Every moment we expected to feel the lurch that would send the ship to the bottom.
The hurricane moderated sufficiently for them to fire distress rockets. They pumped overboard 1,000 tons of oil.
Capt. Rees described how the British tanker San Quirino, 5,843 tons, stood by and how the Wolverine best his ship 300 miles to Ply-clocks, compasses and lights had all been put out of action, he said. We had no idea of time or direction or where we were, for all our charts and instruments had gone. Fortunately, the steering gear, the hull withstood the' terrific strain.
Primarily, it was our cargo that saved us.. Had we. not been able to jettison part of it and lighten the ship we should certainly have foundered. The oil, too, helped to smooth the seas.
In all my 31 years at sea I have never seen such weather. The chief officer and I estimated that the wave which carried away the bridge was 80 feet high and that it brought hundreds of tons of water crashing on to us.
I cannot speak too highly. of the crew. In the face of death there was not the slightest sign of panic. Every man lived up to the highest traditions of British seamanship and did his duty."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.