Unbroken

Phil, Louie and Mac were the only survivors from the Green Hornet’s wreckage. Louie managed to retrieve two life rafts. As pilot, Phil was technically in command of this small crew, but his head injury was severe and he recognized that he was unable to make important decisions. He gave Louie command of the crew.

The survival provisions on the raft were dismal. All they had were chocolate “Ration D bars, several half-pint tins of water, a brass mirror, a flare gun, sea dye, a set of fishhooks, a spool of fishing line”, two air pumps, a set of pliers, and a screwdriver (127).

Mac lost hope during their first night on the water. Louie created basic rules regarding the chocolate and water consumption, and as the men drifted into the night, the temperature dropped and the sharks began to swarm. The men felt their fins sliding against the raft’s canvas.

At 4:30 am the next day, the Green Hornet was declared missing, and the rescue effort began. On the life raft, the men woke up the next morning to discover that Mac had eaten all of the survival chocolate. A B-25 flew over them, but the pilot did not see the life raft though Louie fired a flare and used a water marker.