TWELVE HOURS ON FLOAT

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23808, 30 November 1942, Page 3

TWELVE HOURS ON FLOAT

N.Z. NAVAL RATINGS TORPEDOED '(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, Nov, 27. Twelve hours were spent on a Carley float by 11 New Zealanders after their ship had been hit by five torpedoes. The men were Able Seamen D. W. Dowman and J. Donkin (Wellington), T. Galvin, J. Curry, and A. Cherry (all of Dunedin). P. Fearson and B. McConie (Hamilton), R. A. Fulton (Woodville), V. Narbey (PaHiatua), F. J. Lemberg (Palmerston North), and B. G. Nicol (Waipukurau). They were picked up by a destroyer and taken to Casablanca and then to Gibraltar. They are now in London on survivors’ leave. Galvin said: “It was pitch black when the first torpedo hit the ship. We went to action stations and were towed by another ship until a second torpedo hit us two hours later. We went on to our Carley float stations, and then a third torpedo arrived under the quarterdeck. The ship was now listing heavily. We were ordered to abandon ship, and many of us jumped overboard, scraping ourselves against the barnacles as we went into the sea. “It was warm in the water, but a heavy swell was running. Two more torpedoes hit the ship, which was a terrific sight from sea level. We did not like the depth charges which went off regularly. They concussed i'< and made us feel a bit sick, but they definitely got two submarines and probably destroyed a third. The Yankees fitted us out with clothes at C'r’Blanca and were very good to us.” .’'“us is the second time that these have seen a sea ac‘hnyjt'hey were previously in a ship was damaged as they were ffing to Africa, with a result that jti-'y spent six months in "That is the place for us, it is marvellous,” they said.