HERO OF A STORM

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 112, 13 May 1937, Page 4

HERO OF A STORM

AIDING GERMAN VESSEL1

ZEALANDIC'S ROUGH TIME

(From "The Post's" Representative),

LONDON, April 14,

Tribute to the devotion to duty displayed by Mr. John Stewart,, of. Glasgow, wireless operator of the' Shaw Savill and Albion motor-ship Zealandic (8443 tons), while she was fighting her way through an Atlantic storm to the rescue of the German . steamer Borkum, was paid by Captair^ G. Williams when the vessel . .reached Southampton from New Zealand' last week. . ■..-■'■■•

"Mr. Stewart is the real hero of our rescue dash," said the- commander, "for he stuck by his instruments for, more than 30 hours without a word oi. complaint and with no sleep. He listened continuously and, in all, - received or sent out .56 messages transmitted between, the eight ships making for the scene in answer to the- Borkum's. urgent call for assistance." - • ■<

The Zealandic,- swept continuously, by terrific seas, was for 17 hours ; hova to, and was engaged for 40 hours in trying to help the German ship. .During the height of the storm a terrifle wave crashed on her stern and carried away heavy teak doors, furniture,, and fittings in the after-deck house. Waves wrecked the carpenter's' and boatswain's rooms and washed '■■ overboard the after-steering wheel compasses and telephones, in addition to damaging the decking bridge ventilators and rails and injuring two members." of the crew.

Charlie Richards, the ship's carpenter, of Keeble Road, B,potle, ' was injured when his shop was .wrecked. He recsived abrasions and contusions, and having been treated for,them suffered further injury.later in the same storm.

Captain Williams, .a native of Criccieth, said: "The seas were more.formidable than I have ever seen.. They rose up like pyramids.' I feared every minute that our own- steering gear would be incapacitated and that we ourselves would become a lame duck."