Note 214 — Chapter XIII · THE LAST EFFORTS

One of the transports (the Southland), conveying a battalion of the 2nd Australian Division, was torpedoed on September 2, thirty-one miles from Mudros. The firemen took to the boats, but the engineers kept sufficient head of steam to work the pumps and electric light. Finding she was filling only slowly, they called for soldier volunteers to help with the stoking, and in an hour got steam up to the blowing-off point. The destroyer Racoon, which had come alongside, was then able to supply practised stokers, and they, with the engineers, stoked the boilers into Mudros harbour.