Torpedoed!: A World War II Story of a Sinking Passenger Ship and Two Children's Survival at Sea

Torpedoed!: A World War II Story of a Sinking Passenger Ship and Two Children's Survival at Sea — page 3
x PRoloGUE 1939 felt a rumbling jolt Some said it was like a cannon going off somewhere in the guts of the ship The intense impact of the explosion catapulted pas sengers into the air causing immediate death when they landed on the deck Some people were tossed over the ship’s rails into the deep Atlantic A young girl was killed by flying debris as she lounged in a deck chair Crewmen working near the crippled engines were killed instantly Kitchen workers were scalded by pots of hot liquids top pling from the massive stovetop burners Stairs leading to the upper decks from cabins below were blown to shreds leaving helpless passengers with no way out as rising waters filled their lungs Eleven-year-old Russell Park traveling with his par ents was returning to America after a vacation in Ireland Sitting with his dad in the library at the time of the explo sion Russell remembered hearing a loud bang Then he was aware of his dad pulling him out from beneath a table that pinned him to the floor People were scream ing and yelling He smelled something like hot metal or burning paint He was scared but not seriously hurt Florence Kelly 14 was on the Athenia with her mother The two were traveling home to Ohio after spending the summer in Europe When the explosion ripped through the liner Florence was walking on the deck She clung with all her strength to the railing try ing to steady herself When the bone-jarring rocking of the ship finally stopped Florence was left in total dark ness She knew her mother was in a nearby lounge It