Detroit evening times., 1943-09-03
RACK FROM UEET Bu Burris Jenkins. eBFs
Tor pedoed He Floats
In Life-Roft 3 DAYS
IFE began at 40 for John Rrooks-his seafaring life

IFE began at 49for John Brooks-his seafaring life.
II almost ended there when he went down with his ship
40 feet under water before an explosion blew him float
% days a life raft in the Indian Ocean.
Until then John Brooks a railroad fireman and
brakeman Stanton Mich He joined the Navy in Feb
ruary AZ because he was out OF work at the time Though
his brother served % years the Navy Johns only experience
fishing from a rowboat
Seven months year old John Brooks has seen
Trinidad Capeown Sudan suez and Port Said and now
steaming old freighter bound for Colombo Cey
lon in the Indian Ocean with cargo Of salt.
It is 5:55 a. m-just breaking daylght-when John re-
eve the watch the gun He tells the man on his gun
crew. fellow name Bryan go below for hot coffee At
that second torpedo hsnear the No hatch right back
aft"
Nobody sees the torpedo the submarine Johns first
impression is that something up Then the hear
water running" realize the ship is sinking rapidly
John starts climbing under the biggun mount to get the
rubber his The suits not heavy but ne sud
denly finds in the rising water which has now
reached his hips The suction Of the sinking stern holds him
rigid.
The water rises on his neck Johns body-buoyed by a
hejacke- up under the gun mount his head bump
ing hard against the metal base
Il thought this was the end is all he say about now.
Slowly he pulls himself hand hand along the angle
line or brace that holds gun mount He intends try to
unace the life Jacket when he gets the edge Of the gun
mount though he already been under at least minute
and realizes that about feet of water his head
There another old down there, about 90 or 6U
years old him hanging to winch guess he never
let CO..
An explosion underneath him saves Brooks life. He
know what the explosion the boilers or some
thng-it all happens so quick
Brooks finds himself floating to the surface still holding
his breath Az the top he gasps hard but doesn't swallow any
AL be the bow Of the ship high out OF water
100 away Then empty life raft 20 feet away
He swis over to It, When he looks back the ship gone
An oer named Sam something arrives at the raft at the
same and ne and John unlah the and paddle
around TO pick up Some RATS that all
broke up and the call peously, For God sake come
get US!
Altogether 10 or II men are loaded onto this raft and
Of them without life preseryer saved by the ship carpen
ter who sw1ms ont TO get him
By zow there only three servceabe RATS aflot and
total OF q from the original OF 4S. or these
the Captain and second and third engineers the only
surviving officers
Besides Johns raft there is slightly larger and
small doughnu raft made Of cork The spend the day
gathering dunnage and floating tmbes 10 build craft sea-
worthy enough TO support al the survivors
The large raft and the doughnut connected by tim
bsTs. the small one IN front
The medium raft holding seven men leads the procession
bv short hauser These include the SHIPS Officers
gun captain steward oier and John Brooks
We all the Oldest and figured The youngsters would
do better being together
The first dav everybody the RATS in the intense
heat Many without clothes suffer sunburn The third engl
reused from sleep by the torpedo without stitch OF
clothes his and he weighed $40 pounds There was
whole lot OF him TO sunburn
That night II and MO gets much rest They catch
OF with hole held water
Sleep ftfu in the wet cramped unfamiliar quarters
Next forenoon they rig small square sail and set out for
ceyoR 200 miles ahead The Captain orders aonng OF water