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Thread: Indian Ocean Rescue: 16 Days on a Lifeboat

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    Default Indian Ocean Rescue: 16 Days on a Lifeboat

    This is the story of my rescue, together with 46 other men, from one of five rafts in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It was in February 1944. My ship, SS
    Fort Buckingham
    had been sunk some two weeks earlier (the night of 20 January) by the German U-boat U-188, 500 miles west of the Laccadive Islands. The ship sank in less than six minutes, before any lifeboats could be launched. Thirty-eight men were lost as the ship sank, including all the officers other than the Chief Engineer.

    Read on Thanks to WW2 Peoples War Articles

    BBC - WW2 People's War - Indian Ocean Rescue: 16 Days on a Lifeboat
    Contributed by
    norman gibson
    Article ID:
    A1129899
    Contributed on:
    01 August 2003

    Last edited by Doc Vernon; 6th October 2018 at 03:14 AM.
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    Default Re: Indian Ocean Rescue: 16 Days on a Lifeboat

    Thank you Doc Vernon, for the account of your experience. I am amazed at how your rescue was accomplished, and sorry for all those that died.

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    Default Re: Indian Ocean Rescue: 16 Days on a Lifeboat

    This like so many other stories must be recorded for all to read.
    They must be there so that future generations can hopefully come to understand what war was like and how so many went through such terriible experiences.

    These are the men who fought for our freedom and must never be forgotten.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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    Default Re: Indian Ocean Rescue: 16 Days on a Lifeboat

    Re. Posts 1&2.
    With all due respects Vernon.
    i very much doubt you were part of the episode described.

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    Default Re: Indian Ocean Rescue: 16 Days on a Lifeboat

    Evan
    Of course I was not this is an Article from The Peoples War !
    And an Error on my part for giving a Thanks ,misread by the Lady and me !
    Thank you pointing this out.
    Cheers
    Last edited by Doc Vernon; 6th October 2018 at 02:19 AM.
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    Default Re: Indian Ocean Rescue: 16 Days on a Lifeboat

    Quote Originally Posted by Caroline Steven View Post
    Thank you Doc Vernon, for the account of your experience. I am amazed at how your rescue was accomplished, and sorry for all those that died.
    If this was meant to me I am sorry that you may have read it as such,it is in fact an Article from a Story of The Peoples War
    Sorry I gave a Thanks it was not meant as such toward me but towards the Men in the Story
    Cheers


    Contributed by
    norman gibson
    Article ID:
    A1129899
    Contributed on:
    01 August 2003
    Last edited by Doc Vernon; 6th October 2018 at 03:14 AM.
    Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website

    R697530

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    Default Re: Indian Ocean Rescue: 16 Days on a Lifeboat

    If there is anyone on site who has dealt with survivors would be interesting to know if they made the same observations as I did. Those not injured seemed to be on high dough and wanted to talk to someone to explain what they had been through and were a bit of a pain in The ass they seemed unconcerned that it was a continuing endeavour. I think this level of high excitement , probably due to the fact they were still alive must have worn out before the depression set in. When I and others of similar age group first went to sea anyone over 24 years of age had in all probability been at sea during the war years , and yet they seemed uncomfortable about talking about it and rarely brought the subject up. And yet they probably at the time exuded the same symptoms as stated. Shock and it’s after effects have no doubt been studied by the shrinks, but will be hard for people not there writing about from a third party perspective. So people have to use their own imagination as to the state of mind of some of these survivors. JWS

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    Default Re: Indian Ocean Rescue: 16 Days on a Lifeboat

    During WW1 my grandfather, ships engineer, spent four days on a life raft when his ship was sunk by enemy action.

    Yet in all the years |I knew him, up to the age of about 24, I never heard him speak of it.

    My grand mother said he told her at the time but that was it, he did not want to relive the story again.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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