From award-winning author Deborah Heiligman comes Torpedoed, a true account of the attack and sinking of the passenger ship SS City of Benares, which was evacuating children from England during WWII.
Amid the constant rain of German bombs and the escalating violence of World War II, British parents by the thousands chose to send their children out of the country: the wealthy, independently; the poor, through a government relocation program called CORB. In September 1940, passenger liner SS City of Benares set out in a convoy of nineteen ships sailing for Canada. On board were ninety CORB children, chaperones, and crew, along with paying passengers.
When the war ships escorting the Benares to safe waters peeled off and the way forward seemed certain, a German submarine attacked and torpedoed the Benares. What followed is an amazing example of all that people are capable of—the worst, and the best.
Torpedoed
The True Story of the World War II Sinking of "The Children's Ship"
1 of 1 copy available
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 8, 2019 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781250233905
- File size: 182182 KB
- Duration: 06:19:32
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 840
- Text Difficulty: 4-5
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Reviews
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Narrator Marisa Calin chronicles the lives of children, those who survived and those who perished, in the tragic sinking of the SS CITY OF BENARES, or "The Children's Ship." The ship was intended to save British children from the German air raids of WWII by transporting them to Canada, but it was torpedoed by a German U-boat while making the journey. As the surviving children cling to the wet and slippery rescue boats in the cold Atlantic, Calin perfectly portrays the fear and determination of each passenger. Listeners will be saddened by the history of this disastrous shipwreck but glad to know that the stories of the passengers and crew will be remembered. M.D. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine -
July 29, 2019
In this gripping account, Heiligman (Vincent and Theo) relates the September 1940 attack by a German submarine on the British passenger ship SS City of Benares, which killed 258 people, including 77 children. In unflinching detail, the book depicts the often fatal struggles of enduring a torpedo strike at sea, as well as the selfless acts of those striving to keep other passengers alive. Distinguished by expertly woven research, including the author’s own interviews, the book focuses on the 90 Children’s Overseas Reception Board children who were being sent, like others before them, to safety in Canada. The volume describes the families’ tearful farewells and then the children’s delight during the first days on “the floating palace.” Frequent hints of the approaching disaster build momentum as the attack nears, and the tension increases dramatically as the narrative shifts to riveting individual stories of those awaiting rescue in lifeboats or on rafts. Accompanied by photographs and illustrations and including documentation of all who were on board, this is a harrowing yet inspiring look at a little-covered historical event. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 10–14.
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