Sinking Cargo Ship: Adrift Without a Lifejacket

Summary

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "Sinking Cargo Ship: Adrift Without a Lifejacket" from the podcast Real Survival Stories, host John Hopkins delves into the harrowing true tale of Sheena Levitt, a young cook and deckhand who finds herself thrust into a life-or-death situation aboard the MV Who Ness, a small cargo ship navigating the tumultuous waters of the English Channel in September 1974. This detailed recounting captures Sheena's journey from a seasoned mariner to a sole survivor battling the unforgiving sea.

Early Life and Background

Sheena Levitt's story begins with her introduction as a resilient young woman navigating a male-dominated maritime industry. At just 20 years old, Sheena has already amassed significant life experience. "I think it made me strong because you had to stand your ground," Sheena reflects at [07:00], highlighting how her perseverance earned her respect among her crew. Her adventurous spirit was shaped early on; at 17, she left a strict household—where her father was a high-ranking army officer—to seek excitement and freedom on the seas with her then-husband, Paul.

The Voyage Begins

By September 1974, Sheena and Paul, along with their crewmate David from New Zealand, are aboard the MV Who Ness, embarking on a routine 70-mile voyage from London to Guernsey. The mood on board is optimistic despite overcast skies, as Sheena recalls at [10:25], "We loved going to Guernsey and we wanted to be there for the weekend so we could have a weekend of fun." However, Sheena harbors a lingering unease, captured poignantly at [11:56], "I had a premonition that something was going to happen and I've never had that in my life before."

The Storm

As the ship sails past Dover, weather conditions begin to deteriorate unexpectedly. At [15:54], Sheena voices her fears: "The weather had blown up again, the weather had got worse and I started to get frightened." Despite her apprehensions, Paul decides to press on, a choice that ultimately leads them into the heart of a severe storm. As the tempest intensifies, Sheena battles seasickness and mounting dread, while Paul maintains a stoic facade until the situation becomes overwhelmingly dire.

The Sinking

The storm reaches its zenith early morning on September 4, 1974, with colossal waves battering the MV Who Ness. At [19:08], Sheena describes the chaos: "One minute we were on top of a roller, the next minute you just plow down into the depths of the sea." The ship's structure begins to fail as water breaches the hold, leading to uncontrollable flooding. Sheena recounts the frantic moments when the life raft fails to inflate and the desperation that follows: "Paul tried to turn the ship round but it wouldn't respond because there was just not enough power there against the waves."

Adrift in the Sea

With the ship sinking rapidly, Sheena, Paul, and David are forced to abandon ship. Despite their efforts to deploy the life raft, it malfunctions, leaving Sheena thrust into the icy waters alone. She vividly describes her ordeal: "I thought my lungs were going to burst. I thought I was going to have to breathe in some water," at [28:57]. Struggling to stay afloat without a lifejacket, Sheena fears she may never see her crewmates again.

Struggle for Survival

Miraculously, Sheena spots Paul struggling nearby. Together, they navigate the treacherous waves, aided by David's heroic intervention. Sheena credits David's bravery for their survival: "I think he saved our lives," at [31:57]. The trio manages to secure the life raft, but their ordeal is far from over. Adrift in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, they face the grim possibility of being overlooked by rescue vessels. Sheena's resourcefulness shines as she uses brown paper to insulate themselves against the biting cold: "I made us all, the three of us, put brown paper on our arms, on our bodies, everywhere we could, just to try and keep us warm," at [34:12].

Rescue

After enduring a full day adrift with dwindling hope, the trio's persistence pays off when a massive container ship spots their life raft. Despite initial setbacks with their flare signals being ineffective, they finally catch the attention of the freighter. As Sheena describes the rescue, "Paul grabs the box of flares... we saw David poke his head out of the opening on the life raft," at [32:32]. Climbing onto the deck of the towering vessel is a daunting task, but with sheer determination, Sheena, Paul, and David make it safely aboard, marking the end of their immediate struggle for survival.

Aftermath and Reflections

Upon returning to England, Sheena continues her life with resilience and newfound strength. She reflects on the impact of her ordeal, stating, "If you've got the strength and will to do it, you can do it," at [43:03]. The experience has instilled in her an unshakable confidence, enabling her to navigate life's challenges with grace. Despite the trauma, Sheena's adventurous spirit remains undiminished, as she continues to embrace life's unpredictability.

Conclusion

Sheena Levitt's story is a testament to human endurance and the will to survive against all odds. Through vivid narration and poignant reflections, Real Survival Stories offers an immersive glimpse into one woman's extraordinary journey from the brink of death to triumphant survival. This episode not only underscores the unpredictability of nature but also celebrates the indomitable spirit that lies within us all.

Notable Quotes

• Sheena Levitt at [02:07]:

  "Terrible weather, wreckage everywhere. You can imagine with these huge rollers, these huge waves, bits of wood crashing down, and they're heavy. So if one of those hits you, that would probably be the end of you."

• Sheena Levitt at [03:03]:

  "And I thought, oh my God, I hope I'm not on my own. I was so frightened of being alone and even to the extent I thought, well, if I'm on my own, what do I do? How do I survive?"

• Sheena Levitt at [07:00]:

  "Good as I got. But I also think that it made me, it made me strong because you had to stand your ground."

• Sheena Levitt at [34:12]:

  "I made us all, the three of us, put brown paper on our arms, on our bodies, everywhere we could, just to try and keep us warm."

• Sheena Levitt at [43:03]:

  "I think it's remarkable how the mind can overcome these issues and move forward. If you've got the strength and will to do it, you can do it."

Production Credits

This episode of Real Survival Stories is hosted by John Hopkins and produced by Joel Duddell, Ed Baranski, Luke Lonergan, Miri Latham, Jacob Booth, Liam Cameron, Rob Plummer, Cian Ryan-Morgan, and Cody Reynolds-Shaw. The musical compositions are by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, and Tom Pink.

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Transcript

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[John Hopkins]

It's September 4th, 1974. Dawn, piercing squalls cut across the chilly fog mantled waters of the English Channel, the busiest shipping lane in the world. Beneath a dingy white sky, rolling breakers span the length of the horizon. Massive slow moving undulations cobwebbed with foam thundering in the mist. For the huge container ships that traverse these waters, storms like this make crossings uncomfortable. For anything smaller, they can be deadly. In the middle of the channel, about 14 miles from the French coast, the evidence of a recent catastrophic shipwreck drifts on the surface of the sea. Flotsam and jetsam tumble about in the surf. A piece of rigging, a torn fragment of tarp, cracked wood and twisting metal. All that remains of the merchant vessel who nests as it is consumed by the water and thrashing amongst the waves and the debris is 20 year old Sheena Levitt. Coughing, panting, trying to get her bearings, Sheena combs around in the devastation, attempting to work out where she is. Minutes ago, she was aboard her ship. Now chaos reigns.

[Sheena Levitt]

Terrible weather, wreckage everywhere. You can imagine with these huge rollers, these huge waves, bits of wood crashing down, and they're heavy. So if one of those hits you, that would probably be the end of you.

[John Hopkins]

Keeping her head above the constantly shifting surface is almost impossible, made worse by the fact that somehow, somewhere in this madness, Sheena has lost her life jacket. No sign of her life preserver, no sign of the life raft. And most disturbingly, no sign of her shipmates, including her husband Paul. The envy who ness is already lost, sinking to the bottom of the sea. How long will it be before the stricken crew join her in the depths?

[Sheena Levitt]

And I thought, oh my God, I hope I'm not on my own. I was so frightened of being on my own and even to the extent I thought, well, if I'm on my own, what do I do? How do I survive?

[John Hopkins]

Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to real survival stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. In this episode, we meet cook and deckhand Sheena Levitt. In September 1974, Sheena is part of the crew of the MV who Ness, a cargo ship sailing from London to Guernsey. But they won't make it that far.

[Sheena Levitt]

I thought we shouldn't be doing this. The weather had blown up again. The weather had got worse and I started to get frightened.

[John Hopkins]

And Sheena's misgivings will prove to be well founded. When pounding waves flood the vessel in rough seas, her three person crew will be forced into a decision that every sailor dreads. Abandoning ship, Sheena will find herself alone, adrift, unsure if she'll ever see her crewmates or land again.

[Sheena Levitt]

I came to. It was absolutely pitch black. Couldn't see a thing, didn't know which way was up. I thought my lungs were going to burst. I thought I was going to have to breathe in some water. So I just swam and swam and swam as fast as I could.

[John Hopkins]

I'm John Hopkins from the Noiser Podcast Network. This is Real Survival stories. It's Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1974 in Erith, southeast London. Cargo ships line the wharf at a Port of London authority terminal on the Thames while seagulls arc overhead. The murky brown river lapse against the shore where coils of rope and rusting oil drums lie half embedded in the mud. Along the jetty, burly dock workers load pallets into the holds of ships, their hulls adorned with the names of the European ports for which they're Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, gdask. Nestled among the freighters, a small merchant vessel bobs in its loading bay. The MV Hunes is a 200 ton, 100 foot coaster cargo ship considerably slighter than many of her neighbors. There's a welded steel hull and a simple wooden wheelhouse perched above the main deck. On board, the skipper runs his crew through their pre departure checklist. One of the shipmates immediately stands out. 20 year old Sheena Levitt is used to being the only woman in a world typically dominated by men. The spirited young deckhand has earned her place in this testosterone fuel environment. She's learned to brush off the occasional raised eyebrow and sidelong glance. And when it comes to the bawdy jokes and taunts, well, I gave as.

[Sheena Levitt]

Good as I got. But I also think that it made me, it made me strong because you had to stand your ground. And how did I cope? I just got on with it. I've always just got on with everything really. You have to. But yes, I stood up for myself. Being a woman Amongst men and I think men on the ships very soon realized that I was my own person and I wouldn't be pushed around.

[John Hopkins]

Despite her relative youth, Sheena already has plenty of life experience under her belt. At 17, she left home in search of adventure and found it, somewhat surprisingly, in a pub in Rye, East Sussex. It was there that she met a charming merchant seaman named Paul. The young couple took off traveling together and tied the knot shortly after returning to England. The footloose, freewheeling life appeals to Sheena in part because it's so different from the one she grew up with. Her father was a high ranking officer in the army and there were times when the family home felt more like a training camp.

[Sheena Levitt]

You basically had to do what you were told all the time. And I admit that I was a bit of a rebel and I think when I got to 17 and was allowed to leave home, I took every opportunity to go off and have a bit of excitement in my life, not really knowing where it was going to lead. So I think the restraints of my upbringing probably made me go off and do the things I did.

[John Hopkins]

By the age of 19, Sheena was living with her new husband in the southeast of England. But a life of quiet domesticity was never really on the cards. When Paul found work skippering cargo ships out of the Thames Estuary, Sheena, still thirsting for more adventure, decided to go with him.

[Sheena Levitt]

I think it was just in my nature to do things that I really shouldn't have done and get myself through it and come out the other side.

[John Hopkins]

Working as a cook and deckhand, Sheena quickly adapted to the rough and tumble world of maritime haulage. While she still suffers occasional bouts of seasickness, for the most part the 20 year old has gotten used to her new life. From the stinging cold of cargo ports at dawn to the delicate art of cooking meals in rough weather. She's even experienced one or two close calls. On a recent voyage from Germany back to England, their ship ran aground in shallow water beneath Margate Cliffs. Fortunately, they were able to free themselves when the tide came in. But still the experience shook them.

[Sheena Levitt]

It made me much more wary. You know, I'd sort of thought that shits don't sink. I suppose I was quite naive. Ships don't sink, you just get from A to B. But it, it did make me much more wary.

[John Hopkins]

It's mid morning. Sheena and Paul busy themselves around deck. Their third crew member, a young New Zealander named David, is securing the cargo in the hold. Today's assignment is a straightforward voyage to the Channel island of Guernsey, 70 miles off the south coast of England, where they are to deliver a shipment of cement.

[Sheena Levitt]

The cargo was loaded and then we all got ready to set off to Guernsey and we loved going to Guernsey and we wanted to be there for the weekend so we could have a weekend of fun.

[John Hopkins]

On board the who ness spirits are high, but the crew's sunny mood is not reflected by the weather, which is overcast, with bruised rain clouds massing overhead. David calls up from the hold with the cargo safely stowed, the they're almost ready to cast off. Sheena just has time to do one last thing, something she always does before setting off on a voyage. She hops onto the concrete jetty and hurries towards the bank, her long brown hair flowing behind her. She passes through the gates of the terminal and crosses the street to a telephone box.

[Sheena Levitt]

I can picture that telephone box to this day. And I can remember phoning my mother, which I always did, to say, right, we're setting off and you won't hear from us for a bit.

[John Hopkins]

As she listens to her mother's reply, needle pricks of rain begin to speckle the grimy glass of the phone box. And in that moment, Sheena experiences something rather odd. A sudden sense of foreboding.

[Sheena Levitt]

I had a premonition that something was going to happen and I've never had that in my life before. It was quite extraordinary and so extraordinary that I can remember now standing in that box and saying it to her. And I just knew something was going to happen.

[John Hopkins]

Her mother's voice at the end of the line sounds worried as she probes her daughter for answers. What does she mean, something's going to happen? But Sheena just mutters a sheepish goodbye and hangs up the phone. She tries to shake off the bad feeling as she walks back along the jetty down to where Paul and David are waiting. There's no point in saying anything to Paul. Her husband is unfailingly rational, would have no time at all for her superstitions. And so Sheena climbs aboard and watches silently as David slips off their mooring lines.

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[John Hopkins]

Soon the Roar of the motor takes them out into the widening estuary where they are quickly swallowed up by the drizzle and fog. As they sail from the mouth of the Thames and around the Kent coastline, the wet and windy weather persists. There's even some talk of docking somewhere so they can wait for conditions to improve. But as they continue south, the sky brightens and the rain eases off.

[Sheena Levitt]

By the time we got down to Dover, the weather had abated and so the decision was made to carry on. So that's what we did. Sailed past Dover and on we went.

[John Hopkins]

The wind has dropped and the rain clouds have lifted, revealing clear blue skies. They set a course west and continue their voyage along the coastline. To their right, chalk cliffs trace the horizon in a narrow pale band, periodically interrupted by the seaside towns of Eastbourne, Brighton and Bognor Regis. When they reach the Isle of Wight, they set a southerly course and head out into the English Channel. They're making decent headway, but as the day wears on, the weather changes yet again. Still becomes breezy, which becomes gusty. Soon foaming white caps surge towards the prow of the Hus, which bucks aggressively over the rollers.

[Sheena Levitt]

And it was about, probably about two hours into that journey that I thought, we shouldn't be doing this. The weather had blown up again, the weather had got worse and I started to get frightened. But you know, we had a cargo that had to be delivered, so off we carried on.

[John Hopkins]

Sheena holds her tongue. She stands below deck in the galley, her face turning green with seasickness. Gripping the wooden countertop, she stares through the porthole at the roiling grey sea. Paul continues to guide the vessel forwards.

[Sheena Levitt]

The fact that his 20 year old wife was saying to him, I don't like this, I want to go back. That wasn't a reason to turn around, was it? So onward and upward. The Seas were at a stage where they, we'd been in them before and it was rough and you'd got these huge rollers. But it was manageable.

[John Hopkins]

As night falls, the gale continues to shriek around the small cargo ship. On unsteady feats, Sheena makes her way up to the wheelhouse. Paul and David are standing side by side at the helm watching the waves break across the bow of the Hus. With expressions of workmanlike concentration. Sheena is about to say something but again she hesitates.

[Sheena Levitt]

I still had this premonition but you can't turn a ship round because somebody's got a premonition. It doesn't work like that. So I was, yeah, I took, I suppose the easy option. I thought I'm going to go to sleep and sleep through it. When I wake up everything will be all right. Which wasn't the case.

[John Hopkins]

It's dawn the following morning. Sheena's eyes snap open as a metallic tearing sound reverberates all around her.

[Sheena Levitt]

I got woken up with the metal battens being ripped off the ship, being ripped off the hold and crashing against the sleeping quarters. That's what woke me up.

[John Hopkins]

Sheena throws off the covers and swings her legs over the edge of the bunk. As she gets to her feet, a wave of nausea shudders through her. The ship's usual rhythmic rise and fall has intensified into a violent vomit inducing seesaw. She's herself against the wooden bed frame. Cabinet doors swing open as they lurch over the swell, flinging their contents across the cabin. After pulling on some jeans and a T shirt, Sheena staggers over to the hatch. She pulls herself through onto the main deck and peers out beyond the guardrails beneath a heavy fog bound sky. Giant whitecaps surged through the mist and the waves.

[Sheena Levitt]

I had never seen anything like it. One minute we were on top of a roller, the next minute you just plow down into the depths of the sea and then up you came. Climbing up another roller over the top, crashing down the other side.

[John Hopkins]

Sheena is rooted to the spot. The sky and sea have merged into seamless gray, distinguishable only by the streaks of white foam tracing the crests of the waves. Even for experienced seafarers, the enormity of this storm is hard to fathom. The Hunes is catapulted through the maelstrom as cold spray lashes the crew. It looks like there was something in Sheena's premonition after all. It's daybreak on September 4, 1974, approximately 14 miles north of Cherbourg in The wheelhouse of the merchant vessel. Who Ness. Sheena Leavitt stares through the glass panels overlooking the lower deck and at the turbulent wind lashed sea beyond. It's hard to believe she's looking at the English Channel. Swells as extreme as these are normally associated with the wild stormy waters of the southern hemisphere.

[Sheena Levitt]

To me it reminded me of films that one saw of people trying to go around South America or through the roaring 40s. It was that type of vision and we were terrified. Well, I was terrified and I think Paul was. I think he suddenly realized things were out of his control.

[John Hopkins]

Paul grapples with the ship's wheel as it jerks and twists out of his grasp. Sheena has never seen her husband look so rattled. Normally she can turn to him for comfort when conditions get rough, but right now Paul looks just as afraid as she does.

[Sheena Levitt]

Every time you go over the crest of a wave and down into the trough, the other side, the propeller comes out of the water and it makes a real screeching noise which makes the whole atmosphere even worse.

[John Hopkins]

The sailors zip themselves into their life jackets. All they can do is try to ride out this storm. The who? Ness climbs up the face of the next wave before tilting forwards almost vertically as she races down the other side and plunges into the trough. Sheena is thrown forward with the impact, writing herself. She sweeps her hair away from her face just in time to see the next wall of water thundering towards them. Over and over, the small cargo ship is forced up and down through the waves. They just keep coming.

[Sheena Levitt]

And then suddenly, after about half an hour of this, the bow of the ship, when we crashed down one time, didn't seem to come up properly and it really, really struggled. And you could hear the propellers really struggling to give momentum to the ship.

[John Hopkins]

The ship sits low in the water, the propeller eschewing a deep weary rumble from beneath the surface. Then, hearing a cry of dismay from one of her shipmates, Sheena spins around and looks towards the back of the boat where the hold is covered by a sheet of white tarpaulin.

[Sheena Levitt]

We could see that at the far end of the hatch where the cargo was, right down the far end, the strength of the water had broken into the hold of the ship.

[John Hopkins]

This can't be good. A loose corner of tarpaulin flaps wildly in the wind, clearing the way for seawater to pour freely into the hold.

[Sheena Levitt]

And of course every time we went up and we went down, more water went in. Paul tried to turn the ship round but it wouldn't respond because there was just not enough power there against the waves. So we, we went crashing down and we didn't come up. And that was it.

[John Hopkins]

The ship is rapidly filling with water. Without the requisite engine power to overcome the waves, each breaker engulfs the vessel entirely. The HUS slumps ever lower in the churning surf, listing heavily to one side. One more wave could finish her off. From their perch up in the wheelhouse, Sheena, Paul and David are trapped on a sinking ship. They need to act fast.

[Sheena Levitt]

Behind the wheelhouse was a life raft and the life raft. In those days, they were ones that automatically inflated when they hit salt water. So they tried to unstrap it and throw it into the sea.

[John Hopkins]

Paul and David swiftly extricate the life raft and fling it over the side. It sails through the air before landing with a dull thud on the lower deck, several feet short of its watery target. David stares transfixed with horror at the useless, uninflated life raft. Paul, meanwhile, dashes across to the radio equipment. A mayday signal is their last hope. Sheena watches Paul frantically tuning the transistor radio. Swirling green seawater strains against the glass of the wheelhouse window, creeping higher and higher up the window pane as the ship begins its inexorable slide beneath the waves. Suddenly, a hand tightens around Sheena's arm and yanks her out to the rear deck. The three sailors stand there in their yellow life jackets, huddled together on the last corner of deck, still protruding above the maelstrom. Time seems to slow down. Frigid water sloshes around their knees and the air thunders with an incessant roar. Then a massive wave rolls in and sweeps their feet out from underneath them. Within seconds, Sheena is plunging into the icy deep.

[Sheena Levitt]

I had long hair, sort of almost down to my waist, and I can remember my hair standing on end, for want of a better expression. As I was sucked down, my hair was going up towards the surface, my arms were going up towards the surface and my life jacket went up towards the surface and I was sucked out of my life jacket. And then I blacked out.

[John Hopkins]

For a few moments. There's nothing. Sheena plummets below the surface of the English Channel.

[Sheena Levitt]

We'd obviously gone down quite a long way. I mean, I'd love somebody to tell me how far we went down, but I never have managed to do that. So I got sucked down, sucked out of my life jacket. Down, down, down.

[John Hopkins]

Her eyes are closed and her limbs drift limply by her side. Close by, the wreckage of the who ness drops silently into the Gloom. Its fate is sealed. But Sheena is still fighting for hers. Suddenly, her eyes flicker open.

[Sheena Levitt]

I came to. It was absolutely pitch black. Couldn't see a thing. Didn't know which way was up, so breathed out and obviously the bubbles went up. So I just swam. I just swam and swam and swam as fast as I could. I thought my lungs were going to burst. I thought I was going to have to breathe in some water, but I then noticed that suddenly the water was getting lighter and I thought, my God, I'm nearly there. So I just hung onto that breath and I kept going.

[John Hopkins]

Finally, she breaches the surface. Her teeth are chattering like crazy and she has to blink constantly to protect her eyes from the stinging saltwater. She is completely at the mercy of the sea, treading water on the sloping face of a giant swell, her life jacket long gone. Frantically, she looks around for Paul or David, but there's no sign of them.

[Sheena Levitt]

I thought, oh, my God, I hope I'm not on my own. I was so scared of being alone in this ocean. Just as it was getting light, terrible weather, wreckage everywhere, bits of wood crashing down, and they're heavy, so if one of those hits you, that would probably be the end of you.

[John Hopkins]

All she can see are the peaks and troughs of the waves, stretching away in all directions like a mountain range. It seems for all the world that she is the only survivor. But then Sheena spots a tiny yellow dot bobbing amid the gray vastness. She looks closer and even from several hundred feet away, she can tell that it's Paul.

[Sheena Levitt]

He was not a good swimmer. I mean, I'm very lucky. I was a very strong swimmer. But he managed to grab hold of two life belts when he came to the surface and he obviously used those for buoyancy, whereas I didn't have anything. But I must have grabbed hold of a bit of wreckage. He and I swam towards each other.

[John Hopkins]

Sheena drives herself forward through the waves. The shifting swells keep obscuring Paul from view. But then the next wave lifts her up and there he is, pushing through the water towards her. Eventually, after an eternity, husband and wife reunite. Paul extends one of the orange plastic life belts and Sheena gratefully grabs hold. Clinging tightly to each other, they take in the jumble of wreckage all around.

[Sheena Levitt]

And then suddenly we saw, on the peak of a wave, we saw this life raft. It was round and it had a cover on it. So the one they'd thrown over the side must have released itself as the ship went down and it must have inflated because it had touched the salt water.

[John Hopkins]

As the sea surges upwards, the life raft disappears from view. Seconds later, when the waterline falls, there it is again, only more distant this time. It's floating in the wrong direction, getting further and further with each sharp gust of wind. Sheena and Paul swim furiously towards it, but it's no use. It's already too far. Drifting agonizingly out of sight, they're about to give up their chase when a flap opens in the roof of the raft.

[Sheena Levitt]

And then we saw David poke his head out of the opening on the life raft and he tied a bit of rope around his waist and he jumped into the sea and he swam towards us as best he could. What he actually did was stop the life raft drifting away from us and we managed to use the wind and the tide to get towards him. So if he hadn't done that, I don't think we would have survived. I think he saved our lives.

[John Hopkins]

Limbs heavy with seawater and exhaustion, Sheena and Paul reach up towards David as he drags the life raft their way. And then as he reaches them, they're able to crawl in. They collapse in a heap, catching their breath, each reliving the events of the last half hour. That all three of them have made it this far, not only surviving the sinking, but also managing to fight each other again in such unforgiving seas, defies probability. But now, as the wind and waves buffet their tiny inflatable vessel, how much longer will it be before their luck runs out? It's mid morning in the English Channel. The life raft floats aimlessly. Conditions have calmed as the morning has worn on. The huge thundering waves have diminished to rippling breakers and intermittent gusts. Weak sunlight trickles down through a crack in the overcast sky. Sheena shivers as she unzips the medical kit bag stowed inside the life raft. Across from her husband, Paul and shipmate, David sit with arms folded, bracing against the cold. Among the other supplies. In the kit bag, Sheena discovers several rolls of brown paper.

[Sheena Levitt]

I can remember being told by probably one of my parents that brown paper was a good insulator. So I made us all, the three of us, put brown paper on our arms, on our bodies, everywhere we could, just to try and keep us warm.

[John Hopkins]

But the cold isn't the most pressing concern. Without any means of communication or navigation, their only hope of rescue lies in being spotted by a passing ship. Fortunately, they are in a good location for that. They're currently drifting through the extremely busy commercial shipping lanes between the UK and France. That brings its own risks. If they float into the path of a much bigger vessel and it doesn't see them, it'd be a whole new disaster. But with any luck, a freighter will see them and come to their aid.

[Sheena Levitt]

So the immediate thought was, right, we better let off some flares. So we unzipped the canopy, and Paul, with two of us holding him very firmly, he sort of leant out with this tremendous wind blowing, lit a flare and let it go. And of course, there was nothing around, and the wind just took it and nothing happened at all.

[John Hopkins]

The flare veers off to the side, then fizzles out, trailing red smoke in its wake. Sheena watches gloomily as one of their last remaining lifelines burns up before their eyes.

[Sheena Levitt]

So we didn't want to waste them. So I think we just made a decision to keep any flares and rockets until we felt we heard a ship.

[John Hopkins]

The three castaways sit slumped against the vinyl wall of the life raft, straining their ears for distant engines or foghorns.

[Sheena Levitt]

I got Paul to sit on one side of me and I got David to sit on the other side of me so that I could nudge them both because they kept falling asleep. And I said, you can't go to sleep. You might not wake up. I don't know if that was right or not. But I was so frightened of them dying in the life raft that I just kept nudging them and making sure they were awake.

[John Hopkins]

This is meant to be the busiest shipping lane in the world, and yet, ominously, there is nothing. Minutes stretch into hours, and they are totally at the mercy of the wind and the currents. If they aren't rescued soon, there's a very real possibility of drifting out beyond the mouth of the English Channel and into the Atlantic. And even in daylight, this life raft is tricky to pick out against the sprawling seascape, a speck of color amidst the gray. As dusk approaches, the prospect of a long, dark night at sea closes in. It's late evening. Twilight has settled over the English Channel. On board the life raft, Sheena cups her hands over her mouth and blows warm air into her trembling fingers. Paul and David sit on either side, knees tucked into their chests. They've been adrift all day, listening out for ships. There had been a few false alarms through the afternoon, leading to several wasted flares. Now the sailor's optimism has all but vanished. Then suddenly, David sits up.

[Sheena Levitt]

It must have been beginning to get dusk. David said, I hear something. And we said, yeah, we've done that.

[John Hopkins]

Before, and there's nothing there but David is insistent.

[Sheena Levitt]

No, I can hear something. So we unzipped the side of the canopy again and Paul put his head out and there was the most enormous ship.

[John Hopkins]

Hearing Paul exclaim, Sheena pokes her head out of the raft too. And there, barely more than a kilometer away, is a massive container ship, its vast prow creating huge surface waves as it cuts through the water. Surely they won't get a better chance than this. Paul grabs the box of flares. He pulls out several and lets them off in quick succession.

[Sheena Levitt]

But the wind just took them. They just took them, blew them out and they clearly hadn't been seen.

[John Hopkins]

Paul reaches for another flare. It's their last one.

[Sheena Levitt]

We got one rocket left. So he got the rocket out and he set it off, trying to get it in front of the bows of the ship. But that veered off as well and we thought, oh, it hasn't. Clearly hasn't been seen. And then, after what seemed an age, this huge ship started to turn and it started to turn towards us and we realized that we had been seen.

[John Hopkins]

Sheena, Paul and David embrace each other and punch the air. But though they can breathe a little more freely now, they're still not out of the woods, because getting from their craft to the deck of a cargo ship is going to require a serious physical effort, one that will demand every last ounce of strength they have left. As the container ship pulls alongside, the raft sways precariously in its wake.

[Sheena Levitt]

And it was like Goliath and David, David and Goliath, this tiny little pinprick at the bottom of this great big ship.

[John Hopkins]

Sheena stares up at the towering cliff face of steel looming above them. How on earth are they going to get up there? A moment later, the answer comes. A sheet of netting is hurled down the side, the bottom edge reaching just above the water. Apparently, they are expected to climb. Sheena looks hesitantly over at Paul and David. There's a gap of several feet separating the life raft from the net. A gap they're going to have to jump.

[Sheena Levitt]

How do you know when to jump? How do you know? But we did. We just did it and we got hold of the net and I started to climb and I mean, I've never climbed Everest, but I'm sure it's a bit like the last climb up ever. It was just unbelievable.

[John Hopkins]

The coarse rope is slick with seawater. Sheena doesn't look up or down, just concentrates on putting one foot above the other and not losing her grip. Finally, as they near the top, the encouraging cries of the sailors on Deck motivate them to the finish.

[Sheena Levitt]

When we got up to the top of the side of the ship, all these guys on the ship were leaning over to try and pull us on and they all started clapping and it was just amazing.

[John Hopkins]

Sheena, Paul and David collapse onto the deck. Finally, they can say it. They are safe. As it turns out, the nature of their rescue is even more miraculous than it first seemed. Their life raft, they learn, had drifted outside the shipping lanes. The fact that this freight ship traveling from Jamaica to Germany happened to cross their path was yet another stroke of extraordinary luck. The crew of the container ship helped them into dry clothes and offer them bunks in the first class cabins. The plan is to go the rest of the way to Germany and then to hitch a lift with another ship bound for England. Right now, Sheena just wants to sleep. After thanking their saviors profusely, the three rescued castaways head below deck to get some rest.

[Sheena Levitt]

I remember the first night I had the most terrible nightmare about it all. But I have never ever had any problem since. Never dreamt about it since, Never really until now talked about it since. I think it's remarkable how the mind can overcome these issues and move forward. If you've got the strength and will to do it, you can do it.

[John Hopkins]

After returning to England, Sheena and Paul part ways with David, who will later return to New Zealand. Sheena hasn't seen or spoken to him since their shared ordeal, but she remains forever grateful for his bravery in helping them reach the life raft, an act that surely saved their lives. As for Sheena and Paul, life moves on extremely quickly. In the months following the accident, nine.

[Sheena Levitt]

Months after the sinking of the ship, I gave birth to my daughter. Cause I was on the pill and the pill went down with the ship. So I became a mother.

[John Hopkins]

Parenthood may be a new chapter for Sheena, but it doesn't curb her adventurous spirit.

[Sheena Levitt]

Paul was put on to another ship. It was slightly bigger, which I was happy about, and I did go away with him again with my daughter. And I can remember taking a playpen with me, which I used to put on deck when the weather was nice, and pop her in the playpen. And I'd lie out there sunbathing and just went forward with life.

[John Hopkins]

In the years after the shipwreck, it isn't all plain sailing. After several years of marriage, Sheena and Paul decide to go their separate ways. Raising her daughter as a single mom presents its own set of challenges. But she says if she's taken anything from her terrifying experience in the English Channel. It's an unshakable confidence in her own strength and in her ability to overcome whatever life throws at her.

[Sheena Levitt]

I was always motivated and always strong willed. What it has done is made me realise that actually I can do anything and I don't want that to feel arrogant or anything, but, you know, problems happen and I can cope with them and get on with life. And I think that experience probably has done that to me. It's made me cope with anything that's come up and move forward. I feel I really stood on my own two feet and got on with life. And yes, a horrible thing happened and horrible things happen to lots of people, but you have to use that experience to move forward in life and cope with these issues. And I've done that. I've had issues for the last 50 years on and off, but you get on with it and you move forward and you don't always rely on other people to solve the problems for you. I feel as though I've still got even at 72, I've got an awful lot of living to do and I don't want anything to get in the way of that.

[John Hopkins]

Next time on REAL SURVIVAL Stories, we meet cowboy and horse wrangler Leif Vidin. Leif lives a paired back outdoorsy life, surviving in the remote reaches of Wyoming, frequently hunting his own food. In October 2015, he embarks on an elk stalking trip into the Wind river mountains. After days of pursuit, he finally lines up the perfect shot. But when he pulls the trigger, he never expects that he will soon be the one fighting for his life. As a mysterious set of grisly symptoms take hold, Leif must dig deep and rely on his loyal horse to carry him to safety before time runs out. That's next time on REAL Survival stories. Listen to Leif's story today without waiting a week by subscribing to Noiser Plus.