When Nazi bombs began to destroy Bess Walder's hometown of East London, she convinced her parents to evacuate her and her younger brother, Louis, to Canada aboard the SS City of Benares. On the journey, she met another evacuee, Beth Cummings. Bess and Beth had a lot in common--both strong and athletic, both named for Queen Elizabeth, both among the older kids on the ship, and both excited about life ahead in Canada. On the fifth day at sea, everyone started to relax, but trouble was right behind them. That night a Nazi U-boat torpedoed the Benares. As their luxury liner started to sink, Bess and Beth rushed to abandon ship aboard their assigned lifeboat. But their troubles weren't over. Towering waves caused by the sinking ship capsized Lifeboat 5, flinging all of its passengers into the frigid North Atlantic.
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