YOUTH’S ADVENTURES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20980, 31 December 1942, Page 2

YOUTH’S ADVENTURES

NAPIER BOY OF 15 . TORPEDOED AT SEA The majority of boys at the age, of 15 have dreams of touring the World but there is at least one boy of that age in Napier who has already seen the United, States, Panama, Scotland and England and has been torpedoed by enemy action. This hoy is Richard Mahoney Whittingham, of Goldsmith road, Napier. . Master Whittingham, who was 15 on December 5. joined the mercantile marine as a deck boy nine months ago. He went to Canada, and while returning, to New Zealand was torpedoed. “We had left Canada and were bound for New Zealand, when we were torpedoed,” Master Whittingham told a Daily Telegraph representative. “I was asleep at the time of the attack, and after we had been .hit the ship began to shake violently. We were too busy trying to save our live? to worry about saving clothes. We took to the lifeboats and the shin sank in four and a half to five minutes.” While they were in the lifeboats, a German submarine, surfaced and game np, and the commander of it asked a lew questions about the ship and then submerged. , . . “We didn’t mind much being torpedoed,” he said, “but we didri!t like the thought of being machinegunned.” The crew wore adrift in lifeboats for five days—during which time two Costa Ricans died and were, burjed at sea—before being picked Up by a schooner arid taken to port.., , Seventeen days were spent at, this nort and then the survivors went bn to New York. While at Ne,w York they stayed at the Imperial Hotel, on Broadway, and were there for a total of eight 'weeks. . “It was a wonderful place,’’ Master Whittingham said, "blit very expensive.” . ... Later he went to Glasgow as a nnssengpr. From Glasgow , Master Whittingham went to London, find from London ,to another port, where he joined up with the ship that brn'wht hfin back to New Zealand.

Although he is on . indefinite leave at present, Master Whittingham intends to go back to sea again.