He didn’t need to tell Jim twice. Not only would the frigid water kill a man in less than twenty minutes, but the other destroyer would attack the U-boat with depth charges deadly to men in the water.
Sure enough, the second destroyer charged past, leaving a string of explosions in her wake.
But that destroyer couldn’t rescue the men of theAtwood. Her primary job was to sink that sub. Same as when theAtwoodhad abandoned the men of that sunken Norwegian freighter.
Jim worked his way down to the deck. The ship settled lower and lower, listed to ten degrees.
“Ahoy!” a sailor shouted.
On the port side, a third destroyer dashed toward them in the strange bright light of the star shells.
“Thank you, Lord!” Jim headed toward the number two gun but found the deck too crowded to pass.
Men tossed lines and cargo nets over the side and lowered the life rafts. Sailors assembled at their embarkation stations, aft and forward, port and starboard.
TheAtwoodgroaned, rolled slightly to stern.
“No time to waste!” Reinhardt jumped to the deck behind Jim. “Abandon ship.”
Since the gunnery officer was in charge of embarkation on the port side, everyone sprang to action. Men climbed over the side and down the lines and nets.
Jim paused. His earlier order had been to check conditions in the number two gun mount, but his station at the abandon ship drill was to aid Mr. Reinhardt. That overrode the first order.
He peered through the thicket of men, straining for the sight of any of Udell’s crew. “Lord, help them.”
Jim pushed through to the lifeline and started helping sailors over the side. “One at a time, men. Leave plenty of room. Watch the fellow beneath you.”
One by one, the men climbed down into life rafts and pushed away from the sinking destroyer.
About one hundred feet away, the third destroyer pulled alongside, heaving nets and lines and rafts over the side.
Jim helped a man down onto the net. “Make for the other ship as fast as you can, men. Get away from theAtwood.”
He glanced around. His station was cleared.
“Mr. Avery!” Reinhardt climbed over the side. “Abandon ship.”
“Aye aye.” Jim prayed for strength, slipped under the lifeline, and nestled his feet in the ropes of the net. Since the ship listed to starboard, the drop to the water on the port side was greater now.
He glanced down at the black water, slick with fuel oil, and found a life raft to aim for, half a dozen men inside beckoning to him.
Just aft, Reinhardt worked his way down the net, with Durant above him, the log book clamped in one arm.
“Help! Somebody help!”
Jim glanced up.
A dark face leaned over the lifeline, eyes frantic—Mack Gillis, one of the replacements Jim had sent to the number two gun mount. “Captain! Sir! Men is trapped in number two. Doors is jammed. Can’t get out.”
Jim’s heart seized, and his hands contracted, pulling him up the net again to help.
“I’m sorry, son,” Captain Durant said in a low, firm voice. “No time. Abandon ship. That’s an order.”
Mack twisted his head toward the gun, back to Durant. “Please, sir. They’s my friends. My brother.” His voice cracked.
“Abandon ship, Mack,” Durant said. “That’s an order.”
Mack’s brother Hank was the pointer. What would Jim do if Dan were trapped? Rob? His two little brothers?
