THIRTEEN HOURS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 158, 5 July 1940, Page 8

THIRTEEN HOURS.

IN RUBBER DINGHY.

Paddled Leaking Craft With Shoes. BRITISH BOMBER CREW. British Official Wireless. (Received 11 a.m.) RUGBY, July 4. A crew of six of a British bomber whieh was forced to come down in the Nbrth Sea on account of engine trouble when returning from a raid over Germany have been picked up by pilots of their own squadron after drifting for over 13 hours in a rubber dinghy.

The pilot Lad. brought the disabled machine on to the water as well as he could after Bending out an SOS, and in the four and half minute, before it eank all six of the crew escaped. While the rear-gunner was climbing out the wireless aerial caught round hie neck and he was releaeed by cutting it with a knife. With all the crew safely in the dinghy, the captain ordered them to throw away their heavy clothes. They kept one pair of shoes to bale out the water, which lit first half fitted the dinghy. Later they used the flhoes to paddle the dinghy and navigated by the captain's compass. A small tear in the bottom of the dinghy wae effectively plugged by tue foot of one of the crew.

Meanwhile at the squadron's base in England, pilot* were volunteering to take part in a general search for the drifting dinghy. Eventually one of them, guided by a Verey cartridge fired from the dinghy, located the crew.

Having received the position by wireless, a bomber circled the area for nearly three hours, keeping the dinghy in sight all the time. Later it was relieved by another aircraft from the nquadron whic'.i remained over the dinghy until the men were picked up by a launch which had lieen *ent out.