The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1942-11-06
9Drift B Days
On z Life Rats;
Eat Raw Turtle
Survivors of a Torpedoing
Lose From 40 to So
Pounds Each.

NEW YORK. - Nine men who
drifted on two life RATS for 48 days
in the Atlantic after their ship was
torpedoed and sunk by a German
submarine told their story at an
East coast port
Among them were seven Norwe
gians, Dane and a Swede. They
were members of the crew of a.
aboard a Norwegian merchant YES
sci that was struck by two torpedoes
IN June about 800 miles off the At
lantic coast. Thirteen men were
lost and the ship went down in Is
minutes. The sinking of the ship
had been previously announced by
the navy.
F., Wearing rubber life belts, coats
and sweaters over their regular
clothes, the 81 survivors abandoned
ship and took to two lifeboats and
two RATS.
OF the survivors II, including the
captain and the wounded, were in a
motor boat, five in jolly boat and
nine on two RATS. The boats and
RATS were dashed together at first,
with the motorboat towing.
Try to Get Help.
When smoke was sighted on the
second day, the jolly boat set of in
an attempt to get help but failed.
That night the jolly boat started for
land alone. On the third day the
motor boat did likewise, after the
captain decided it was necessary to
save the wounded. Both boats
reached land week after the sink
ing.
The nine were left alone on their
two RATS, which were dashed togeth-
er by tow line. They were only 200
miles from shore, but from then on
the gulf stream kept moving them
seaward. The tow line kept break
ing. At the end the tow line had
been reduced from ten to two
fathoms
On their 10th day afloat the men.
sighted ship only two miles away
and sent up flares, but she failed to
stop. Again on the Both day they
saw vessel, headed straight for
them and only mile away. They
ran up signals, but she turned and
ran away at full steam.
Il am absolutely sure they saw
u.s." said a spokesman. "They
probably thought we were a SUBJ
marine trap"
Three heavy gales drove the RATS
hundreds of miles out to sea.
when the first gale struck most
of us were asleep, and we were
nearly swept off the RATS" he said.
I'VE chung to everything in sight"
Ate Raw Turtles.
The men had rations that lasted
three weeks, or less than half the
time they were on the RATS. After
that they caught fish and turtles.
I'VE caught three turtles, each
about so or 60 pounds, and / guess
It was the turtle fat that nourished
u.s." said the spokesman.
They ate the fish and turtles raw,
and drank the turtle blood. They
also drank rain water that they
caught in the sails.
The men bathed in the ocean in
turns, others welding oars to drive
off the sharks that swan around
the RATS.
When the rescue ship picked them
up all nine were able to climb the
ships ladder without help. One
dived from the raft and swan 100
yards to grasp line thrown from
the ship.
The nine, who ranged from 81 to
90 years in age, had lost from 40 to
SO pounds each. The ships doctor
found them suffering from malnu-
triton, but otherwise all right phys
ically. They said the summer
weather and their life suits saved
them. When interviewed ashore,
they had regained much of their lost
weight, and were bronzed and clear
eyed.
All said they were ready to 90
back to sea when fully recovered.