>From: "Carolyn Wallace" <[email protected]> >To: "ns roots" <[email protected]> >Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 21:49:46 -0300 >Subject: [nsroots] A Sea Saga-Perfect Order When Torpedo Downs Ship-1942 > > >The Eastern Chronicle, New Glasgow, N.S., Thursday, May 21, 1942: > > A Sea Saga > Perfect Order When Torpedo Downs Ship > Antigonish- May 29- John Grant Chisholm, 30.and George Thomas Martin, 22, >both of Antigonish, are singing the praises of the Captain of a steamship >that was sunk by a enemy torpedo in the Western Atlantic recently. Home for >a rest after their harrowing experiences, both man say that if it had not >been for the training the Captain gave his officers and men, the loss of >life would have been much greater than 12. "everybody knew what he was >expected to do and did it. There was perfect order", Chisholm and Martin >said. > Several Instantly Killed > John G. Chisholm ia a son of Mr. and Mrs. Valentine Chisholm, Geo.T. >Martin is the only son of Mrs. Arthur Martin, who moved here from Harbor >Britain, Newfoundland in 1940. Her husband and 24 other men disappeared in a >fishing vessel eight years ago. > Chisholm had been in his bunk ten minutes when the first U-boat torpedo >missed them, the next one following immediately found the after-quarter, and >among other damage, blew up No.3 hatch, killing several men who were lying >there. Some fell in the hold, others were thrown overboard by the explosion. >The butcher was strolling on deck with his pet dog when the force wafted him >into the sea, a wave washed him back on board. Chisholm's room mate forward >was Brant Wolffe of Lunenburg, who was asleep. He was awakened by Chisholm >and both men picked up their flashlights, overcoats, lifebelts and private >papers. The attack occured at 9:10pm and twenty minutes later the ship >disappeared stern first. Rafts and boats were lowered. Chisholm was second >in command in the chief engineers >boat which picked up four occupants of two of the rafts at 10:30pm. > Could Not Stop Engines > Two West Indians were trapped in the engine room and others were >powerless to rescue them. The chief engineer, up to his neck in water could >not stop the engines. > George Martin was feared for a time to have lost his life. His sleeping >quarters were close to the part of the ship that was hit. The force of the >explosion threw him unhurt, up against the deck head, he landed on top of >his room mate William Anderson of Borgeo, Newfoundland. "he was pinned under >my bunk and he called for help", said Martin who held the cabin door open >while he extricated himself. "We ran from the room, but could not get the >starboard raft off from the after rigging". > "I ran over what I thought was No. 3 hatch and got about halfway across >when I felt the tarpaulin giving way under me. It was full of holes from the >torpedo, and it was here that some of the men lost their lives. I don't know >how I got back but I did," said Martin, who succeeded in getting into the >lifeboat in charge of Jacob Pettipas, Halifax. > Chisholm and Martin, with the other survivors were picked up by a U.S. >warship and taken to port where the wounded and injured were taken to >hospital. > Caused Laughter > Chisholm tells of an incident that brought laughter and relaxation . In >his boat all occupants were covered at night with canvas. The third day >after the torpedoing he could hardly believe his eyes when at break of day >he saw one person who had been torpedoed before, calmly sitting on the >thwart reading funny papers. "where he got them none of us knew but >everybody had a good laugh". > Nova Scotias in Chisholm's boat included Harold Bates, Truro; Cecil >Esnor, Bridgewater; Brant Wolffe, Lunenburg; Jacob Pettipas, Halifax; his >brother Phonse Pettipas, Fred Downie, Pictou Road; Francis, Lunenburg. >xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >Carolyn Wallace >___________________________________________ >nsroots mailing list >[email protected] >http://mailman.ednet.ns.ca/cgi-bin/listinfo/nsroots