Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-01
.U-60AT PACK

But If a raider intercepts us.
II they try TO TAX our oil :"
Rlnnan shrugged They
wouldn't hesitate to shoot us for
trying 20 scuttle the ship. 1t
seems 10 mc you're all going
about tins 50 emotionally that
you don't"
Captain Korcn stood up
abruptly Il wonder why you
sailed with us / wonder what
you are doing on a Norwegian
ship, Mr. Rinnan? You don't
care whether England. or Ger
many gets our OIL"
lie left the mcssroom and, one
by one, the other officers fol-
lowed him The steward did not
return. Rinnan slipped the last
of his coffee not tasting IT, He
finished his cigarette and stood
up. His eyes rested on the flag
drapcd portrait OF King Haakon
on the after bulkhead The King
was smiling Rinnan picked up
his water glass and casting a
quick look at the empty doorway
TO the stewards pantry, lifted
the glass To the level of his eyes.
"Skaal!" he whispered, and
drank quickly.
1t was almost dawn The half
gale which had pounded the
Austfclds stern for three days
had died the evening before,
leaving an oily, heaving sea. Day
after day they had marched east
ward, rolling and pitching, water
sweeping the low decks with UNI
varying regularity. Since leaving
the Windward Passage they had
sighted no ship not even
Whisp of smoke on the horizon
They seemed to be the only thing
on the face of the globe, although
last night, for a fleeing moment,
a lookout thought ne had seen a
plane some distance away,
through break in the clouds
All the deck officers were on
the bridge now, sweeping the
horizons as they began to light
en-. An air Of tenseness pre-
--Vadeet ship. II II had been a
/ plane the lookout Saw-and- the
! plane had been an enemy, this
( dawn would tell the story Rim
nan, standing near two off-duty
oilers at the weather rail, felt
his breath go-o out in a long.
grateful sigh as the sun popped
blindingly over the eastern hori-
zon and no warning cry rang out
from the bridge The oilers be-
gan TO laugh and slap each other
on the back.
I ilNN ldi - II IilNt liiltI
He smiled back at the grin
ming men For days even the
crew had spoken to him only in
grunts Only four hundred +
miles or SO. Well be in late to-
morrow maybe
One of the oilers Jumped into |
the air. clicking his heels togeth-
er. You know what I'm going |
to do first? I'm going to-.
He never finished the sentence. |
There was a shrill, angry whine |
in the air, and a hundred feet |
away from them the sea erupted |
in a geyser of dirty white water.
The sodden cough of the cXplo-
sion almost muffled the below
from the lookout at the fore
masthead.
Submarine, Submarine"
The events of the next few
minutes were never completely |
clear to Gcorg Rinuan Men
seemed TO pour out on deck
shouting He leaned over the
hulwarks There. right in the
center Of the sun. Just off the
starboard bow, lay the submar-
inc He could look at IL only for
a moment, the light behind IT
was So strong. The next instant
ne was spinning across the deck
and his ears were filled with a
stunning revcrbcration as the
radio room and part of the chart
house dislntegratcd into singing
spIIntcrs As If by magic the
decks which had been crowded,
cleared one Of the oilers lay
spraWlcd on the steel plates.
kicking feebly
Rinnau found himself in his
cabin making "a careful pile Of
cigarette and chocolate tins on |
his table
They'll shell as 10 pieces. ne
thought They'll set us afirc
But thcrc wore no more cNnlo-
si0us When he realized IT. hc
wont back outside. other mem
bcrs of the crew were coming
t...I....