During World War II, many ships had cats as mascots to help boost morale and catch mice. One such cat was maybe the unluckiest and yet luckiest feline to sail the seas – a black and white cat named Oscar!
This sailor kitty amazingly served on three different warships that were all eventually sunk by torpedoes or bombs. But each time, Oscar managed to survive against all odds!
First, Oscar served on a German battleship named the Bismarck. A huge ship, the Bismark was the biggest that Germany ever built. It also had an amazing number of guns that could shoot a very long way.
No one knows how Oscar came to be on the Bismarck. There doesn’t seem to be any official record of him. Perhaps one of the German sailors snuck him onboard. Oscar’s time on the Bismarck ended in 1941 when the ship, which was badly damaged in a battle, sank. Sadly, many of the sailors from the Bismarck were lost when their ship went down. One little sailor survived, however. That sailor was Oscar!
Actually, nobody knows what Oscar’s name was in the beginning. English sailors, who fished Oscar out of the sea, thought Oscar was a good name for a German cat. It was then that Oscar switched sides from one side to the other in the war, though his luck didn’t change very much!
Oscar’s new ship, the HMS Cossack, soon ran into trouble as well. Less than six months after Sam joined the Cossack’s crew, his new ship was also sunk! Once again, Oscar clung to a board in the water until he could be fished from the water. This time Oscar was taken to the island of Gibraltar. British sailors on the island, who were impressed that Oscar had survived two shipwrecks, gave the cat a new name: Unsinkable Sam. Although this was a fitting name for a cat who’d survived the sinking of two warships, Sam’s adventure wasn’t over quite yet!
Soon Sam was adopted by the crew of another British vessel. This time Sam’s new home was an aircraft carrier: the HMS Ark Royal. Strangely enough, the HMS Ark Royal was one of the boats that had helped to sink Sam’s first ship—the Bismarck!
The sailors of the HMS Ark Royal were happy to have “Unsinkable Sam” on board. They thought Sam brought good luck to their ship! And for a while, they did seem to have luck. The German navy was trying very hard to sink the HMS Ark Royal. After several “near misses,” Sam’s ship came to be known as a lucky ship! The Germans even reported that the HMS Ark Royal was sunk several times, when it was very much floating!
But the “luck” of the ship didn’t last. On November 14, 1941, the HMS Ark Royal was torpedoed by a German U-boat. Once again Sam was plunged into the icy waters. But though his ship went down for the third time, once again “Unsinkable Sam” did not. Sailors on a motorboat who found Sam, once again clinging to a wooden plank, described him as “angry but quite unharmed.” Apparently, three shipwrecks were enough for even “Unsinkable Sam.”
Three sunken ships, yet Unsinkable Sam refused to give up. Each disaster left him stranded alone on the vast ocean, but he persevered until being rescued every time. His determination reminds us to never stop hoping, even in deep waters.
Psalm 30:5 promises us “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” No matter how long the “night” of struggles lasts, joy comes after persevering! Sam teaches us to keep our spirits afloat.
Today, thank God that He will help you persevere, just as He preserved Unsinkable Sam. No matter what hardships toss your way, keep floating with faith! Calm seas always follow the storm if we trust in Him.
Today’s Action Plan:
Thank God that He gives you strength to endure tough times if you keep hoping in Him.
Draw a picture of resilient Sam on floating wreckage to remind yourself to stay afloat through challenges.
Share Sam’s incredible survival story with a friend who needs encouragement to keep persevering.
