Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-14
Sinking
Continued From First Page.)

commander told him the transport
was like "a sitting target" The Ger
man said he had not known women
and children were aboard.
Four OF the transports lifeboats
were rendered useless by the tor
pedo explosions, but Is other boats
and number of RATS we're launched
successfully after the captain, of
Liverpool, gave the order to abandon
ship. Crewmen said the boats were
badly overloaded, some with a s.
person capacity carrying as many
as 30.
Passengers Remarkably Cool"
The first officer said that although
there was much confusion among
the prisoners, the crew and pas
sengers were remarkably cool"
The engines were stopped and the
lfeboats manned Immediately after
the attack, he said, and all pre-
cautions were taken to get the wom-
en- and children and the sick into
the boats. All boat ladders and nets
were dropped over the side and also
all Iferafts and buoys. All con-
fdential papers were thrown over
board in weighted boxes to keep the
enemy from getting them.
The second engineer. who was on
a raft with others, said German
submarine approached the raft be-
tween and 2 am. the next morn
ing. They took me below, gave me
a hot spiced drink and ordered me
to remove my clothing so it would
get dry"
The sub commander told him he
would radio the survivors position
and would give us safe escort to
any ship in the neighborhood" and
would not attack as long as the
submersible was not attacked.
Sub Picks Up 100 Victims.
THE sub submerged then and did
not surface until 9 am" the engi-
neer related. Later the commander
said he had picked up 100 persons
from life RATS, but that it was i'm
possible to keep them aboard be-
cause Of the shortage Of air.
He said he had located some life
boats and that we were to 60 on
top, where he divided the survivors
among several life boats he had
rounded up"
Later, the men in the engineers
boat and those in three other boats
decided to sail for land. The four
boats had proceeded 100 miles when
one Of them was stopped by an
italian submarine. The subs crew
told the boats occupants: You
damned British are always deter
mined" and then towed the boat
100 miles back to the area from
which it had started. The other
three life boats were stopped by
German submarine, whose crew fed
them and told them to remain where
they were and they would be rescued.
-Four hours later they were picked
up by the warship.
Apologies for Italians.
Survivors told naval officers here
that one sub took several women
and children from lifeboat, saying
they should receive better treatment
aboard the submersible. At the
same time the Germans placed
aboard the lifeboat eight Italians
they had picked out of the sea. The
sub commander said to the British
ers in the nfeboat: Il apologize for
having to put the italians with you
Britishers."
The captain was among those I'M
accounted for.
The third engineer said he was in
charge Of lifeboat in which there
were 20 Italians, 10 Britishers and
4 Polish guards. A sub surfaced
near them and placed So more Ital-
&ans aboard the boat.
The next morning the third en-
sineer was taken aboard a submarine
whose crew questioned him in
friendly manner concerning the war,
explaining they had been out Of
contact with war news for several
months.
Radio Aerials Destroyed.
The third engineer was returned to
his lifeboat and later another sub
came alongside and its crew began
to transfer food from the boat to the
submarine, the third engineer said,
While the Germans were transfer
ring the food some Italians started
to eat 1t. The third engineer objected,
saving the food belonged to the
British. The Germans then returned
the food to the lifeboat, the engineer
said.
Survivors said no radio messages
for assistance were sent from the
transport because the torpedo ex-
blossoms had destroyed the aerials.
Messages were sent later, however,
from q hfeboat equipped with a
'transmitter.
AR>A Gk>. tsVn~ - AAa0 hp4A0