John Graham
I went to Sitka in the Boutwell and Malllory went to Valdez in the Williamsburgh. Is that what you meant?
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- 17h
David J Ring Jr
John Graham That explains why I only remember her. How'd you two get separated? You were in the same lifeboat, right?
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- 16h
John Graham
"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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- 16h
David J Ring Jr
John Graham 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.

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.