We have heard of the Lusitania; we have heard

of the Titanic; I confess that I had not heard of the City of Benares.

There have been many stories and films about lost ships and submarine warfare in World War II. This is a story that seems to have slipped by. Yet it is a wonderful story of children in danger and heroes ready to help.

The year 1940 was not a good year to be a resident of England which was under attack by the German Army Air Force. It was decided to give parents a chance to send their children to Canada for safety, and Canadian families had opened their homes. There were 90 child evacuees and 10 adult escorts who sailed on the City of Benares in September, 1940. Although most of the children were excited and pleased to be going on an adventure, their parents were reluctant to part with them, but felt it best for them to leave the war zone.

The first days at sea were fun, in an elegant ship with ample food and games to play and space to explore. There were lifeboat drills and careful explanations of what to do in case of a U boat attack. The children slept in their life jackets. When the Benares reached the part of the ocean that had been considered beyond the danger zone from German submarines, the rules were relaxed somewhat.

The author, Tom Nagorski, came upon this story in a strange way. He learned that his great uncle, who had fled the Nazis from Poland and through France, was leaving England to join his family in the U.S., and was a passenger on the Benares. He supplied many details, and Nagorski was able to interview many survivors and families.

During the night of September 17, a German U boat fired a torpedo at the biggest ship in a convoy the sub was tracking. The British Navy escorts had just left the convoy to escort an incoming supply convoy, so the Benares and her sister ships were unprotected. The Germans probably did not know the kind of ship they had struck. They just rejoiced in sinking an enemy ship and moved off.

Then the real saga began. The crew and passengers on the Benares, including the children, followed their earlier instructions. However, the sea was rough and the ship began flooding and listing. It would eventually break in two and sink.

How the survivors survived, what happened to the others, and the deeds of many heroes during that terrible night makes a gripping tale.

Miracles on the Water is available at the Mary Willis Library.