RESCUED BY N.Z. HOSPITAL SHIP

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 265, 7 August 1942, Page 4

RESCUED BY N.Z. HOSPITAL SHIP

Crew Of Torpedoed Vessel

A double errand of mercy was performed recently by a New Zealand hospital ship when on a voyage from the Middle East. She was carrying sick and wounded soldiers on their way home and encountered, in the Indian Ocean, two ship’s boats with survivors of an Allied cargo vessel which had been torpedoed a few hours before. Survivors stated that the ship had been hit by two torpedoes, but did not sink immediately, so that they had been able to save some of their effects. The submarine was never s'een. The captain of the vessel, a Dane, was the last to leave the ship, which had taken a heavy list. He walked down the side after passing down his personal papers and belongings and then swam to the waiting boats.

There were, in all, 39 survivors in the two boats, including four wounded. Nine nationalities, Allied and neutral, were represented. The four wounded were taken aboard the hospital ship in special overside stretchers after they had received attention in the boats from one of the ship’s doctors. 'Five of tiie crew were missing, some having been killed in the explosions. The captain’s wife, who was one of those saved, had suffered a slight ankle injury in the torpedoing, and was injured elightly again while transferring from the boat to tiie hospital ship. Some of the other survivors were suffering from shock. The chief engineer of the torpedoed ship had a narrow escape. He was iu his cabin at tiie time, and wao thrown from his bunk. The floor of the cabin was forced up, and the door jammed. It. had lo be broken down .to get him out.