Uno spettacolo tragico e tremendo

Giobatta Orlandi from Cowdenbeath, Scotland, shared his memories of the sinking of the Arandora Star...

On the Arandora, you could walk freely while the Dunera that took us to Australia, it had barbed wire. The day before the torpedo hit the Arandora, they had taken us from the cabin to the deck because of the Jews.

When the torpedo exploded, I was in the dining room which is where we were sleeping. We were all Italians: 736 of us and 258 of us were saved. It was the number given to us: I repeated it many times. That morning I didn't sleep I was chatting with one of my friends…maybe ... we will work picking fruit… and 'if they make us work' they will pay us,

and then... the blow ... a single cry ... the light ... Oh God ... when I talk about it, I get a little shiver.

Everyone ran to go above deck. I stayed. I think - if the ship goes down that I will find me a life jacket to stay afloat: I know how to swim, thank God, but it wasn't necessary! I didn't find it. I look, I see a light, I head towards it. When I arrived I heard: Help! Help! Help me ...

I see Father Gaetano Fracassi, the stairs were broken by the explosion ... I lifted him bodily and he hooked himself up, and he climbed up. Then as best I could I climbed up too.

When we got to the deck, I said to Father Fracassi: “You who are a priest, take your book and give Absolution to all these people who will never see their homes again.” So he did: we prayed together. After the blessing, he asked me: “Where are we going?”: and I: I go this way… But he remained with his book.

I went ahead. The ship was now leaning 45 degrees, 20 minutes had passed. The sun was not there yet, it was raining… as soon as I got up I could hear all the people screaming. The ship was rocking to the right and to the left… I looked towards the boats… there were none left…

The deck was covered with heads screaming… they were all dazed… they were screaming and doing nothing! I said: something must be done here… I grabbed the rope like a cat! The ship was on such a lean that the ropes of the lifeboats were leaning against the vessel. Before I went down into the water I looked, there was no one left coming down that way. I didn't look to the right I looked to the left ... it was a mass of heads: I didn't recognize anyone. I went down with the smoke in the water!

At the bottom I found the lifeboat. Fortunato Iannetta was inside. The one who helped me was ‘Il Papa’ of Edinburgh: he was old, I pulled myself up, I helped myself into the lifeboat ... We moved away because the ship was going down. We distanced ourselves a hundred meters for fear of the suction.

A tragic and terrible sight ... screams; people calling for help, help ... and calling on God. The sea covered with rafts with heads attached ... in the sea ... in boats ... I continued to pray ... It was an incredible thing with all those people who didn't want to move from the deck, and ... it went down .... vooohhh!!! I prayed ... I tried to stay calm ....

(from Arandora Star by Pietro Zorza; translated from Italian)

Giobatta Orlandi

Australia January 1943 and Scotland 1980s