SEAMEN'S ORDEAL
82 IN OPEN BOAT
CROSSING OF ATLANTIC
(Received April 21, 8 a.m.)
RIO DB-JANEIRO. April 20
An officer of the British steamer Britannia (8799 tons), which was sunk on April 3, described the horrors and heroism of an ordeal during which they came from the African, coast in an open lifeboat. He said that four British ■ seamen and 40 Indians died en route. The Britannia was shelled and sunk by a German raider and 17 Britishers and 65 Indians went down with the ship. Eighty-two survivors were loaded into a lifeboat built for 58 and headed for South America, taking advantage of the trade winds.
The situation rapidly worsened, but the captain refused to give up and had guided the boat to within sight of the Braziliain toast when he died. For the last twelve days the rations were a sea biscuit and one tablespoon of water a day.
Medical aid was rushed to the men
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 93, 21 April 1941, Page 8
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158SEAMEN'S ORDEAL Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 93, 21 April 1941, Page 8
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