Atlantic Odyssey

Atlantic Odyssey

One late December day nine coast guardsmen, bearded, thin and tired, arrived in New York aboard a Navy transport plane. They told a story of a 21-day battle in the Atlantic against mountainous seas, two hurricanes, and ten gales aboard a dismasted yawl. Among the nine men were first class boatswain's mate, Joseph Choate '31, and coxswain Ward Weimar '44. Their boat, the former racing yacht Zaida, now the CGR 3070, was about to return from a routine five-day patrol early in December when a heavy storm struck her between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Shoals. While hove to, trying to idle out the blow, the craft was set on its beams ends by a tidal wave, which smashed the mizzenmast. filled the hold a third full of water, got into the gasoline and the batteries, rendering the auxiliary motor and the radio useless, and sent 50-pound chunks of lead ballast crashing about. An SOS just before the radio went dead prompted one of the greatest sea hunts of recent history in which, for si days, ships and planes of the United States, Britain and Canada, braved storms and heavy weather in search of the vessel. It was sighted several times and was even taken in tow once by a British destroyer, but during the night was lost again. In the afternoon of the 21st day, a blimp sighted the 3070 and remained overhead, guiding surface craft to the rescue. The weary mariners were taken off the boat about 25 miles off Ocracoke Inlet, N. C., after having been blown and buffeted for some 3100 miles. Only one man was seriously injured, when the stove broke loose and landed on him. All nine of the men had lost weight and were more than a little tired from the ordeal, but they were in high spirits as they headed home for Christmas—a Navy Christmas present for nine of its sturdy sailors.