[CW] The Real PRINSENDAM Hero

D.J.J. Ring, Jr. n1ea at arrl.net
Tue Sep 27 18:52:21 EDT 2022 

   - John Graham
   <https://www.facebook.com/JohnAGraham344?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDoxMDIyNTU5MzIzMDczMDQxM180NzkwMDcxNjQyNDA3NjI%3D&__cft__[0]=AZVTBrvgHbISsgAlpar2LMdrwmSzskePBL9RbHh-YKlku16eeL2YNuJangSxC7nad8Gs3Q3aLbqm1C5XkoGQ0Qychcf9-XcBb4fMwuPT-0DTMf4pGPfTU5Fe9HmNYmMxtMneg2_UKDsse9pEpV1Z1yI5PW8xZlAkyNBmVSw4NJAyrA&__tn__=R]-R>
   I went to Sitka in the Boutwell and Malllory went to Valdez in the
   Williamsburgh. Is that what you meant?
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   <https://www.facebook.com/djringjr?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDoxMDIyNTU5MzIzMDczMDQxM183NjgxMjQzMzQyNjE4NzA%3D&__cft__[0]=AZVTBrvgHbISsgAlpar2LMdrwmSzskePBL9RbHh-YKlku16eeL2YNuJangSxC7nad8Gs3Q3aLbqm1C5XkoGQ0Qychcf9-XcBb4fMwuPT-0DTMf4pGPfTU5Fe9HmNYmMxtMneg2_UKDsse9pEpV1Z1yI5PW8xZlAkyNBmVSw4NJAyrA&__tn__=R]-R>
   David J Ring Jr
   <https://www.facebook.com/djringjr?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDoxMDIyNTU5MzIzMDczMDQxM183NjgxMjQzMzQyNjE4NzA%3D&__cft__[0]=AZVTBrvgHbISsgAlpar2LMdrwmSzskePBL9RbHh-YKlku16eeL2YNuJangSxC7nad8Gs3Q3aLbqm1C5XkoGQ0Qychcf9-XcBb4fMwuPT-0DTMf4pGPfTU5Fe9HmNYmMxtMneg2_UKDsse9pEpV1Z1yI5PW8xZlAkyNBmVSw4NJAyrA&__tn__=R]-R>
   John Graham
   <https://www.facebook.com/JohnAGraham344?__cft__[0]=AZVTBrvgHbISsgAlpar2LMdrwmSzskePBL9RbHh-YKlku16eeL2YNuJangSxC7nad8Gs3Q3aLbqm1C5XkoGQ0Qychcf9-XcBb4fMwuPT-0DTMf4pGPfTU5Fe9HmNYmMxtMneg2_UKDsse9pEpV1Z1yI5PW8xZlAkyNBmVSw4NJAyrA&__tn__=R]-R>
That
   explains why I only remember her. How'd you two get separated? You were in
   the same lifeboat, right?
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   -

   <https://www.facebook.com/JohnAGraham344?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDoxMDIyNTU5MzIzMDczMDQxM18zMTk1NTI4NjMwNzYxMTUx&__cft__[0]=AZVTBrvgHbISsgAlpar2LMdrwmSzskePBL9RbHh-YKlku16eeL2YNuJangSxC7nad8Gs3Q3aLbqm1C5XkoGQ0Qychcf9-XcBb4fMwuPT-0DTMf4pGPfTU5Fe9HmNYmMxtMneg2_UKDsse9pEpV1Z1yI5PW8xZlAkyNBmVSw4NJAyrA&__tn__=R]-R>
   John Graham
   <https://www.facebook.com/JohnAGraham344?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDoxMDIyNTU5MzIzMDczMDQxM18zMTk1NTI4NjMwNzYxMTUx&__cft__[0]=AZVTBrvgHbISsgAlpar2LMdrwmSzskePBL9RbHh-YKlku16eeL2YNuJangSxC7nad8Gs3Q3aLbqm1C5XkoGQ0Qychcf9-XcBb4fMwuPT-0DTMf4pGPfTU5Fe9HmNYmMxtMneg2_UKDsse9pEpV1Z1yI5PW8xZlAkyNBmVSw4NJAyrA&__tn__=R]-R>
   "Women and children first" Malory was I think the last female off
   lifeboat#2 and soon after that the helos couldn't fly anymore because the
   typhoon was bearing down and it had become too dangerous. So the only hope
   for the eight of us left in Lifeboat #2 was that we would be picked up
   by a cutter before we died of hypothermia. And the Boutwell showed up just
   before darkness would have sealed our fate and took us to Sitka
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   <https://www.facebook.com/djringjr?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDoxMDIyNTU5MzIzMDczMDQxM18xNTU4Njk3ODc0NTM5OTg3&__cft__[0]=AZVTBrvgHbISsgAlpar2LMdrwmSzskePBL9RbHh-YKlku16eeL2YNuJangSxC7nad8Gs3Q3aLbqm1C5XkoGQ0Qychcf9-XcBb4fMwuPT-0DTMf4pGPfTU5Fe9HmNYmMxtMneg2_UKDsse9pEpV1Z1yI5PW8xZlAkyNBmVSw4NJAyrA&__tn__=R]-R>
   David J Ring Jr
   <https://www.facebook.com/djringjr?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDoxMDIyNTU5MzIzMDczMDQxM18xNTU4Njk3ODc0NTM5OTg3&__cft__[0]=AZVTBrvgHbISsgAlpar2LMdrwmSzskePBL9RbHh-YKlku16eeL2YNuJangSxC7nad8Gs3Q3aLbqm1C5XkoGQ0Qychcf9-XcBb4fMwuPT-0DTMf4pGPfTU5Fe9HmNYmMxtMneg2_UKDsse9pEpV1Z1yI5PW8xZlAkyNBmVSw4NJAyrA&__tn__=R]-R>
   John Graham
   <https://www.facebook.com/JohnAGraham344?__cft__[0]=AZVTBrvgHbISsgAlpar2LMdrwmSzskePBL9RbHh-YKlku16eeL2YNuJangSxC7nad8Gs3Q3aLbqm1C5XkoGQ0Qychcf9-XcBb4fMwuPT-0DTMf4pGPfTU5Fe9HmNYmMxtMneg2_UKDsse9pEpV1Z1yI5PW8xZlAkyNBmVSw4NJAyrA&__tn__=R]-R>
Yes,
   the change of weather by late afternoon was ominous. I knew them that a
   miracle had occurred, the timing was just too perfect, and that was before
   I knew about the micro story about Chief Radio Officer Jack van der Zee,
   and Captain Cornelis Dirk Wabeke refusal to send an SOS. Then Jack
   started feeling the heat of the fire though his shoes and decided no matter
   what happened even if he went to prison for disobeying a direct order, he
   was going to act. So he changed the XXX Urgent message to SOS and turned on
   the auto alarm signal which rang the bells in the staterooms of the radio
   officers and woke them up to listen to the SOS signals.

John Graham
<https://www.facebook.com/JohnAGraham344?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDoxMDIyNTU5MzIzMDczMDQxM182MzY1ODgyMDgwOTk4Mjc%3D&__cft__[0]=AZVTBrvgHbISsgAlpar2LMdrwmSzskePBL9RbHh-YKlku16eeL2YNuJangSxC7nad8Gs3Q3aLbqm1C5XkoGQ0Qychcf9-XcBb4fMwuPT-0DTMf4pGPfTU5Fe9HmNYmMxtMneg2_UKDsse9pEpV1Z1yI5PW8xZlAkyNBmVSw4NJAyrA&__tn__=R]-R>
I'm alive because of Jack's courage. A mountaineer, I recognized
hypothermia and knew that those of us left in lifeboat #2 wouldn't survive
the night. But by then there was only an hour of daylight left and in
darkness and a mounting storm— with no flares, no PJs, no lights, no cover,
no warm clothes and no radio we were as good as dead. We bailed like crazy
but we were losing that battle to the waves breaking into the boat. The
Boutwell could never have found us in the dark. So the hour or so gained by
Jack's sending out that SOS when he did made the difference between life
and death. And that's a fact that most of the stories written about the
Prinsendam fail to mention.

I replied:

Yes, I know. One of the tragedies of the after events was the Holland
America Line Marine Personnel Director, Johann Onnink of Bothell,
Washington was very generous with his resources of photos and information.
He shared with mme over 50 photos of the distress not available elsewhere.
I in turn shared those with Matthew "Huub" Oosterwijk by having them
printed at the local photo finisher (CVS) and mailing them by airmail to
his Netherlands. I had literally no money at the time as I was paying a
divorce lawyer (my wife deserted me). Huub promised to send me the $35.00
it cost me in postage, photo finishing. He never did and to add insult to
injury, in his book,
https://gbooksinternational.nl/product/the-prinsendam-disaster-an-officers-account-2019-mathieu-j-oosterwijk/
He used Johann Onnink's photos which I gave him which he promised to
reimburse me for the costs, and in the book (selling for $48.00) which he
says is " 210 pages – richly illustrated, many images in color". He gives
credit in the book published by Matthew Oosterwijk to the Huub Oosaterwijk
Archive - which is himself. No mention of Johan who's photos they are (and
I told him in my note which I sent to him along with the photos inside the
envelope sent Airmail First Class. (Photo finishing and Airmail cost me
about $40.00), he didn't mention either of us, but he's in good company, H.
Paul Jeffers author of "Burning Cold" who corresponded with both myself and
Johan at length, Failed to mention him or thank him. In all, none of the
three or four authors who wrote books on the rescue, even thanked him or
acknowledged him in the book. (I think I was thanked by several authors).
He's so angry he says he disposed of several large boxes of historic
records, photos, videos, of the rescue, and says he will never speak to
anyone about it again. He seems to be serious as he has not answered my
repeated phone calls and several letters, or acknowledged last years gift
to him at Christmas of some Dutch Christmas goodies bought for him. He's
one of three people who spoke to Jack v.d. Zee about what he said and did
regarding changing the XXX into SOS. The others are myself, and Dirk "Dick"
Harms (amateur radio PA2DH) former radio officer with Holland America Lines
(HAL) and then president of VERNON https://www.veron.nl/ the National
Association of Dutch radio amateurs. I thought it was so important I wanted
an affidavit because the story should get out that there are times - rare
as they might be - when you have to break the law, be willing to go to
prison for it if need be, to save people's lives. None of them gave me an
affidavit but they all know what Jack told them. Jack was willing to go to
prison if need be for what he did, but as he said: "At least the passengers
will be safe and alive and the crew will be alive and safe." I told Jack I
would go to Willemstad (ship was registered there) or Den Haag,
Netherlands. I told him no judge would sentence him to life imprisonment
for violation of the International laws when if he had NOT broken the law,
chances were high that many or all would be dead. Jack is a hero.

73

DR

On Tue, Sep 27, 2022 at 5:28 AM D.J.J. Ring, Jr. <n1ea at arrl.net> wrote:

>
> https://onetuberadio.com/2015/10/04/profile-in-courage-jack-van-der-zee-1980/
>
>
>
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