ORDEAL AT SEA

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24827, 25 February 1944, Page 5

ORDEAL AT SEA

[VOYAGE IN OPEN BOAT trek through jungle For bringing 23 of his ship's company safely through an ordeal which incluoed a 600-mile voyage in an open boat in the South Atlantic and a 200niile trek through the African jungle, Mr. L B. Hose, a well-known second officer in the New Zealand Shipping Company, has been awarded the M.B.E. His action in saving a drowning fourth engineer from a dark and partlysubmerged engine-room after his torpedoed ship had been abandoned has earned him Lloyd's medal for gallantry. When recently in Auckland Mr. Rose uas reticent aboujt his part in the adventure. His 5000-ton vessel had been torpedoed at night while home-ward-bound from Brazil late in 1942. ge was asleep at the time, and when the first torpedo hit lie was thrown through the bulkhead into the next room. Two of the crew were killed. The vessel's gun was blown off its mountings and it was decided to abandon ship in the two boats which were jot smashed. While the boats were leaving it was learned tii.it the fourth engineer was missing. With a greaser. Mr. Rose returned to the ship and found the engine-room full of water and the lights ou t. The engineer was found drowning under a grating and was rescued. Before leaving the vessel, and while it received another torpedo hit, Mr. Rose found time to get the navigating instruments from the bridge. Tablets Rationed A third torpedo struck the ship when the boats, one of them under the command of Mr. Ruse, were well clear. The men -saw a German submarine, whose commander talked to them and took the captain and the chief engineer prisoner. A second submarine was seen. 'Mr. Hose had '23 men in his boat, including the fourth engineer, who seemed likely to die during the first two days, but later recovered. On the second night the other boat, with the chief officer in charge, parted company with Mr. Rose's boat in a strong wind. "We were properly organised and had four tablespoons of water each a day, one milk tablet, one chocolate tablet and one meat tablet," said Mr. Rose. Extra sails were made from canvas and rigged on oars. After four days the men were suffering badly from thirst, and one collapsed. Fishing was not successful. Cigarettes were pooled and rationed out three at a time, when they were passed around the boat for each man to puff. Land Sighted Land was sighted at daybreak on the ninth day. Tropical rain chilled the men, whose almost naked bodies had been baked by the sun. As there was a heavy surf running off the shore, the weakened men were given surf instruction and everything was lashed down before an attempt was made to land. The second attempt was successful. Several sharks were seen.

Thcv found that they were on the Sierra Leone coast, south of the Sherboro River. Shelter «'as provided by the upturned boat and canvas. After nearly dying of thirst, the men had a surfeit of water. A greaser, formerly an Australian bushmnn, made a fire in tiie rain to make hot soup from a tii! of concentrated meat. The fire kept away the Inndcrabs and mosquitoes. Half a bottle of medicinal brandy was diluted in half a bucketful of water and passed around. The next day. armed with cudgels and two sharpened boathooks. the party set oft up the coast. When they reached the river they went inland, "baked alive bv the sun and frozen by tiie .showers." In the late afternoon tiiev met natives in canoes. The natives ran away, but returned and took them to a village of six mud huts. The lolloping morning a tribal ehiet visited them and ferried them across the river in his dug-out, canoe. At a big village they were feted and fed on boiled rice and chicken in large gourds, and served with a potent coconut wine. "Sanders of the River" News oi the party's discovery was beaten out on tom-toms and reached the district commissioner at Bonthe, a trading station 100 miles inland. After over a day walking and using canoes, the party was met by the district commissioner in a launch. "He was a real 'Sanders of the Kiver," said Mr. Rose, "a young man but a wonderful 'bloke'." Unfortunately he did not smoke and had no cigarettes. At Bonthe the officers were given a house and the men were quartered with residents. A ship's engineer worked on the commissioner's launches, which >wie in a bad state, and a native doctor attended to the sick and injured lilcll. Bonthe was m telegraphic communication with Freetown, ana n Walrus flying-boat arrived shortly and alighted Oil the rivi'r. From it stepped a former New Zealand Shipping Company officer, Lieutenant Caudran, who is now a. harbour pilot at Freetown. After a week, in which the men bathed ami shaved with difficulty, their skin being burnt black with sun, salt and fuel oil, find during which some of them developed malaria, a West Coast steamer came up another branch ol the river and thev were offered a passage. The party met the ship CO miles down the river and were taken to Freetown. Other Boat Picked Up ,"1 got back to Glasgow in November with very little clothing and was down malaria immediately." said Mr. Rose. He heard later that, the men in tiie other .boat had been picked up by a corvette alter tour days. "We had-sailed iurther than they expected wiiii our extra sails and tin-y did not look in our area," said Mr. j Rose. "One ship passed close to us. but did not. see us." -Mr. Ro*f\ whose home is in England, has been with the New Zealand Shipping Company sinee He has been a frequent visitor to Auckland. east tamaki sports A record rrov. d attended the East 'lamaki w P ! »rts Chili's annual irvnikliaua, and the sum over £ioo will ho donated to the patriotic fund a? a n-.sult. Following were the nvults: J uir-o'-wa r. final: Southdown defeated East -tamaki \ ( > •>. Horse events:—Pony, V\- hands: M C'iiftun'.s Moonlight, "1; M. JohiistunV Ahnva, Ponv, 11.'.': S. Milieus rwihsrht. j ; a. Conunons' .Minko, 2. Pony "inter, irj.g; Stevenson's Frisco, 1; A. W. Dunkirk A. Humphry's Perfect, Pony hunter, I t J. Goodwin's Rona. }■ Garland's Ranger, 2; M. Clifton's -Maonita, Maiden hack: J. Binary's Comet, -ots. Jules' Mollv, Litrht-wcialit hack: *• ,U- Smith's Over' She Goes. 1; Mrs. MonT?. r ® Heavy-weight hack: Mrs. J-Javis i{i;ioiuii. 1 ; A. Swaffiekl's Sonny Boy, j; Ladies' hack: p. H. Smith's Over She i TOC f. 1; S. Millen's Twilight 2. Maiden Jn inter: A. Harris' Pennv, 1; Mrs. Kennan's B"V. (J. Guv's Attajack, ft Liirhthunter: P. H. Smith's Over She w w 1; r ' Fulton's Grey Boy, 2. Heavy--s.?'™, hunter: Mrs. Davis' Riponui, 1; Mrs. vS!l ( ' r Tommy, 2. Champion hunter: Miss inters Tdmmv, 1: W. A. Stevenson's MaytZ er - A - Swaffield's Sonny Bov, 3. Wire Jjmp. Misf Foster's Tommy, 1; C, Fulton's S ny - -■ Consolation hunter: J. HouehPageant, 1; A. Swaffield's Sonny Boy.