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Torpedoed in the South Atlantic 鈥� A2726994 鈥� A sequel

I was very surprised to come across this article, as I happen to have been on the S.S.Bodegraven on its last voyage.

My sister and I were evacuated to South Africa in 1940 to stay with a maiden aunt. Unfortunately she died suddenly about a year later and we had to look after ourselves from then on. I was at boarding school and my sister who was three years older managed to get a job. When I had finished at school, we decided that it was time we went home. Eventually we got passages on the Bodegraven. Everything was going smoothly for the first few days and I had my seventeenth birthday. After the convoy left us it did seem rather lonely with nothing but water all around us.

When the torpedo struck I was in my bunk and had just fallen asleep. I awoke in pitch-blackness to some one shouting, 鈥淲e鈥檝e been hit! Get out quick!鈥� I managed to find my dressing gown and slippers and headed for the lifeboats. We were two decks down but there was no real panic. Everyone just move along as quickly as possible. On arrival at the boats I notice that No.4 boat had been smashed by the explosion and that was the one that my sister had been allocated to. I was in No.3 boat and we all climbed in and lowered away. As the ship was still under way we drifted back and as we passed the stern gun two of the gunners jumped off and swam over to us. We got the oars out as soon as possible and rowed away.

We heard the shouting from the U-boat and the machine gun firing and the Chief Mate who was in charge of our boat shouted 鈥淩ow! Quick! They might be after me as well!鈥�. So we disappeared into the darkness as quickly as possible.
We rowed around for hours picking up people in the water and also took three rafts in tow. One of the men that we had picked up was the Cadet Officer and he told me that he had led the people from No.4 lifeboat down onto the afterdeck and told them to jump and swim to a raft that he released. He said my sister was among them and he had seen her reach the raft. I felt then that she would be saved.

The next morning there was no sign of any of the other boats or rafts.
We took off the people on the rafts and broke them open and took the food and water canisters out. There was quite a pile of supplies down the middle of the boat, but no one seemed to feel like eating. We caught a glimpse of one of the other boats but did
not see anything else and after some time the Chief Mate decided that as there had only been a short time to send out an S.O.S. and it was thought that there had been damage to the wireless apparatus we were going to be there for a long time. He therefore set sail for land estimated as 100 miles away. A canvas cover was rigged up in the bow area for the women and children that we had on board.

We sailed and rowed all the rest of the day, throughout the night and the following day. Eventually late in the day we spotted land. Everyone was so relieved and we were all suddenly able to eat. Sea biscuits, bully beef and pemmican! When we got close to land some natives came out in dug out canoes. The Chief Mate was very worried about landing there and asked where the nearest port was. After a lot of sign language, it seemed that there was a village just along the coast so it was decide to sail along there. Night fell and so did the rain. The sail was lowered and was draped over all of us. It was not completely watertight so we still got soaking wet but it kept most of the heavy rain off us and out of the boat. The next morning we were all covered in red dye from the sail. We awoke to find that there was not a bit of land to be seen, but we pressed on and eventually we saw some fishermen in canoes and they pointed us in the right direction. A large fishing dhow came out to meet us and they towed us in.

We had managed to find a small fishing village with a small trading post run, surprisingly, by two Dutchmen. They managed to kit us out with some clothing, provided us with a meal and somewhere to sleep. I was in a very large double bed with two hulking Irishmen. The next day about noon a corvette called H.M.S.Snowdrop appeared and dropped anchor. We were taken aboard and we set off for Freetown. I was one of the people allotted to the 鈥渟parkies鈥� mess where we were all given a mug of rum and water. During the night there was a bit of commotion, as we seemed to have come across another ship. It was a naval trawler and signal lights were being used. An officer called my name out from the bridge asking if I was aboard. Evidently the trawler had picked up the raft that my sister was on. So we both knew that the other was safe and we need not worry anymore. On arrival in Freetown, we were billeted in the Transit Camp and were fully kitted out with distressed seaman鈥檚 clothing.

After about ten days we were taken aboard the Stirling Castle troopship and we sailed for home. The ship had to wait in Gibraltar for ten days anchored in Algiceras Bay with depth charges going of all night to guard against German frogmen sticking limpet mines on the ships at anchor. Eventually we sailed for the U.K. and arrived at Liverpool where again we had to wait outside for a couple of days until a berth was available

Postscript 1 鈥� After living and working in the U.K. and various parts of the world, I retired to a place in Holland just 8 kilometers from Bodegraven!

Postscript 2 鈥� I would very much like to have information over the Internet addresses where Patrick obtained the information over the Bodegraven and her Captain. We had been told that the submarine had been located by the American North Atlantic patrol and had been sunk.

Postscript 3 鈥� May I just correct one statement. Not all passengers were saved! At least ten people went down with the ship, among them crew and passengers, two of whom were young women who were too scared to jump.

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