SURVIVORS LANDED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 September 1939, Page 6

SURVIVORS LANDED

NEARLY FOUR HUNDRED FROM COURAGEOUS WARSHIP FOUNDERS WITHIN 30 MINUTES. FATE OF CAPTAIN UNKNOWN. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received This Day, 12.50 p.m.) LONDON, September 18. A destroyer bus landed nearly four hundred survivors of the Courageous. Lt is not known how many merchant ships rescued. A survivor said orders to abandon the ship came after five minutes. She foundered after thirty minutes. Some boats could not be used owing to the vessel heeling so quickly. There were two distinct explosions at an interval of about a second, also a few minor explosions. Most of the crew jumped into the water. Besides destroyers, British merchantmen, a Netherlands liner . and an American freighter gave assistance. The fate of the commander, Captain Jones, is unknown. He was last seen on the bridge ordering the crew to abandon the ship. VIOLENT EXPLOSIONS MEN DISPLAY GREAT SPIRIT. OVER ELEVEN HUNDRED ABOARD. (Received This Day, 1.25 p.m.) LONDON, September 18. The ship's company of the Courageous numbered over eleven hundred. Paymaster Sub-Lieutenant I. F. Westmacott, the captain's secretary, said: “I was having supper when I heard two violent explosions, which seemed to lift the ship. All the lights went out. I made mj r way to the seaplane platform. The men waiting there did not seem to realise the ship would sink so soon. Suddenly, the order was given for everyone to get into the water. Some went, to the floats, others got the boats out. I just stripped off and jumped into the water, where I swam about for forty minutes and reached a destroyer. Everyone was calm, cracked jokes and carried on with whatever jobs they were doing before leaving the Courageous.”