Evening star., 1942-07-22
Seaman Dies 10 Save
18Aboard Torpedoed
u. 5. Cargo Vessel
Men Rescued After 19
Days on Roft;; Six Sinkines
Increase TotuI to 396
By tht Associated Press.

B! tht Associated Press.
The heroic sacrifice of a 25-year-
old seaman saved 18 shipmates in
the sinking of a United States cargo
vessel, the Navy reported today in
announcing another torpedoing in
the Western Atlantic.
Torpedoing of a small British
merchant vessel in the Caribbean
on May % also was announced
Survivors have been landed at a
Gulf Coast port. Sixteen men out
of a crew of 48 were lost. All men,
bers of the crew were British.
The loss of the United States mer-
chant vessel, sent to the bottom
June % about $50 miles off the East
Coast, and the British vessel, in
creased to 1896 the unofficial Asso-
ciated Press tabulation of United
Nations and neutral sinkings in the
zone since Pearl Harbor.
Survivors of the American boat
said at an East Coast port that
Miles Nelkin gave his life in re-
leasing RATS which saved 18 seamen
from the 37-man crew. The men
were on the RATS 10 days before
being rescued.
Fish Killed With Oar.
Cruising in the ships wreckage,
they fished potatoes and onions out
of the water to supplement their
store of biscuits. Oiler William
Thompson deftly used an oar to
blackjack fish which came to the
surface to nibble on seaweed.
Raw fish are delicious" Thomp-
son said, especially after you get to
like uncooked onions and potatoes" +"
AS wartime sinkings in the West
ern Atlantic neared the 400 mark,
the War Shipping Administration
commented that losses ''have great
ly exceeded new construction"
The Navy yesterday announced
the sinking of four vessels, including
two American merchantmen, small
British cargo vessel and a Portu-
guese fishing craft, shelled in
the daylight despite its neutral
markings.
Two Killed, "a Missing.
The Navy said the sinking of the
Portuguese vessel in the North At
lantic June was the first subma-
Zine attack in the Atlantic on a
craft of that neutral country.
Two of the crew were known dead
and "a others missing. Capt. Sill
VIC Ramalheir and seven other sur
vivors reported on reaching a New
England port.
The captain said that besides the
painted Portuguese flags and BAN
ner flying at the masthead, other
flags were broken out when the
firing began and that, while bound
for the Greenland fishing banks for
Goldfish, he purposely had avoided
the Atlantic danger zones pro-
claimed by the Nazis at the start of
the war.
Survivors sailed 400 miles in IL
days in lifeboats before they were
picked up by Coast Guard vessel.
Subs Trap British Ship.
Three Axis submarines trapped
the small British ship $50 miles off
the Atlantic Coast six weeks ago,
and shelling 1t from three angles,
took 3 hours and 20 minutes to
sink 1t.
Five men, including the master,
were killed and SO we're rescued.
In the Gulf of Mexico, eight OF
the crew of SO aboard one of the
United States merchantmen were
lost July 13 when a torpedo sank
their ship, and one Of the survivors
hospitalized ashore died Monday to
make the casualty list nine.
The other American loss an
nounced yesterday occurred June 3
In the Caribbean. Thirteen seamen
still are missing from the 45-man
crew. Two survivors said they had
been picked up by the attacking
submarine and held for two hours
when the raider crash-dived to
escape Navy planes.
After arguing with the sub COM
mander about Germany's chances to
win the war, they were placed in a
lifeboat and instructed how to reach
land,