Viking Star ~  Sinking August 25^th., 1942   ~ Taken from "Blue Star At War" by Taffrail

On July 30^th., 1942, the Viking Star, a 6,400 ton steamer of the Blue Star Line commanded by Captain James Mills, sailed from Buenos Aries on her way home with 4,500 tons of frozen meat and 200 tons of fertilizer. On the afternoon of August 25^th, after an uneventful voyage across the South Atlantic, she was about 180 miles to the southward of Freetown, Sierra Leone (17), whence she would sail on to the United Kingdom convoy. The visibility was good, with a fresh breeze from the south-southwest and moderate sea.

At about 4:50 p.m. the ship was suddenly torpedoed on the port side, the explosion completely smashing two boats, inundating the main deck with water, and breaking several steam-pipes. The vessel at once listed heavily over to port, and was obviously sinking. Orders were given to abandon ship, and the two starboard lifeboats were lowered and manned and life rafts dropped overboard. Mr. J. Rigiani, the Third Officer, described what happened.

One lifeboat, fairly full of men, cast off and drifted away from the ship, together with one raft. After procuring a sextant from the chartroom and making certain that no one was left on board, Rigiani slid down a lifeline into the second boat, which also had men in it. This boat, however, was filled to the thwarts with water and useless, so most of its occupants swam to a raft nearby. The raft became over-loaded and was in danger of capsizing, so Rigiani left it and swam to another, which was made fast to the other boat.

This sound boat pulled back to the, damaged one, and for some time they tried to bale her out. But their efforts were useless. The second boat was completely waterlogged. Accordingly, they transferred the stores and water and cast her adrift. They were still busy about this and about half-a-mile away from the ship when she was again torpedoed. The heavy explosion broke the Viking Star’s back. Bow and stern reared themselves out of the water and disappeared, with the red ensign still flying at the gaff.

Before she finally made off, the U-boat came to the surface and questioned survivors in the lifeboat as to the name of the ship and cargo. Her captain, who spoke some English, and was described as a big man with a red beard, boasted that he had sunk nine ships in the last four days, and that his total bag to date was 52. (Later identified as U-130 commanded by Korvettenkapitän Ernst Kals ).

Something over 30 men were in the lifeboat, in which was the Chief Officer, Mr. F. MacQuiston. Six men were on one of the rafts and seven on the other. There were two other rafts some distance away, and when dusk came the Chief Officer signalled with lights and electric torches and had replies. Up to date the weather had been calm; but during the night the wind and sea rose and the rafts began bumping.

At daylight next morning, August 26^th, both rafts were lashed together to act as a sea anchor for the lifeboat. At noon the Chief Officer raised the question of leaving the rafts together and of sailing off in the lifeboat for help. Rigiani thereupon pointed out they were in a patrol area only 150 miles from Freetown, and that they had sighted and signalled to a Sunderland flying-boat only five hours before the ship was torpedoed. He suggested that they should wait for 24 hours before separating, to which the Chief Officer agreed.

The sea rose somewhat during the day, and towards dusk and sighting smoke on the horizon raised their hopes. Efforts were made to attract attention with smoke floats; but they were unsuccessful.

Rigiani issued rations to the 13 men on the rafts. Preparing for the worst, he rationed the food and water to last for 25 days. It worked out at one biscuit, one spoonful of pemmican, one tablet of Horlick’s malted milk, one piece of chocolate, and half a small dipper of water per man each night and morning. They had in the rafts besides the food and water, one axe, one weather cloth, a compass, an emergency light which soon ceased to function because of sea water, some smoke signals, two spoons, two dippers, a small coil of lashing, six blankets and paddles.

During the second night the crew were divided up into two six-hour watches. Six men slept on the good raft, and the other seven sat on the one that was awash with the water almost up to their waists. It was cold, and they soon began to feel the effects of sitting in water.

It blew hard on August 27^th and 28^th with a heavy breaking sea. However, the boat, running before the wind, made good progress. By midnight the Chief Officer realised they must near the land. His men were utterly exhausted when, at 3:00 a.m. on the 29^th the boat was caught in heavy surf. Three curling seas broke over her in rapid succession, and everyone was swept overboard. Men, boat and all were dashed on to sandy beach. With what efforts one does not know they managed to haul the boat up and strip her of food and water. It was a lonely part of the coast of Sierra Leone; but after sundry vicissitudes MacQuiston and all his men reached safety. Of those in the lifeboat the Chief Officer made particular mention of Mr. F. Jones, the Second Officer, and Able Seaman F. Mayes who set a fine example.

Rigiani and his men, with one sound raft and the other waterlogged, finally struggled ashore on the coast of Liberia on September 4^th. The story of the voyage may be told as possible in Rigiani’s own words.

“I decided that we were making a course approximately east-south-east about twelve to fifteen miles a day. If the wind held there would be a chance to hit land before the Guinea current swept us around the bulge of Africa and into the Gulf of Guinea. This course was materially assisted by energetic paddling to keep the wind astern.  The knowledge that the land lay some 150 miles to the eastward was of great assistance to our spirits, despite the fact that many were suffering from open wounds and cuts, with little or no clothing to protect them from the alternate heat of the sun and frequent rain squalls, and the accumulating and depressing ordeal of spending every six hours sitting in salt water.

Each morning and evening the food ration was issued and the men tackled with gusto. Occasionally a fish was caught and then the diet was varied with raw fish. Unfortunately we could not take full advantage of rain storms to eke out our water ration owing to the fact that our blankets and weather clothes were continually soaked in salt water.”

On August 28^th, with the wind continuing from the southeast, the rafts made fair progress. They spent the day keeping them stern on to the sea, replacing the lashings and wedging lifejackets between the rafts to prevent chafe. At 6:00 p.m., just before sunset, they sighted what looked like another raft at three miles to the westward. By next day all hands settled down to watch keeping and everyone was pulling weight. One or two were suffering from exposure and fits of shivering, though there were no complaints. It was very cold during the ensuing night, and Rigiani issued an extra ration of malted milk tablets as some sort of compensation. August 30^th:

“6.00 a.m.  Food and drink. The sea was choppy but the sun broke through the cloudbanks and it became quite warm. At about 8:00 a.m., we sighted smoke to the southward, and later made out the masts, funnel and finally the hull of a steamer.”

They tried to attract her attention with flares and smoke signals, but to their mortification they were not seen and the vessel passed on and out of sight.

“The men were rather depressed; but not for long. The warmth of the sun was invigorating. They stretched out as best they could and for the first time since leaving the ship felt really warm.”

For the past three days the rafts had become the focus of interest to many small sharks. “Today,” Rigiani writes for August 30^th; “some really big ones came too close for comfort. During the day we also observed many barracuda, and once a large whale broke surface within 50 feet of the raft.” - Sufficiently unnerving!

“With nightfall came wind. The sea became fiercer. We heard an aeroplane overhead during the night, but had no means of attracting attention.”

At 06:00 the next morning, August 27^th Rigiani issued rations of food and water. Meanwhile the wind and sea rose, and made life in the rafts even more difficult. The lifeboat had difficulty in keeping at a safe distance from the rafts.

The question of separating was again discussed, and after Cadet Patterson had been transferred from the raft to the boat, and Able Seaman Daintith had given up his place in the boat to Gunner Hancock, the boat sailed off and disappeared to the northeast.

Mr. MacQuiston, having transferred some stores, and a mast and large flag, to the rafts, intended to send help. It was the only seamanlike thing to be done. His boat, with a life-saving capacity of 32 people, was already overcrowded with 36. To have embarked 13 more from the rafts in the prevailing weather conditions was to risk disaster.

At dawn on the last day of August it was blowing hard, and the vicious seas were breaking over the rafts. It was hard work to keep them running before wind and sea. Biscuits had become sodden, as the lockers, supposedly watertight, were full of water. Seawater had found its way into the tins of pemmican and chocolate. It was lucky the weather moderated during the day to a gentle breeze from the southwest with a small sea and swell. They sighted another raft about a mile away before darkness came. It was still in (sight next morning, September 1^st and after four hours hard paddling, two with the available paddles and the rest with their hands, they came up with the raft and took off it a man called Boardman.

“We lashed the three rafts together and in celebration had an extra food and water ration. Our provision situation was considerably improved by the addition of the foodstuffs from the third raft. It also had red lights and Wessex flares (all useless because the tins were not water- tight), and a first-aid kit was full of water. However, I managed today to dry some of the lint and bandages and apply a few dressings to Boardman who was suffering severely from salt-water boils. All hands were suffering from this same painful ailment and could not bear to be touched in certain parts of their bodies. During the afternoon land was sighted far away to the eastward, and all hands paddled enthusiastically towards it for the rest of the day and during the night”

At about 2:00 a.m. heavy rainstorms set in, and when the dawn broke, dull and overcast, no land was in sight. However, as the wind and sea continued in the southwest they kept them astern and paddled on. When night came the intermittent rain ceased and the wind freshened. There was a very heavy ground swell; but they did not mind this, as it still carried them shoreward. At about 9:0 p.m., they sighted a bright light, flashing three times every second, apparently to the southeast. They were unable to take its bearing, as the compass bowl had been carried away in the bad weather on the second night of the voyage; but keeping the light on the starboard quarter they paddled on during the night, working in two hour watches. In between whiles they tried to snatch a little sleep, but this was practically impossible.

“September 3^rd,” Rigiani writes. “With daylight we observed a hump of rock, apparently an island, with a light-house on it, away to the south-cast, distant about nine or ten miles. As I was afraid of slipping past this to the southward, I ordered the course to be hauled further round to the north-ward and continued paddling. At noon we cut the third raft adrift to facilitate progress. The men were now very weak from exhaustion, but they kept gamely on, and in the late afternoon we were rewarded by seeing the island recede further round to the starboard quarter, and finally at about 5:0 p.m. a line of low land broke to the eastward from north to south, distant about five miles. A double issue of food and drink put new energy into us, and we paddled on through the night.... At about midnight the heavy swell changed into long rollers, and I realised that we were close to the land. After another hour we suddenly heard the roar of surf and found ourselves in very heavy breakers. A dark line of land was visible ahead. We made an attempt to coast in on the breakers; but the seas were too high and I realised that it was essential to “to keep off shore until morning. By now the breakers were continually surging over the rafts, and all hands were in danger of being washed off. After fighting our way in an attempt to get out beyond the breakers we were caught in a cross breaker and driven inshore again. Suddenly a very high breaker tossed the raft completely over and all hands were swept off. Luckily everyone managed to clamber back; but we lost everything except the food in the locker and some of the water. For the rest of the night we clung to the rafts and by the mercy of God were not swept by any more breakers.”

When daylight came on September 4th the land was about half-a-mile away. Rigiani served out a ration of food and water, after which they broke up one of the rafts. Using bits of the floorboards as paddles they drove their other crazy craft in on the breakers and towards the shore. After an hour’s hard work a breaker caught them and flung them within swimming distance of the shore. As everyone could swim, Rigiani ordered them all to take to the water and make the best of their way ashore. The beach shelved very steeply. There was a fierce undertow, and a hard fight for people to save themselves even when their feet touched the sand. As they were struggling the raft was flung in among them, and when the men finally dragged themselves ashore it was discovered that Boardman who, it will be remembered, had been taken off the third raft some days before, was missing. They searched for him at once; but he was never seen again.

The men were so exhausted after their ordeal that they practically collapsed in the sand. After a while some natives arrived and told the castaways they had landed in Liberia. Taken to the native village, they were given food and drink. Next morning, September 5th, they set off along the beach to the nearest town, Cape Mount, and after walking about five hours along the sand and two hours through jungle came to a village called Latia, overtaking on the way Mr. Sullivan, the Chief Radio Operator of the Viking Star, who had been alone on a raft until he drifted ashore.

From Latia, Rigiani sent a note to a Dutch Trader at Cape Mount, and at about midnight a launch belonging to Pan-American Airways came and took them the rest of the way. Here, at the Dutch trader’s house, they were treated with every hospitality and their wounds dressed. Their greatest delight, however, was to find more of the Viking Star’s people, in the shape of the Chief and Second Engineers and one of the refrigerating greasers. Rigiani reported to the Chief Engineer as the senior officer “Herewith”; concluded the Third Officer, “I append the full list of survivors under me this sixth day of September, 1942. Mr. P. Sullivan, First Radio Officer; Mr. D. P. Lennon, Fourth Engineer; T. Hewett, Lamptrimmer; J. Daintith, A.B.; W. Kaye, A.B.; E. Kitchen, A.B.; J. Hitchin, A.B.; P. Quirke, A.B.; L. Lipton, Refrigerator Greaser; C Hill, Chief Steward; J. Lynch, Deck-hand; J. Holmes, Deck-hand.

Mr. Sullivan, as has been said, was alone on his raft. Reading the account of Mr. Rigiani’s voyage, one cannot but think that those 11 men who where with him owed their lives to the mercy of Providence and the leadership, good sense and the seamanship of their Third Officer.

The total casualties in the Viking Star, which include Captain Mills, were eight, one of whom Able Seaman R. Boardman, was drowned during the landing from the rafts. Most of the others, including Mr. W. Clarke, the Third Engineer, perished in the engine-room or stokehold when the ship was torpedoed.

Mr. Frederick MacQuiston, the Chief Officer, was later awarded the M.B.E. This honour was announced in the London Gazette of January 5, 1943, with the following citation:

“The ship, when sailing alone, was torpedoed. The Chief Officer, with thirty-six men in his boat, decided to make for land and so to get help for the other survivors on rafts, with whom he left three weeks supply of provisions and water. By his leadership and skill Chief Officer MacQuiston brought thirty-six people to safety, and his efforts led to the early rescue of the others”.