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Merchant ships and the Ohio tanker

Heroes Remember

Merchant ships and the Ohio tanker

Transcript
Other, other merchant ships were just being picked off by torpedo either from submarines or by aircraft or bombed and we were gradually losing them all the way. In fact on the last day alone 5 merchant ships were lost. We only got into Malta, we got 5 merchant ships and the tanker Ohio. The tanker Ohio on the last day received a bomb right down her funnel right into the engine room; that blew the engine room to pieces. Another aircraft, German aircraft, crash-landed on her deck and another aircraft bounced off the water, that was attacking her, bounced off the water and landed on her deck. Her deck was ablaze and still the crew refused to abandon ship. Eventually they had to, she had settled into the water but they re-manned the ship a few hours afterwards and two destroyers were sent to assist her and they tied themselves, they secured themselves on both sides of her because she, the rudder had become damaged and she could not steer. And another vessel towed her and this is how she limped into Malta. She was the last vessel to come in that day or the next morning actually she came in.
Description

Mr. Rusling talks about the tanker Ohio and the damage she sustained after being bombed again on the way to Malta as part of that fleet. She was the last ship to reach Malta.

Frank Rusling

Frank Rusling was born in Belton, Lincolnshire, England on January 30, 1922. His father moved the family to the county of Suffolk in England where he grew up. He joined the Royal Navy at the age of 15 because of his love for the ocean. He entered the communications’ department of the navy and trained in visual signalling where he was very successful during his training and very rapidly reached the rank of Yeoman of Signals. The first vessel he was on was the HMS Sheffield. However, he did work on other vessels and travelled to several parts of the world with the Royal Navy. After the war he joined the Canadian Pacific police where he served for 30 years. He now resides in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Meta Data
Medium:
Video
Owner:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:
02:14
Person Interviewed:
Frank Rusling
War, Conflict or Mission:
Second World War
Location/Theatre:
North Africa
Branch:
Navy
Rank:
Yeoman of Signals
Occupation:
Signalman

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