Twenty days at sea dodging sharks, eating raw fish

I found this story of a young Chariton man's extraordinary performance under challenging conditions during World War II on Page 1 of The Herald-Patriot of Dec. 9, 1943 --- as did his family, who learned of his circumstances that year as Christmas approached from newspapers rather than the military. The banner headline fairly well tells the story ---

 Mauk on Raft in Caribbean 20 Days:

Naval Gun Crew Boys Are Saved

Nazi Torpedo Sinks Ship; Chariton Youth Lives on Raw Fish and Hardtack.

Wife, Parents Here

Survivors Recuperating at Hospital 'Somewhere in Caribbean.'

The Herald-Patriot this afternoon received the following report through its United Press service:

A CARIBBEAN PORT, Dec. 9 (U.P.) --- John D. Mauk, 28, 1007 Orchard Ave., Chariton, Ia., was recovering today after drifting 21 days on a small wooden raft in the Caribbean with six gallons of water and among large sharks.

Mauk, three other members of a U.S. Navy gun crew, and a mess boy, were the only survivors of a Panamanian ship torpedoed one night last month without warning.

The ship sank so swiftly that some crew men were dragged down with it, Mauk said.

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John Dean Mauk of Chariton, U.S. Navy gunner, today was reported recuperating in a United States hospital at a Caribbean port after spending 20 days adrift on a raft.

A dispatch from "A Caribbean Port" said Mauk, two other young gunners and a Columbian mess boy were the sole survivors of a 27-man crew of a Panama steamer torpedoed in the Caribbean last month.

Mauk's wife, who lives here, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ferris Mauk, have had no official world from the Navy department concerning him. The parents live on a farm near Chariton.

All found comfort in the AP's statement that the survivors of the torpedoed ship were "apparently none the worse for spending 20 days adrift on a raft."

Formerly employed at the Lucas County Co-operative Creamery, Mauk went into the Navy Nov. 25, 1942. He has been on sea dury since March of this year.

Mrs. Mauk, a member of the sales staff at the Economy Store, said he had her last letter from her husband Nov. 3 --- just a month ago today.

The press dispatch said Mauk and his companions improvised a net of electric wiring and scoped fish from the sea. They lived on raw fish and limited rations of handtack and chocolate malted milk tablets. They had three swallows of water daily.

The men were rescued on the first day when they were sighted by a Panama motorship.

The Chariton Leader of a week later was able to report that the Mauk family had received two letters from Dean that contained basically the same information. The Leader also included a photograph of the sailor in question

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Dean, who had grown up near Chariton, had married May Arlene Mason, daughter of Pearl and Guy Mason, on Feb. 15, 1941, at the Presbyterian parsonage in Chariton and they were living in town when he enlisted.

After his discharge from the U.S. Navy, Dean went to work for the Skelly Oil Oil Co., the family moved to Kansas where Dean was managing a plant in Conway when he died unexpectedly on Jan. 27, 1972, at the age of 51. Arlene continued to live in Kansas until her death on Oct. 11, 2007, age 90.

They are buried at McPherson and were survived by two sons, John Dean Jr. and Dennis.