NathanCaptain’s Orders
This photo is of Captain Gerald Hyland, aged 25 taken back in the year 1925. The torpedo which struck their ship destroyed their radio antenna. Hence, them sending a distress signal went out the window. They had no means of ever escaping so they could do nothing. Captain Hyland then ordered his men to abandon ship and so the crew took their lifeboats but everybody ended up being gunned down.
Forced To Jump
And even after the captain ordered them to abandon ship, the fate of the crew members was still in jeopardy. And as they boarded the lifeboats, the bullets from the enemies still cut through one of the lifeboat’s ropes and this lead to the boat crashing into the ice-cold ocean. The crew had no choice but to jump overboard and swim to land. The sole survivor ended up being Richard Ayres.
The Sole Survivor
After the whole crew had to jump overboard, the only survivor from the Gairsoppa ended up being Richard Ayres. Somehow the crew was able to detach themselves from the sinking ship and then they watched as it slowly got swallowed by the waves. It was underwater after just 20 minutes of being struck. But what about the remaining two lifeboats?
No Sign
Unfortunately, there was no sign of the other two lifeboats. And hence, they were all alone in freezing waters. The scary part was that they were still hundreds of miles away from land. All the crew members were on the lifeboat which means 31 men were all boarding the lifeboat. 8 Europeans and 23 Indians to be exact. And slowly the cold took over their bodies…
Only One Guy
Just imagine how terrifying it might have been to be stranded in the cold, all alone, in the middle of the ocean with no option to call for help or assistance. There was only one person on the small boat who knew how to ail a boat. It was the 31-year-old Ayres who took over to head east side. He also steered the boat with just one oar because the rudder was gone.
Food and Water Issue
They were a limit on food supplies. There were only a few tin cans of condensed milk and some packet of biscuits that had gone too hard to swallow. The men were thirsty with no water to drink. However, Ayres ignored the crew’s pleas. Each man was given a pint of water in the day time and half a pint during the night. The survivors’ went through hell due to the water shortage.