Something cool I came across….
This is Unsinkable Sam aka Oscar, a cat that served with the Kriegsmarine (navy of Nazi Germany) and the Royal Navy (navy of the UK) during World War 2.
He was reportedly to have belonged to a sailor onboard the German battleship Bismarck. On May 18, 1941, Bismarck was on its first mission when it was sunk by the Allies. Out of the 2,100 crew members onboard, only 115 men and one cat survived.
The HMS Cossack scooped up the cat and gave him the name Oscar. For the next few months, Oscar lived on the ship until it was hit by torpedoes from a German U-boat, which killed 159 crew members but not Oscar, who was brought to the shores of Gibraltar by the remaining survivors.
Oscar was soon transferred to the HMS Ark Royal where he was given the name, "Unsinkable Sam". Ironically, the Ark Royal was heavily involved in the sinking of the Bismark. After a series of near misses, the ship had garnered a reputation for being a "lucky ship", however its luck would soon run out.
On November 14, 1941, the Ark Royal was torpedoed by a U-boat, causing it to roll over and sink. Sam was found clinging to a piece of wood and was described as "angry, but quite unharmed".
The sinking of the Ark Royal ended Sam's career at sea and he lived out his remaining years in Belfast with a seaman until 1955.
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5 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.It's only fitting, that such a cool kitty survives longer than all those ships, and even so many sailors, that he sailed with..
TomMcGiverin
Level 8
June 5, 2024
1
Great story! Has anyone here heard of "Just Nuisance?" He was a dog who attached himself to a military group in South Africa and had such exploits that they promoted him to Ordinary Seaman. There's a monument to him in Simon's Town, S.A. Google him...it's a great story.
pamagain
Level 8
June 2, 2024
4
Thanks for that info. Had a look and agree, it’s an interesting story. Clearly a dog with real character.
Good history & a few lives used up.
FrayedBear
Level 9
June 2, 2024
3
Very lucky cat. I looked, it seems that cats are no longer resident on Naval ships in the UK or NZ.
There’s a couple of cat statues in Devonport, where my parents live.
Benjamin the local library cat and a memorial for animals called Minnie at the nearby Royal NZ Navy museum.
I’ll take some pictures when I get the opportunity and post them on this Group. Don’t know what I’m going to do about them coming out upside down. Maybe I need to move to the Northern Hemisphere.
I have a cat called Oscar…he’s not had such an eventful life as his namesake above, nothing more dangerous than keeping away from busy main road at the bottom of our garden and it’s speeding cars, which sadly ended the life of his mother and numerous earlier feline members of our household. I’d say just living to being 14 is heroic enough for my Oscar!
Marionville
Level 10
June 2, 2024
6
My beloved PussPuss lived to 22. Six of those years were spent off grid alongside a main highway carrying 20000+ vehicles a day whilst backing onto the woods that contained venemous snakes, spiders, ticks & dingoes. She travelled thousands of kilometres with me only to be killed by age, incompetent veterinary service & mistreatment in a kennel run by the local PAWS rescue organisation. . . the same barbarians who had Narla butchered at 2 months of age.
@FrayedBear Twenty two is a good age for a cat. Sounds like PussPuss was canny with dealing the nine life cards.
Shame that cack handed vets mishandled it.
@Zealandia that & she was well looked after.
@Zealandia That age is amazing, for a cat who is allowed to be outdoors much at all, between passing vehicles and other animals that are predators..
That’s so interesting, thanks 
girlwithsmiles
Level 8
June 2, 2024
6
Glad you enjoyed the story. 
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