Dorchester

Dorchester

On February 3, 1943 a torpedo struck the S.S. Dorchester. Chaos reigned on board as the boat filled with water. Men rushed aroundin a panic. Many had run up from the hold without life jackets. Overcrowded lifeboats capsized; rafts drifted away before anyone could reach them. Survivors testified that there seemed only one little island of order in all the confusion – the spot where four chaplains stood, on the steeply sloping starboard side.

 Alexander David Goode, a rabbi, George Lansing Fox, a pastor, Clark Poling, a minister, and John Washington, a priest, calmly guided men to their boat stations. They distributed life jackets from a storage locker and then helped men frozen with fear over the side.

Hundreds of men were crying, pleading, praying, and swearing. But through it all, the chaplains spoke words of courage and confidence. “Their voices were the only thing that kept me going,” one survivor recalled.

When the supply of life jackets was gone, the four chaplains gave away their own. As the water flooded the deck the chaplains remained standing firm, arms linked; their voices could be heard across the waters praying in Hebrew, Latin, and English.

God will give you the power to stand firm in the face of the storms of life. He will give you His peace as you trust in Him.

(The story of the chaplains is adapted from the book Solid Ground by Mark Finley and published by Review and Herald 2003, used with permission.)

 Image originally found here

Related Articles

More From Prose

Three Vital Tests

It was Mother’s Day. Ruthie opened an email from a cherished friend whom she chose not to name.
Three Vital Tests

Surges of Hope

As I write this, not only do I write it for you, but for me as well. This has been a…
Surges of Hope

Bubbe Brocha

One of the greatest women to have ever come into my life as I was growing up was my great…
Bubbe Brocha

False Assurance

It was rainy weather for days but since the rain itself wasn’t very heavy I felt I could stay…
False Assurance

A Danish or Ice Cream?

Since I was a kid I loved Danish pastries, especially blueberry and prune, and I was always…
A Danish or Ice Cream?

Except for That

Since I was a child I was always seemed to be the sickest child out of my siblings. I got sick…
Except for That

Doug Bachelor

Doug Batchelor might be the richest caveman to have ever lived. His mother was a Jewish actress…
Doug Bachelor

What Ever Happened to Judy

Have you sometimes wondered what happened to friends that you grew up with? I have, we all have.
What Ever Happened to Judy

God’s Care

Most of the time I prefer to write humorous, light hearted things. This time I want to write…
God’s Care

And They Lived Happily...

Author Richard Paul Evans has written many novels that carry the theme “and they lived happily…
And They Lived Happily...

Silly George

My neighbor asked if I could watch her cats while she was away. One of her cats, George, had to…
Silly George

Forgiveness

Three years ago, a friend said something to me that hurt very deeply. I was speechless. I could…
Forgiveness

Joshua Sink

From as early as Joshua Sink could remember he had a passion for flying. While children…
Joshua Sink

Publish the Menu module to "offcanvas" position. Here you can publish other modules as well.
Learn More.