Lifeboat 12

This section contains the poems “Routine, Ritual, and Risk,” “Time Stretches Out,” “Pushing On,” “Wind,” “The Hole,” “Afternoon Routine,” “Man Our Stations!,” “Which Would You Rather Be?,” “Pain,” “Remember?,” “I Spy,” “We May Die,” and “Chills.”

In the morning, as some of the Lascars rinse their mouth with saltwater as a ritual before praying, Ken notices that one of the men does not spit the seawater out. With no rescue ships or planes on the horizon, Cooper announces they will sail for Ireland. Some of the Lascars operate the Fleming gear, and they hoist the sail. As they start toward Ireland, Derek and Billy continue to worry about their younger brothers. The sailors slip into a routine of tasks, but the boys have nothing to do, and the boredom weighs heavily on them. Cadet Doug Critchley allows the boys to work the Fleming gear, and Ken takes a turn first, showing the other boys how it’s done.

Meanwhile, Paul’s feet worsen, swelling and oozing pus from open wounds. Ken hears Father O’Sullivan whisper “Trench foot” (165) to Auntie Mary and wonders if the same will happen to his own feet. The boys start talking about water, and Auntie Mary distracts them with a game of I Spy. It doesn’t last long as they look around and notice Paul crying and Father O’Sullivan suffering from fever. Auntie Mary next tries to assuage their boredom by telling a story. She tells an adventure story about a British pilot who was shot down and uses the boys as characters who rescue the pilot. She stops the story with a cliffhanger to keep the boys thinking about what might happen next instead of their discomfort. As night comes, the temperature drops dramatically; to make things worse, a wave comes over the side of the boat and soaks everyone. Mary reminds the boys they are the heroes in a true adventure, and heroes don’t complain or cry.

This section contains the poems “The Millionaire,” “Hard to Swallow,” “Trench Foot,” “Suffering,” “Losing Hope,” and “Pack Up Your Troubles.”

In the morning, Mr. Nagorski, the businessman aboard the boat, spreads out his money to let it dry. This reminds the boys that their money was with the escorts, and now it is gone, sunk with the ship. Mr. Nagorski promises to replace the boys’ money when they get home, and they start calling him “The Millionaire.” The boys’ mouths are so dry that they can hardly swallow their lunch ration. Water is all they want and all they can think about.

Meanwhile, the water in the bottom of the boat eats away at their feet, which swell and blister. Paul’s feet start to turn black. Even though they are all cold, Ken notices that the men from India are probably the coldest of all because their clothes are thin. Most of them are stewards from the dining room, and not sailors, and none of them are used to the cold of Western Europe. He observes that some of the Lascars are Muslim, praying five times a day, while others are Catholic.

Everyone’s physical condition and spirits start to deteriorate. Upon seeing the hopeless faces around him, Ken shouts, “We’ll be alright!” (181). Mary continues telling the adventure story to the boys, featuring Bulldog Drummond, a famous British fictional character, as the story’s protagonist. Once again, she stops the story with the boys wanting more to give them something to think about.

This section contains the poems “A Visitor” and “A Good Day.”

With five days remaining until they reach Ireland, the passengers aboard Lifeboat 12 are visited by whales. They receive another welcome distraction as the sun sets and the colors are reflected in both the western and eastern skies, “like two sunsets at once” (186). Father O’Sullivan offers a prayer of thanks for these natural wonders, and Ken asks Auntie Mary to continue her story. This section ends with Bulldog in danger, and Ken assures the rest of the boys that he won’t die, saying, “Heroes can’t die” (189).

This section contains the poems “Rain!,” “Feeling Low,” “A Treat,” “Where’s Bulldog?,” “Smoke,” “Prepare for Rescue,” “The Ship Has Turned,” “Forsaken,” “No Sulking, See!,” and “The Tempest.”

Rain comes the next day, and they use the canvas sail to catch the water. However, the salt crusted on the sail taints the rainwater and makes it undrinkable. To boost everyone’s crushed spirits, Steward Purvis allows each boy to have a slice of canned peach, and Mary continues the adventure story. During the story, Ken spots smoke on the horizon. As it draws closer, they realize it is coming from a merchant ship. They shoot the flares, and Father O’Sullivan encourages the boys to pray. The ship sees Lifeboat 12 and turns toward them, and everyone celebrates as they prepare the boat for rescue. However, just as it approaches, the ship starts turning away. The promise of rescue gives way to disappointment and despair as the ship eventually disappears from sight.

Peard comes by and reassures the boys, scolding them for their tears. He says they’ve reached the sea-lanes through which many ships travel, and it’s only a matter of time before another one comes. A storm comes that night, and although it rains again, Ken can’t open his mouth to catch rainwater without seawater spraying him. Everyone is afraid and gets soaked by the waves, and they must concentrate on holding on and surviving the night.

This section contains the poems “We Are Alive,” “Suck Your Buttons,” “An Idea,” “Look!,” “Light the Way,” and “Delirious.”

With only three days of the water supply remaining, the passengers of Lifeboat 12 are physically defeated, clinging to life, and miserable. Peard tells the boys to “suck yer buttons” (205) to produce saliva in their dry mouths. Father O’Sullivan tries to catch a seagull to eat, but Peard warns that hurting a seabird is bad luck and won’t let him continue. Cooper points at a gray mass on the horizon, and Ken wonders if it could be land. They sail all day toward the mass. When night comes, Ken feels feverish and has nightmares about Terry, his family, and drowning.

This section contains the poems “Smoke and Mirrors,” “No More!,” “First Aid,” “Fading Fast,” “I Have One Question,” “Bulldog, Continued,” “Madness,” and “Screams Interrupted.”

In the morning, Ken learns that the mass is clouds, not land. Once again, Ken’s hopes are dashed, and he thinks of the sky and ocean as “cruel con artists” (212) that trick them. The waves pick up, soaking the passengers, but they eventually subside. When they do, the crewman Ken saw swallow saltwater several days ago stands up and jumps into the water. He cannot swim, and the waves soon sweep him away. Auntie Mary grimly explains that the saltwater compromised the man: “He went mad, boys” (215). Father O’Sullivan prays. Ken can see the suffering and mental strain of the crewmembers and asks Father O’Sullivan what he can do. Mr. Nagorski takes medicine from the first aid kit and rubs it on the feet of the crew, offering kindness and distraction for the men who just watched their friend die. The sun, wind, and salt take their toll on everyone’s bodies and spirits.

Ken begs Auntie Mary to continue the story, but this time, she struggles to oblige. The boys pitch in to help her remember the story, but she falls asleep before continuing the tale. In the night, Paul starts screaming for water. The pain in his feet overwhelms him. To calm Paul, the adults decide to give him a dipper of water, but after drinking it, he screams for more. Peard intervenes and downplays Paul’s request for more water. When Paul complains that his feet are cold, Peard wraps them in Critchley’s coat, and Paul calms down enough to sleep.

This section contains the poems “Sunrise,” “Running on Empty,” “Islands Alone,” “The Keys,” “The End,” “I Wonder,” “Out of the Blue,” “A German Plane?,” “On Our Feet,” “And He Does,” “Too Rough to Land,” “Limbo,” “At Last,” “Salvation,” “Sick Bay,” and “Doctor’s Orders.”

The sunrise is beautiful but hard for the passengers to appreciate because it dawns on the day they will run out of water. Food is available, but no one can swallow it without water. The boys stop talking, retreating into themselves and feeling alone. Mary continues her adventure story and reaches the end. Without the anticipation of the story or the strength to begin another one, hope of survival wanes. Ken contemplates death, thinking about what it would be like to join his mother who died when he was an infant. As he looks at the sky, Ken sees a plane and starts to shout. At first, no one believes it’s really a plane, but Ken remains confident and starts to wave his pajama shirt. When Cooper realizes the plane is real, he fears it could be a German plane and orders everyone down. Ken, however, knows the plane’s shape and sound, and he identifies it as a Sunderland. Everyone starts to wave and pray, and the plane soon drops lower, as the pilot waves at them.

Signalman Mayhew starts signaling with makeshift flags with a code, telling the plane they are from the City of Benares. The plan signals back with a lamp, conveying the message that he is “low on fuel / radioing for help, / dropping food” (238). The food lands out of reach in the waves, and the plane leaves. As the minutes pass, everyone searches the sky for another plane. One soon appears and drops food at a reachable distance this time. No water is dropped, but the boys drink juice from cans of fruit. A note accompanying the food reveals that a rescue ship is 40 miles away. The ship, the HMS Anthony, soon approaches, and everyone celebrates as it pulls up next to Lifeboat 12.

The boys are too weak to pull themselves up on the lowered nets on the side of the ship, so sailors come down and carry them or pull them aboard. They can hardly walk because of their swollen feet and are ushered to the doctor. Ken hears that the crew suffered the most, and many of them lost fingers and toes. The doctor prescribes liquids only for the boys at first, although they ignore this and are sick after eating rich foods. The boys take warm baths and receive fresh clothing, but Ken makes sure his coat is not thrown away.