Sailor Swims for Hour in Mid-Atlantic

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 409, 18 July 1928, Page 1

Sailor Swims for Hour in Mid-Atlantic

Shipmate’s Hope for Excitement Realised

PORT HUON ADVENTURE

Jack Gettenby, a member of the crew of the Port Huon, which arrived in Auckland this morning, denies that he is doing intensive training for a channel swim, but his actions deny his words. During the trip he had one hour’s swim in mid-Atlantic, with his ship over a mile away, and his companions straining anxious eyes for the swimmer they could not see. It was on the evening of June 14, when the Port Huon was eight days out from London. Gattenby and a companion were working on the life-boats when another seaman said he hoped some one would fall overboard just to jazz the evening up a bit. “If anybody falls overboard,” replied Jack, “I’ll throw a hammer at him.” The ship gave an unexpected lurch —Jack grabbed something that wasn't there, and the swim began. The “man overboard” cry went up, and the ship hove-to a mile away.

Life-buoys were thrown overboard, but the unwilling swimmer did not sight them. It was almost an hour before he waf picked up by a ship’s boat. Describing his experience this morning Jack said he had to swim on his back to avoid the smacks of the waves.

“The water was too cold for me,” he added, “and I’m not going to do that swim again on the way home.” Although he did not mention it himself, another sailor said that Jack was a trifle embarrassed coming aboard after the swim, for he had forgotten to bring his trousers with him, and he had glimpsed some lady passengers interested in the rescue from the sea.