23 DAYS IN A LIFFBOAT.

Kaikoura Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 58, 29 July 1943, Page 1

23 DAYS IN A LIFFBOAT.

NAVIGATED 650 jAIES. Four strips of browy cardboard ripped from a packing cysc comprised the log of three Unitecy States Navy men and seven ship’s omcers who survived 23 days in the Atlantic in a 22dfebt lifeboat after theft merchant vessel had been torpedoei. The men navigated <5O miles with an error of only 15 miles in calculations. The cardboard log 17as kept by Ronald Josepji Hurley, on Sioux Falls, S.D n a Navy Signalman.,; With John E. Payne (Seaman First!Class), of Centralia, Illinois, and Ifcobert R. Bowman (Seaman First Clas|), of East Ports* mouth, Ohio, he reported to naval headquarters in London ;nfter a flight from Lisbon, Portugal. I “Wc| were all alking about what happened dtring aur weeks of drifting and I lecided to write it down,” the log be an. li Mountainous i eas the first three days forced us t< bail most of the time. It rained on ind off ...” Later he wrote: “Although we are still drifting . . I feel with God’s trust we will sooi be safe and sound and back to the j Dod old U.S.A.” The men were j eked up later by a Portuguese fishing boat, which took them to Lisbon. Others in the bo it were First Assistant Engineer Lie it. Frank Wachter; Andrew Papastro, First Mate; Henry Harrison, Second late; George Gengler, Third Mate; Ci Set Patrick Getchell George Green (< igineer), and Cadet Irving Schafner.