Rescue on the High Seas

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 211, 6 September 1943, Page 4

Rescue on the High Seas

I (Special Correspondent.) Received Sundav, 8.40 p.m. LONDON, Sept. 4. Sailors Lad to stand by with rifles shooting at sharks when si corvette commanded by Lieutenant-Commander J. 1\ Holm, D.S.C., R.N.Z.N.R., of Wellington, picked up survivors near the Equator. Holm’s ship had steamed about 600 miles with another corvette and a destroyer before they sighted a number of lifeboats late one evening. The following morning Holm set out to find the remainder of the survivors on rafts. He guessed their position by the direction of the wind and guessed correctly. Some sharks were shot as they gathered up the remainder of the survivors. He took them to port. Many had been in the water GO hours. In addition to its crew of 90, the corvette took aboard 348 ffurvivors, including Polish, and French women. Holm recently returned to England accompanied by three of his officers, Lieutenants C. S. Evans (New Plymouth), J. H. Cooper (Hastings) and G. T. IS. Baylis (Auckland). In the past year Holm’s ship steamed 100,000 miles and escorted at least a thousand ships for the loss only of 14, and sinking one U-boat for which Holm was decorated.

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