Unsinkable Sam: The Cat Who Survived Three WWII Shipwrecks

The legend says three ships sank under him in six months. Each time, Sam the cat survived. Each time, the enemy found him floating in the wreckage and pulled him from the water. Each time, a new crew took him in.

Parts of this are documented. Parts are contested. The cat was real. The ships were real. The rest depends on which records you read and how much you trust them.

The Bismarck, May 1941

The German battleship Bismarck was sunk on May 27, 1941, by the Royal Navy in the North Atlantic. Of 2,200 German sailors aboard, 114 survived. British ships pulled them from the water. Among the things recovered: a black and white cat, found floating on a board or piece of debris, described as unhappy but unharmed. The British sailors named him Oscar.

He was transferred to HMS Cossack.

October 1941 and the Cossack

HMS Cossack was torpedoed by a German submarine on October 23, 1941. She was badly damaged and 159 crew members died. Oscar was rescued again. He was transferred to Gibraltar, and from there to HMS Ark Royal.

November 1941 and the Ark Royal

HMS Ark Royal was torpedoed on November 13, 1941, one day after Oscar arrived. She sank the following day. Oscar was found floating on a floating cap. A sailor described him as angry.

He was brought ashore at Gibraltar. His name was changed from Oscar to Unsinkable Sam. He was officially classified as having Survived the Bismarck, the Cossack, and the Ark Royal. He was retired from sea duty.

What Followed

Sam spent the remainder of the war at the offices of the Governor of Gibraltar, then at the Home for Sailors in Belfast, and later at the Belfast Maritime Museum. He died peacefully on land in 1955.

A pastel portrait of him drawn by artist Georgina Shaw-Baker, labeled Unsinkable Sam, is held at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

The specific details of his crossings are not fully documented in official Admiralty records. Naval historians have noted gaps. What is certain is that a cat was associated with the Bismarck survivors, was transferred between ships, and survived the war. Whether the timing across all three ships is exactly as recorded depends on whether you trust the sailors' accounts over the gaps in the paperwork.

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Sources

• Wikipedia — Unsinkable Sam — Sourced account of the three ships, the historical debate over documentation gaps, and the Shaw-Baker portrait at the National Maritime Museum
• Imperial War Museum — The Story of Unsinkable Sam — IWM account of Oscar's transfer from the Bismarck survivors through HMS Cossack and HMS Ark Royal
• History.com — Unsinkable Sam — Historical account of all three ships and Sam's retirement from sea duty at Gibraltar
• National Maritime Museum, Greenwich — Holds the Georgina Shaw-Baker pastel portrait of Unsinkable Sam, labeled and dated from his wartime service
• BBC News — Unsinkable Sam: The cat who survived three WWII sinkings — BBC account of Sam's documented crossings and the gaps in official Admiralty records

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