ready for
instant firing, near the stern of the ship. The early type of bomb was
discharged by a length of wire attached to a float. The bomb itself
sank, the float remained on the surface of the water and reeled off the
wire until the pull upon it discharged the bomb. It can be readily
seen that the depth at which the bomb was discharged would depend upon
the length of wire attached to the float. Imagine what might follow if
one of these bombs, set ready for discharge, should break loose from
its case in a storm at sea.

Such a terrible accident did happen on the U.S.S. Remlik. The ship was
groaning and tossing in a very heavy sea, for a severe storm was
raging. She gave a lurch and pitched back with so much force that a
wooden box, containing a depth bomb and securely fastened to the after
deck, suddenly broke. The bomb rolled out of the box and began to
bound back and forth across the deck as the ship lurched and pitched
from side to side.

The crew seemed stunned, and no orders were issued for concerted
action. The frightfulness of the situation was greatly increased when
it was observed that the safety pin had dropped out. All expected the
next time the bomb struck with force against the rail that the float
section would be released and reel off enough wire to fire the
detonator and utterly destroy the ship and all aboard.

But Chief Boatswain's Mate, John Mackenzie of the Naval Reserve Fleet,
needed no orders. He saw what should be done and did not wait for some
one to order him to do it. He could not pick up the bomb in his arms
and throw it overboard, for it weighed too much, and even if he could
this might be the worst thing to do. The ship was laboring and barely
holding her own with no headway, although the engines were turning over
for 8 knots, and the bomb would no doubt have exploded directly under
the ship had it gone overboard.

Mackenzie had a plan, and the first step in it was to stop the bomb.
He threw himself in front of it and tried to hold it by his arms and
the weight of his body, but the weight and the momentum of the moving
bomb were too great and he was pushed aside; but he had stopped its
movement somewhat so that when it struck the rail on the other side of
the deck it did not explode. He jumped for it as it bounded back from
the rail and almost stopped it, but it seemed to those looking on that
the hundreds of pounds of metal and explosives would roll over his body
and ser