72 Hours on a Raft in the North Atlantic

Heroes Remember

72 Hours on a Raft in the North Atlantic

Transcript

Somewhere in the North Atlantic, and about, oh probably, it would take you twenty-eight to thirty-two days to cross the Atlantic. And it was somewhere in the North Atlantic, I don’t know exactly where because, I mean, I was doing my work and the officer was, the second mate was, the navigator and the captain, the first mate was and everything and then the captain was the, the big boss, you know. But, yeah, I was hit. And then the cover didn't have time to come in, that submarine came on the inside, and then, I mean it fired. I mean you could see the fire, day in and day at night. Well I, was so much noise in the engine room and then the galley and for the fire. I’m partly deaf today from that, you know. And then, yeah the ship was hit and then I don’t know how long I was unsure, kind of knock out, I mean everybody left by the time I wake up and I make for the raft. And the boat was all gone. But thanks was a raft left. I used a raft, and I was 72 hours on a raft. Interviewer: By yourself? By myself. All by myself. You might heard, they call a fellow was in a mine he said, “God take care of ya.” That’s what I was just thinking, you know whatever happen, and once in a while I used to ask my mother, “I would like to see you again.” That’s the part that kind of hurt though. Yeah. I didn’t know if I could make or not you know. But I wasn’t worried. It was food on board and part of the raft was sixteen feet long by twelve feet wide and then, you can’t sink them. It was April the 22nd and it was cold. It was cold. Yeah, no doubt I think it was cold, yeah. Yeah that’s in 1943, ‘44, ‘43 yeah. I was rescued because when we go over, we go by convoy, so all the fighter, the Corvette and the destroyer, the mine-sweeper followed the convoy. But on the way back we on our own. So we about twenty-five, oh maybe fifty mile off the line, so they come back and then I was picked up by the American boat. The American ship was coming in yeah. And I land up in Ellis Island in New York... was badly bruised, badly hurt you know, but not bad. I was there for thirty one days I guess, and shipped back in Halifax, back out again. They have to. You have to go. I mean they made you. They want you to go. Interviewer: Were you nervous about going out again? No, I don’t think so. No, I don’t think so. The war’s still not, not over yet, no. We was always, always fighting. From the time we leave Halifax until the time we get to England. And then, that was I mean all day, all night. Everything was I mean, so hard to explain. Pretty hard to explain. I was only sixteen at the time, you know. You see salt water will not freeze, but we would have a storm, a snow-storm and rain that build up on the ship. And that was just as bad as a torpedo. Just as bad. Have to chop, the cable and the winch and everything get full of ice so you have to cut up and then so you take the weight off, so he don’t come off, the stern don’t come off the, off the water.

Description

Mr. Kenny recalls a time in April of 1943, when his ship was hit and he spent 72 hours alone on a raft in the North Atlantic.

Gil Kenny

Gil Kenny was born in Saint Rose, New Brunswick in December of 1923. His father worked as a blacksmith. Mr. Kenny was 16 when the war started and joined the Merchant Navy, because he was too young for the other services. During one of his crossings, his ship was torpedoed and he was adrift for 72 hours in the Atlantic. After being rescued, he returned to service on the HMS Sheffield.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 04:03
Person Interviewed:: Gil Kenny
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Atlantic Ocean
Branch:: Merchant Navy
Occupation:: Cook

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72 Hours on a Raft in the North Atlantic

Heroes Remember