The “Aurania” ashore after being torpedoed
The “Ivernia” settling down. (Photographed against the sun from the rescuing trawler)
Fortunately, the weather up to then had remained favourable, and continued to do so through the next day, on which another ship was seen, but again failed to perceive the lifeboat’s dejected crew. Early on the following morning an empty boat was sighted, and found to be one of the Dwinsk’s boats from which the crew had evidently been rescued. On this day the wind began to increase and by the evening a furious gale was raging. At six o’clock a great sea washed over the little boat, carrying one of its occupants overboard, and almost filling the boat with water. On the day after, a Sunday, the wind dropped again, and remained variable until the evening of the following Wednesday, when it again increased to such an extent that by midnight a fierce gale was once more blowing. On Thursday morning this died down, but it was not until half-past nine on Friday that a steamer which proved to be the U.S.S. Arondo sighted the now almost famished crew and took them on board, clothed them, and provided them with medical attention. They had then been drifting about in every condition of the weather for no less than ten days, the highest ration allowed being one biscuit and a half glass of water per man per day, for the first six days, reduced on the ninth day to half a biscuit and a quarter of a glass of water. To the invincible optimism and seamanship of the First Officer, who himself steered the boat for the whole of the ten days, the crew unanimously announced afterwards that they considered the saving of their lives to be due.
Of the other boats, one was at sea for eight days, three for three days, and one for a day and a half; one of them was never accounted for, probably having foundered in the storm, with the loss of 22 lives.
It is pleasant to record that the First Officer Mr. Pritchard, as well as the boatswain’s mate, who was in charge of another boat, were specially commended in the London Gazette for their great services.
Torpedoing of the “Volodia”
Nor must another incident in connection with the saving of the Dwinsk’s lifeboats go unmentioned although the hero in this case was a gallant officer of the United States Navy, Lieutenant Ross P. Whitemarsh, who was one of the convoy officers to the Dwinsk and went into No. 6 lifeboat with another American and nineteen British subjects. This boat experienced an extraordinary severe storm some four days afterwards, and Lieutenant Whitemarsh volunteered to take the tiller and remained on watch without a break throughout the night until five o’clock the next morning. One man was washed overboard and Lieutenant Whitemarsh then ordered the other occupants of the boat to lie down, two of them taking turns to hold on to this officer’s legs to prevent him, while at the tiller, from being carried away. For this Lieutenant Whitemarsh received from His Majesty the King, the Silver Medal for Gallantry in saving life at Sea.