We took him off the raft, and that made five in our boat. But the other boat got away before we did. There were two boats that got away. But we never saw the other lifeboat after, until we got ashore at Lockeport.

They tell me we rowed fifty-two (52) miles. We were rowing from ten o'clock that night, that was Friday night, until Sunday noon, thirty-six hours I believe it was.

We rowed towards Lockeport, Nova Scotia. The weather was calm as it happened. There wasn't too much wind at all, but it snowed that night. That was bad. The tenth of May.

I had on one boot, a singlet and my pants. They had emergency blankets in the boat, so we cut them up and covered up. One fella, my buddy who was on the top bunk, he only had on his shorts. We had to make a suit for him.

The other lifeboat got picked up, but we rowed all the way to Lockeport.

We had one man injured. When I slipped the block on the deck, for the boat to swing out, the block hit the side of his foot, and tore the side off it. Every time I saw him, years after, he used to thank me, because he was getting a good disability pay.

We rowed into Lockeport. They took us ashore and they brought us to a big modern fish plant. There were all kinds of wash basins along by the wall, and mirrors and everything. We went there and washed up. We got the grease and oil off us. Then they gave us, I believe it was, two hours sleep. We went in and got in bunks and that was it. I think it was the best two hours sleep I ever had in my life.

They sent down a bus from Halifax. We got on the bus and they carried us up there and checked us out at the hospital. There were a few who stayed in hospital, but I got away. I never had any injuries or anything.

They sent us home and gave us a certain length of time off. Then they called as soon as there was a vacancy on another ship.