THE WRECK

In 1938, my Grandpa was a young sailor working in a Fishing Boat. He was 26

years old and that autumn had been extremly warm. That unusual hot
weather, allowed to the Rita’s crew to sail and to fish in the dangerous and
freezing wáter of Norweigan Sea until november.

The Rita was an old Fishing boat. It had been made in Steel by German
workers in Hamburg at the beginning of 20th century. Despite the years,
the ship was reliable and comfortable.

The ancient Harald was the captain of the ship, and he knew every part of
"Rita", every system, and he had the anknowlegment about how to make
function the vessel to catch the best tunas in the north seas. No one in the
fleets, even with the most modern and powerful boats could get the tuna
that fished the Harald-Rita’s team.

In the morning of november 18th, the sun hadn't risen yet when my
Grandpa got up at 8 o'clock. He had slept whit his partner and friend in the
crew like every day since 10 years.

Oliver was the name of that Big and fat viking. An old and quiet sea-wolf.
Oliver was 45 years old but seems like 60 years or more because of a
entire life at sea.

They had breakfast and talking about the labour of that day. Oliver say
that didn’t like the smell of the air that morning. He told Viktor –my
Grandpa- that he had had a nightmare with a big fire in the engine room
started in the boiler. -You had better think in the fishing and forget it of
bad dreams- said my Grandpa.

Rita was a trawler. That means to pull a net fishing by aft to get fishes. To
make that, the vessel, had davits fixed to the hull in the aft deck. The
operation of the nets was driving with ropes to a powerful chigre.

In the afternoon, almost 4:00 p.m., the Captain was screaming orders to all
the deck crew in the midle of the fishing work. He was excited because
that day was incredible productly and the holds was almost full of huge
fresh tuna.

In a moment, they suddenly heard a great noise like a piece of cloth that
was riping. The ship was quickly seated by stern and my Grandpa fell in the
sea.
he told me that, in that moment, he coudn’t remember cleary how time
that he stayed under the water. He only could see black water with a lot of
bubbles. He lost the sence of the position. He couldn’t understand what had
happened and the only thing that he could think was breathing. When he
could finaly get calm, he started to swim to the surface. When he turned
round the head looking for the Rita, he saw terrified at 50 meters of him,
the rest of the ship. It had several damage all over the aft deck and the
davits had literaly disapeared. Viktor could recognize his friend on deck. he
was rising one of his hand and the other was catching a ring lifebuoy.
Oliver was cover with blood all over his face, shoulders and torso. He was
looking my Grandpa and he threw the lifebuoy before disapeared inside the
vessel.

Viktor never could understand what happened in that moment, but in only 15
minutes, Rita finally sunk in the ocean.

Viktor was alone in the open sea, he only had a ring lifebuoy and nobody
know about the recently wreck of the Rita. He was realizing that he
probable die in the next hour but he promised himself not to lose the calm
and try to think.

After an hour flodding in the quiet sea when he was preparing for passing
the night there, he started to see around him a lot of bubbles an a black
and shinning object emerged near of him. At first he couldn't recognize
that thing but at the end he understand that the machine in front of him it
was a German U-boat. in a moment appears a German in the bridge of the
submarine and Oliver started to shout "HELP!!!, HELP!!!!!"

In the travel to the coast, the German Captain told my Grandpa that they
had crashed with the Rita’s net and the propeler of the submarine was
blocked. They had stayed waitting one hour before emerged because they
were thinking that some warship were shooting against them. After that
they decided emerged to repair the propeller.

In that moment Viktor realize that he was alive because as a consequence

of fell into the sea and not stay inside the Rita. It was imposible to know
what type of damage had suffered the old fishing ship but in only 15
minutes the sea was devorated it.

Every year, in this date, my Grandpa goes in a craft to the zone of the
wreck and throw a lifebuoy ring with the hope to help his friend in the
other life.
The first time that my Grandpa told me this story it was in 1987. I was 15
years old in that moment and he shocked me. Since that year I usually go
with him in november to try to help his friend.