Baby Ronald - The Story by John McGregor
Mr. Williams worked on a minesweeper during the Second World War. His minesweeper was the Baby Marlene, built in 1923, a nine-meter wooden purse seine trawler, and is the oldest working purse seine trawler in the world, now retired and located in the Gansbaai harbour.
Mr. Williams had just finished sweeping mines around Hangklip and turned around to head back to Simonstown when he saw a tanker rounding Hangklip. The next moment, the tanker exploded, breaking into two and burning extensively. Just then, a U-boat surfaced, observing the tanker that had exploded so the captain could enter it in his logbook. Noticing the little vessel, the U-boat manned the deck gun and fired a shot or two, damaging the stern.
The captain of the trawler kept his cool, applied full revs, and, "revolutions for plenty knots," headed for Rooiels, running her aground in the small bay and saving her. The trawler was later taken for repairs, beautifully fixed, and running again. She then became the property of the late Mr. Bertie Ramsauer and was named Baby Ronald, and still belongs to the Ramsauer family.
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