This Cat Cheated Death, Survived The Sinking Of Three Ships During World War II, And Earned The Title Of Unsinkable Sam

During World War II, a cat reportedly survived the sinking of three ships. The black and white cat was originally named Oscar but became known as "Unsinkable Sam."

Sam's exploits first started on the Bismarck, one of the largest ships ever built by Germany. The battleship was named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and was launched on February 14, 1939.

On May 18, 1941, Bismarck set off with the Prinz Eugen for Operation Rheinubung, a mission to block the Allies from shipping supplies to the United Kingdom. It is said that a crew member brought a cat aboard the Bismarck.

After a fierce two-day battle at sea, the Bismarck was struck by bombs and sank. Only 118 crew members of 2,200 survived. Hours later, a cat was found floating on a board in the water and was rescued by the British destroyer HMS Cossack. The crew named him Oscar.

HMS Cossack was known for rescuing sailors who had been captured by the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. For the next few months after his rescue, Oscar served onboard the Cossack while it carried out convoy escort duties in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

On October 24, 1941, the destroyer was escorting a convoy from Gibraltar to Britain when it came under attack by a German U-boat. A torpedo blew off one of the Cossack's front sections and killed around 159 crew members.

On October 27, 1941, Oscar was found clinging to a wooden plank. He had survived the sinking of the Cossack and was transferred to the HMS Legion, which attempted to tow Cossack back to Gibraltar. They were unsuccessful, and the sunken ship was abandoned.

When British officers learned about the cat's survival, they renamed him Unsinkable Sam. The crew of the HMS Ark Royal then adopted Unsinkable Sam.

The Ark Royal had a reputation for being lucky because it had narrowly escaped several close calls. On multiple occasions, the Germans incorrectly reported it as sunken. But its luck was due to run out at some point.

SHIMA - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

On November 14, 1941, the ship was hit by a torpedo from a German U-boat while returning from Malta. The Ark Royal was too damaged to tow, so it was abandoned 30 miles from shore. It sank slowly, allowing all but one crew member to emerge from the wreckage alive.

Again, Sam was found hanging on for dear life to a floating plank. This time, he was not sent onboard another ship. Instead, he was transferred to the building of the Governor General in Gibraltar to hunt mice. Eventually, he traveled back to the U.K., where he spent the rest of his days at Belfast's Home for Sailors. Sam passed away in 1955.

The artist, Georgina Shaw-Baker, created a pastel portrait in honor of Sam. Currently, the artwork is held at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

Sign up for Chip Chick's newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.