Three Days in Sea 200 Miles from Land

Manawatu Times, Volume 67, Issue 111, 4 September 1942, Page 5

Three Days in Sea 200 Miles from Land

New Zealander TeQs Amazing Story

(Special Correspondent.) Received Thursday, 41.J65 p.m. LONDON, Sept 3. Hanging on a dingny’s ropes or tied to the dinghy and floating with the aid ot life jackets, nine members of the crew of a crashed Sunderland Hyingboat wex-e cheered up by a Canadian flightlieutenant, who lay in the dinghy with a fractured spine, when they spent three days in the sea 200 miles from Welt Africa. One of the members of the crew was Warrant Officer Observer D. T. .shakes, of Wellington, who is now on leave in England none the worse for the ordeal.

Shakes Said: “We were returning from patrolling over a convoy when all four engines cut. The Sunderland immediately when straight down. Our Canadian skipper, Flight-Lieutenant E. J. Jennis did a marvellous crash-landing despite a heavy swell. He had no option but to land in the trough of the waves with the result that the 30-ton Sunderland bounded 150 feet into the air and then broke into three. The skipper suffered a fractured spine in that crash but amazingly he climbed out from the cockpit on to the wing. “I was at the navigator’s table and madfe immediately to the mainplane, then aft to get the dinghy. Fearing explosives might go off v. r e had only time to get out one three-man dinghy and paddle off quickly with ten of the eleven members of the crew, the other having been killed. We were a few hundred yards from the flyingboat when the explosives went up and the Sunderland disappeared in a lace of foam. “Our dinghy was unable to bear the strain of the treble load and as a result one compartment burst, so the remaining nine of us got out and left the skipper lying inside. It was every fortunate that the second compartment held, otherwise we would have been gonners. However, the sea was warm and those who had ‘Mae Wests’ tied themselves up to the dinghy and the others, Including myself, sat on the ropes hanging round the dinghy. “We had no food except three tins of tomato juice. We knew the base would send out a search for us when we had not arrived on scheduled time, yet wer worried whether they would work out our position as we were unable to send out wireless because of our rapid crashlanding. “Sure enough we saw a Sunderland patrolling above us after nightfall with lights blazing but we had nothing with which to answer. Then followed a long and lonely night. “The skipper despite his pain cheered us up. Next morning wb watched many aircraft searching and then late in the afternoon saw a Hudson flying straight towards us whereupon we splashed and did everything we could to attract attention, the skipper attempting even to flash a cigarette case and standing up to wave a paddle. Suddenly we saw the Hudson’s wing tilt and we knew we had been seen. It dropped food, rour one-man dinghies and a note saying: ‘Cheer up, lads, a Sunderland is on tne way.’ It also dropped distress signals and fresh water but these sank. “We did not know it then, but the Sunderland had been following up the Hudson until a storm sprang up between the two aircraft with the result that it never arrived. The Hudson had to sheer off owing to lack of petrol and then the storm struck us. It poured with rain and the sea rose to a heavy swell, but not dangerously for us. “When the storm died down the Sun- : dcrland arrived during the night with lights blazing, but as we had no signals wc were still unable to reply. That night one of the boys died of exposure. “The next morning visibility was poor. Wo saw three aircraft searching but they were unable to see us. However, the same Hudson which found us previously again sighted us and signalled a destroyer on the way. Then a few hours later two destroyers looked up on the horizon and we soon were aboard. “I will never forget the treriiehdous spirit of our Canadian. He was terrific despite pain and latterly being unable to move. He is now in a plaster jaoket recovering. We others did not feel much after effects. I was up in two days. “The chief thing I wanted when I got aboard the destroyer was a damn good drink of tea. I drank six cups and never tasted better tea in all my life!”

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