Survival Stories

[astr0144]

Two Survival Stories That I came across today.

1st one about a Top Gun Type Pilot David Steeves who Crashed in a Lockheed Jet (Modern at the Time) in Kings Canyon National Park USA in 1957 during the Cold war where the crash & Pilot initially could not be found  was thought to have died...Then 54 days later some Hikers came across him... He had survived and told his story, but the Crash site could still not be Found.... Later some people suspected him of being a spy and passing the aircraft to the Russians.  David Steeves later was able to Fly again & set out over some years to try and find the crashed site to prove himself & his story as being true....Unfortunately David Steeves was later Killed in a crash after testing a new aircraft.

Some years later in 1977..some hikers found part of the wreckage of the Lockheed Aircraft that crashed in 1957...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Steeves


The Second is the true Story of a Whaler ship in 1820 that was sunk in the Pacific by a whale  over a thousand miles away from mainland..During the trip there had been a series of disagreements between the Captain and 2nd in command.

After initially finding an Island, they later found a cave with remains of 8 previous shipwreck victims and a note saying that the Island did not have the resources to survive for very long...So they decided to attempt again  with few rations to head for South America and to avoid small Islands for Fear of Cannibals...They travelled in 3 small boats. Over 2 months later one man died in one boat and in another they drawn lots to kill one of them in order to eat. After much denial the Captain was later forced to shoot his own Nephew on order or them to survive...

It was a terrible situation for them to have to face..

After 3 months another Whaling boat found 2 boats in which a few had managed to still be alive including the Captain.

One of the survivors later went on to write account of the disaster that was later used by Herman Mellville to write the famous Novel "Moby Dick" !.

The Captain went on to run another whaling ship successfully, but he later ended up in an asylum after having had nightmares of the previous
harrowing ordeal encounter...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_(whaleship)

Dramatic retelling of the fateful last voyage of the Nantucket whaleship Essex. When the Essex is attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in November 1820, her crew take to three fragile whalers. Alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the men must decide whether to head for the nearest islands - a thousand miles downwind to the west - or set out on an epic journey of almost three thousand miles to reach the South American mainland. Fear of cannibals forces them to choose South America.

Almost three months later, the first whaler is rescued by another whaleship. Only three men are still alive. A week later the captain's whaler is also rescued, with just two men aboard. The third whaler is never found.

This is a story of human endurance and what men in extremis will do to survive


www.bbc.co.uk/whale