Since the 16th we have been in a terrific storm untill Sunday night. We could not eat a meal at table, had to get what ever we could and eat hanging on to chairs lashed to the tables and bulkheads. No one could sleep, it was dangerous to try to lay in our bunks. Some of us wedged ourselves between the table and bulkhead and tried to rest, but the strain was too much. So it was just a case of endurance; and wait until we were so exhausted that sleep would come.

Friday I had the ***? to put my mattress on the floor of my cabin and I lashed myslef in and finally slept!

Some on the watch officers say the ship rolled 45˚, but 32 to 38 was her average and all hands were standing by for her to not come back on some of her rolls.

This ship has 7/10ths of her cargo stowed above the water line.  Most of her lower cargo holds are empty or are only partly filled with light material(?).

One noght during this storm, I can’t remember which, the CO2 tanks got adrift in No.4 hatch(?) where 45 tons of T.N.T. is stored and things were pretty lo**ly(?) for a time. They finally got them secured without mishap.

We sighted some ships on the way home and we are standing double watches. We are in the danger zone, have received a wireless warning to look out for submarines, and now this morning, May 20th, we hear that our convoy is to leave us and go to the states.  That will leave 22 merchant ships at the mercy of the U-boat with only the protection we can give ourselves. We had the armed ship with us when we did not need her, and now that we are really in danger she is to leave. Some management.

Well, I have stood their low, disgusting talk of these I.W.W. scandanavian fore(?) the east(?), would(?) be(?) until I could go no further. So I declared myself ********* and then our most *il* of them all has been like a little lamb today.