Southern Ocean

Pulled out of Adelaide’s Outer Harbor about 0730 this morning — next stop — Wellington?

Finally moved out of that pig-sty we were jammed into (ex-negro quarters) and moved into officers quarters, up one deck.

Was astonished to read in an Adelaide paper dated 9 March a dispatch from Perth by Knickerbocker of the Chicago Sun, to the effect that his ship was the last to leave Tjilatjap, slightly south of which, they came across an open lifeboat under sail, containing one F.R. Fette! I guess poor old Russ didn’t get a plane after all to Chunking. His ship, which left Tjilatjap at night, was shelled and sunk by a Jap cruiser. They took to the boats and shortly after picked up a few swimming survivors of another sunken ship, which also had its lifeboats shelled and sunk. Anyway, he’s safe in Perth – he’s certainly having one hell of a time getting to Chungking.