"We really wanted to get at least one shot off, but the sub would have come up outside the fire and we wouldn't have seen it anyway. The fire was too bright,: said Gary Potts.
Flames from the burning ship came ever closer to the ammunition box which began to bubble. Their officer said, "Let's get the hell out of here."
Lifeboats were in flames, so they they jumped overboard into the fire.
Potts did not jump as was the prescribed method. He dove. Had he jumped straight down, he would have broken both feet on the hull of an capsized lifeboat. As it was, his toes clipped it.
The ship's propellers were still turning and Gardner watched two men get pulled into them.
Most of the survivors had at least third degree burns.
The Gill sank at 9 AM and the men spent all night in a lifeboat until picked up by Coast Guard cutter USCGC-186 at 7:05 AM.
A Story of Valiant Men. More to Come. --Cooter
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