11. The Nova Scotia Tragedy: Enemies united by sharks
The sinking of the USS Indianapolis was by no means the only instance of sailors being killed and eaten by sharks during the Second World War. Three years prior to the most infamous incident, in fact, dozens of men were likely killed by oceanic white-tip sharks following the sinking of the RMS Nova Scotia.
Despite being a Royal Mail Ship, the Nova Scotia was converted into a troop ship for the war effort. In the autumn of 1942, the vessel landed in British-occupied Eritrea. Here, she dropped off American troops and took onboard some 750 Italian prisoners-of-war. She then set sail for Durban, South Africa. On the morning of 28 November, the Nova Scotia was attacked just off the coast of Mozambique. A German U-boat scored three direct hits. The boat was sunk within minutes. Just one lifeboat could be launched. Hundreds of men went into the water with just lifejackets or pieces of wreckage to cling to.
The captain of the German U-boat responsible for the attack was under strict orders not to rescue survivors. He did, however, inform the Portuguese of the incident and rescue boats were launched. For more than 48 hours, however, the men had to fend off the hungry sharks. An unknown number of men, both Italian and British, were taken under and eaten, and countless more simply drowned. In all, 858 souls were lost that day, with many of the bodies – including those bearing the tell-tale signs of shark bites – washed ashore on the picturesque beaches of Mozambique.