On
March 2nd, 1943 the Melbourne Star sailed from Liverpool
on her way to Sydney through the Panama Canal. She carried a crew of 87
with 31 passengers, and was commanded by Captain James Bennett Hall,
whose name will be remembered as having been in command of the
Andalucia Star when that vessel was sunk by an U-boat on October
6th, 1942. Among those on board the Melbourne Star who had
been in her during her historic voyage to Malta in August, 1942, were
the Chief Officer, Mr. L. Parsons; Mr. H. Blandford, the Chief Engineer.
Mr. C. W. Almond, the Chief Refrigerating Engineer; Mr W. E. Richards,
the Second Officer, and Mr. J. Cook, the Boatswain.
The
ship carried a heavy cargo of torpedoes, ammunition and other munitions
of war, and once clear of the most dangerous submarine area sailed
unescorted.
We
know few of the details of her loss, except that at about 3.0 a.m. on
April 2nd, when 480 miles south-east of Bermuda in the bad weather that
was raging all over the North Atlantic, she was struck by two torpedoes
almost simultaneously. The double explosion detonated portions of her
dangerous cargo, for three-quarters of the vessel were destroyed in a
flash. The explosions were so sudden and devastating that neither
passengers nor crew could muster at their boat stations, even if any
boats had been left intact. . Practically the entire complement perished
simultaneously, and the shattered remains of the ship went to the bottom
in less than two minutes. As she foundered several of the life-saving
rafts floated free to which a few of the survivors managed to scramble.
Their plight was made even worse by the heavy sea and low visibility,
and when the dawn came only 11 people were left alive on the rafts.
At
daylight the U-boat approached the two rafts in turn and her commander
questioned the occupants as to the name of the ship and the nature of
her cargo. Then they were left to their own resources, and the rafts
drifted apart. There had been no chance to send off an S.O.S., and the
first news of the Melbourne Star loss came through the
usual boastful German broadcast.
One
of the rafts was never seen or heard of again. The other, which
contained four men named W. Best, W. Burns, R. Nunn, and L. White, had
on board eight tins of biscuits, some tins of chocolate, malted milk
tablets, pemmican, 22 gallons of water and a two gallon tin of massage
oil for use against exposure. By the mercy of Providence the weather
remained stormy for only three days, after which it became calm and they
just drifted at the mercy of the breeze and current. Improvising fishing
lines they caught about 50 fish, which, eaten raw, probably saved their
lives. The special oil was most valuable.
Every morning when daylight came they gazed round the 1eaving horizon,
hoping for the sight of a ship or perhaps a feather of smoke moving in
their direction. Each morning they were disappointed. The great ocean
remained barren, shining like burnished steel in the glare of the sun.
The days passed in dreadful monotony and anxiety. Many times they gave
themselves up for lost, wondering, perhaps, what would happen when their
water was exhausted.
It
was on May 9, 38 days after the Melbourne Star had been
sunk, that they were sighted by an American flying boat which came down
on the water and taxied alongside. After a flight of two and a half
hours they were landed at Bermuda. They were all covered in salt water
ulcers and had to have medical attention; but considering the length of
time they had been adrift were in unusually good condition.
In the
London Gazette of August, 1944, 16 months after their rescue, it was
announced that William Best, Greaser; William Joseph Burns, Greaser;
Ronald Nunn, Ordinary Seaman; and Leonard White, Able Seaman, had all
been awarded the British Empire Medal for “outstanding qualities of
courage, fortitude and endurance which enabled them to survive the
hardships and perils of the long and hazardous ordeal on the raft.”
Nunn
did not survive to receive his award. He lost his life by enemy action
in S.S. Dungrange when that vessel was torpedoed and sunk
by an E boat off St. Catherine’s Point, Isle of Wight, on June 10th,
1944.
