by George Graydon (Author)
This book is based on the real-life experiences of Mr. Graydon who was born in Edinburg, Scotland and joined British Merchant Navy in 1936 as a young lad of fifteen and concluded his career as a Chief Officer in 1946. The Merchant Navy Cargo ships Mr. Graydon sailed on carried supplies from Portugal, Spain, Amsterdam and Germany to the UK until the early part of World War II. Thereafter, he transferred to Ocean-going ships voyaging to many places abroad including Singapore, New Guinea, Australia, Tasmania, Seattle, Vancouver Island, Halifax in Nova Scotia, New York, Torshaven Islands, Cuba, Jamaica, Reykjavik in Iceland and Murmansk, Russia in the Arctic Ocean.During war time the cargo ships were in convoy accompanied by Royal Navy escorts and suffered devastating attacks by Wolf Packs of German submarines, heavy bombing raids by Stukas and multi-engine bombers, also encountering exploding mines broken loose from their moorings. On one occasion their ship was under such heavy attack that the crew had to abandon ship and take to life-boats in the treacherous waters of the Arctic Ocean .