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In New York someone had let it be known that a ship with castaways had arrived and that was the reason why a large mobile canteen had arrived on the docks with a foursome of very friendly ladies in uniform who offered us different types of cake and coffee. We were not in the least bit hungry or thirsty but no matter what we said they smiled even in a more comely way and offered us even more delicacies.
I do not know what they thought of us but I realized that we looked like a bunch of hobos; our white coveralls were still dirty from working in the engine room and our stay on that rust bucket which had brought us safely to New York had not helped either. Covering this was our uniform coat that had seen a bit of work lately and do not forget our really greasy and worn shoes we usually wore in the engine room. My belt with my bumbag and torch was all there, but I will not describe my cap. We had left our lifejackets on board the Wildestone.
We took a few donuts and a cup of coffee and while we were finishing those a taxi arrived from which a gentleman alighted who introduced himself as the representative of the Netherlands Shipping Committee and started to organize our visit to his office as if this was a daily routine. Of course that was exactly how it was. We received a lot of papers both with and without official stamps and an advance in American dollars. Afterwards the same gentleman put us in a taxi and were driven to a middle class hotel. This’Times Square Hotel’ became our home for the next month. We were entitled to a month so-called ‘Torpedoed leave’ and this was meant to be a respite from our misadventures. It turned out that most of our time was spent re-equipping ourselves with clothes and toiletries. The cost of all this was not small but we received a reimbursement called ‘Torpedo-reimbursement’ equivalent to eighty English Pounds. It was known that in England this amount was very sparse, in America everything was about 25% more expensive and to have to exchange Pounds for Dollars was a big loss for us. Our salary was also being paid but the amount I received as a junior assistant engineer was a pittance compared to the salaries of those higher up the ladder.
Each of us was given a room with a shared bathroom in between which one could use if you locked the door to your neighbour’s room, but had to remember to unlock when you finished. After a long soaking bath we went downstairs to the dining room to fill our stomachs. Even then they played soft background music to stroke our taste buds. We had had a thorough bath but we could not deny that our clothing was still very smelly. The food was good but the beer was better and therefore we retired to our rooms fully satisfied ready to go to bed. After such a busy day we immediately fell asleep.
The following morning brought us a very unattractive worry. We were both covered with lice! We even had squeezed some to death which had left blood stains on our backs. We felt very dirty. Where on earth had we picked them up? Of course we could not keep this a secret and we rang reception and they acted as if this was quite normal. The very polite staff advised us to take another bath, open all doors and hang our clothes with plenty of space in between. The latter was easy as we did not have any clothes at all. When we finally closed the door behind us to go out and shop for clothes, underwear and shoes we met two men from the hotel service who were pushing an odd looking machine on three wheels. It looked like an army food-drum or kettle except for the hoses and sprayers hanging on the outside which identified this as a delousing kettle.
We were very embarrassed and did not know where to look.
Everything we bought that first day we put on straight away. When we entered a nearby menswear shop they looked at us with big frowns which we did not like but when we told them why we came, they totally changed their attitude. I think we were there for a couple of hours, measuring, trying on things and having a friendly conversation until we were escorted outside by the friendly smiling staff. Everything we had bought we were wearing, we looked brand spanking new. In our hands we just had a little parcel of spare underwear, another shirt and some socks.
What we wore when we entered the shop we could put in a big bag which the shop would deposit in the garbage bin. Now the shoe shop, where we repeated the same formula and were treated in the same way. Then to a couple of shops for shaving gear, comb, soap, towels etc. etc. Very light-on because of all the dollars we got rid of, we walked back to our hotel hungry to have a meal there, to save us a few dollars.
I am not going to write in detail about how we spent that month in New York. It is unbelievable what one has to do if one has to repurchase everything one possessed before. I still did not have enough money because now that I was in New York I also wanted to look around and that too cost money. But everything does come to an end and so it was with my leave. In the meantime I lost my mate. He had to join a ship on the west coast of America.
After five weeks I suddenly had a visitor from the office, just when I thought they had forgotten about me. He came with news and, as is always the case, such news is never good news. There was a ship, a tanker that badly needed an assistant engineer and it was leaving that day. He had the necessary paperwork with him and he stayed with me while I did my packing. There was even a taxi waiting for us. I was wondering whether or not I was some kind of criminal who was being arrested. He did apologize, but told me that it had happened that sailors when told of their next ship had absconded.
Arriving on the docks I boarded a tanker which smelled strongly of aviation fuel with which it was fully loaded. It was a’Shell’ tanker called ‘Macuba’ which had been traversing the Atlantic Ocean for eighteen months and could tell the tale.
Having introduced myself I was allocated a cabin all to myself. I was just in time for dinner. Afterwards I had a quick look around the engine room to familiarize myself and at 20.00 hours we made ready for departure. Talk about being in a hurry! I walked around as if I was on another planet. Totally strange. The supervisor on my watch, a second engineer, was a friendly and calm fellow and we soon clicked.
The following evening, after dinner, I went to have a closer look at my environment. First of all my cabin. The contents of two duffel bags and one suitcase went easily into the cupboards and drawers. The wash basin was soon decorated with my toiletries and Bob’s your uncle. Quickly I made an inspection of the lifejackets and found them on top of the wardrobe and next to it a rolled up packet with a colour I disliked, it was a loud orangy red, too showy. It was nicely rolled up,ready to open. I went to my neighbour for an explanation. He was able to put my mind at rest with the explanation that it was a heat-proof suit with attached gloves and hood. ‘Very handy in disasters if you have the time to put it on’: he said.
And you are lucky if you can reach the lifeboats without any other problems. Do not forget to put on your life-jacket it is there for a good reason. A very plausible explanation, short and clear. I thought that there was not much difference between sailing on a ship loaded with ammunition or one loaded to the gunwales with aviation fuel.
Living on the afterdeck we could take in some fresh air, smoking was only done in the messroom.
Looking aft across the wake I could see on the sides a thin film of many colours that drifted on the water. It turned out to be petrol that leaked through the rivet holes in the hull. In peacetime this ship would never be allowed to carry such a thin liquid, but now it was wartime and aviation fuel was badly needed in England.
We were sailing in a large convoy with heavily laden ships and plenty of protection in the direction of England.
It does not matter on what ship you sailed, you were always running the gauntlet, particularly between America and England. But we encountered no problems and arrived unscathed in Liverpool where the next day I left the ship and reported to the office of the Netherlands Shipping Committee there.
It was now the first week in November 1942.
At last I was back at the place of departure, after being underway without a break for fourteen months. We can speak with some truth of ‘The Long Voyage’.
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Peter
