LOSING BATTLE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 October 1941, Page 6

LOSING BATTLE

FOUGHT GALLANTLY ON BURNING SHIP DOGGED EFFORTS OF BRITISH CREW. TIMELY RESCUE BY AMERICAN DESTROYER. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.28 a.m.) RUGBY, October 24. Rescue work by the crew of a United States destroyer, when, a British merchant ship caught fire in the Atlantic, is described in naval circles. The fight of the merchant ship’s crew to save the ship was equally dogged. For thirteen hours they fought a losing battle with the flames. The engine room bulkhead grew red hot, and flames shot down into the stokehold, making it impossible for anyone to remain, there. The saloon deck caught fire and collapsed. The hatches collapsed and there was only one small island on the port side, from which the crew continued to fight the lire. The engineers had to leave the engine room and the pumps ceased work. The captain now sent out a call for assistance and ordered the crew into the boats. He and the chief engineer remained aboard, to drop confidential papers over the side. By this time the whole of the ship was blazing furiously. The captain and the chief en-l gineel 4 leapt into the sea andi swam to a boat. A patrolling American destroyer searched round the sea lit by the fire, in sheets of rain. At last a boat was found drawn in under the counter of the burning ship, still made fast by a painter. Every man in the boat was fast asleep. While the crew were' boarding the destroyer a native seaman slipped and fell into the water. He was too weak to swim against the rough sea and was rapidly drifting away when Ensign I. C. Savage dived, fully clothed, to his help. .After a twenty minutes’ struggle, Ensign Savage towed him near enough to the destroyer for a line to be thrown and both were Aauled aboard. At the time of the rescue there was a very rough sea and a heavy swell running. It was raining heavily and was very dark.