the bomber kept circling over us and signalling. 11. evidently did not have any more bombs, and, as it turned out later, had already sunk three ships that morning—so again we can thank God. Sprayed With Bullets. "Our anti-aircraft fire was' ineffective, and the bomber occasionally sprayed our ship with machiue-guu bullets, just to show its contempt. This, by the way. was what the chief refrigerating engineer had caught. A bullet hit him in the shoulder, not seriously, though the shock was bad as he is not young. Our captain was hit in the Dead, but is bouncing about again, so it could not have been serious. The sailor in the crow'* nest lookout was shot through the thigh and one arm, as the Germans callously gunned him getting down the mast. Two broken legs and innumerable cuts and scratches were the added injuries to the rest of us, mostly from Hying splinters of wood and steel. My injuries were nothing, for which I am truly thankful. Ship Badly Damaged. "But the poor old ship—you ought to see her. The accommodation is completely wrecked: and it is a wonder that all the fellows were not killed. When you come to thins that altogether there are 22 rooms. 11 on each side of the engine-room, both mates and engineers. and lite bomb had to hit the centre of Hie ship. well, it takes a lot of beating. A bit either way—and pooh I Still, mum. il jus! shows you 1 still carry that abnormal luck of mine, and I am sure it will stick. "Anyway, the last message signalled by the plane when she left us was: 'i'll be back.' Considering his previous successful attack, we hardly doubted his .ord, .so the tension increased. We all had to go on double watches, as tlie job was not 100 stable. The fire was got under control, and all the usual precautions taken. Everyone remained badly shaken, but when night finally fell we felt comparatively safe and sincerely hoped that we could keep out of sight. Mine Exploded. •■owing io extra duties my watch below started at l> o'clock next morning, and after gelling up I wenl out on deck Io have a look about before going below. Then suddenly action stations .sounded again. Here comes another lot. I thought, bill. Io and behold, out of the clouds swept <r British plane to act as our escort. This certainly cheered us up, but the plane was soon out of sight. Then, not half an hour later, there was a violent explosion, and again our nerves were on edge. But this time it turned out Io be a mine exploded by our paravanes. "So the days passed. Sandwiches were our only meals, no hot or cold wilier, no quarters lo sleep in. We eventually all crowded into Hie smokc-

loom and slept on the hot-bed principle. ami no lights at all. "Then, lo crown all. we rammed ami capsized a little trawler on our way up here. It was a' pitch-black night, and we were being escorted by a. destroyet. Some say we did not. go right over the trawler and they managed to beach her; others say she sank, so I don’t know what to believe, as I did not see the collision myself, but only felt it. By this time any person who shouted or happened to drop anything was liable to be sot upon. But we got in and we find this nneliorage very peaceful . . . although wo have jusi finished another air-raid alarm. . . . Well, keep smiling: •ii,d | promise I will be home again soon.”