Taken from Dark Sky, Deep Water, first-hand experiences of the anti-U-Boat war in WWII by Norman Franks, pp96-105.
On 27 September 1943, HR982, a Halifax Bomber of 58 Squadron, took off on anti-submarine patrol from RAF Holmsley South and later attacked and sank U221 in the Bay of Biscay. However, during the action, the Halifax sustained at least one hit in the fuel tank on the starboard wing and burst into flames. The order to transmit SOS was given and the Captain ordered the crew to prepare for ditching. Sadly, the rear gunner was unable to get out of the plane before it sank, and the front gunner was so dazed that he was unable to support himself in the water. He slipped from the grasp of the rest of the crew and was drowned.
The remaining six crew members boarded their dinghy but had managed to rescue only four tins of emergency rations and five emergency flying ration boxes, together with five pints of water. They estimated they were 700-800 miles from the shore, so rationed their supplies carefully.
The weather was generally unpleasant; they crew were all wet and seasick, although their condition on 29 September was said to be excellent in body and spirits. The Captain’s diary for 30 September reads, “Continued practice of saying morning and evening prayers for those we love and for assistance. This practice, from which we derived great spiritual strength, was continued throughout.”
Efforts to catch fish were unsuccessful, and high winds and rough seas 5 – 7 October made conditions very difficult and took a toll on their stamina, with two of the crew showing signs of delirium. Another crew member wrote on 6 October, “After a bad night, a bad morning, as the seas show no sign of abating and the rain is still intense. There is no opportunity for rest… with the dinghy almost under water. After passing through three particularly nasty squalls the weather improved, and the wind swung round to the west. This pleases us as we now estimate that we should reach patrolled areas on or about the 8th.”
The diary for 7 October reads, “Still keeping up our hopes and morning and evening prayers. This night an additional prayer made for speedy deliverance, since we feel that although four of us could manage another three days or so, the position of the other two is becoming critical.”
On 8 October at 1430 hours, the mast of a naval vessel was sighted. The crew immediately fired off three Very cartridges and found two destroyers slowly closing. 20 minutes later, they were all picked up by HMS MAHARATTA, homeward bound from Gibraltar. They were treated by the ship’s doctor and put ashore at Plymouth on 10 October before being admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital. After treatment, they were sent on a month’s leave. Sadly, the MAHARATTA was sunk whilst on Russian convoy duty only 4 months later.
*Photo credit: https://www.pexels.com/@rene-lussi-952617944