I took a break from the Krakarens, Mordecai and bug-headed talk show hosts, to go on a deep dive about an unsinkable Navy cat. (Photo by Georgina Shaw Baker, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Source

I have a Ph.D. in history. In fact, there are two sections in my dissertation dealing with World War I and II. I don’t say all that to brag, but rather, to point out that it wasn’t my advanced degree in history that taught me about Sam the Unsinkable. No. I learned about today’s subject from a protagonist wearing spiked knee pads and white boxers covered in red hearts.

For those who haven’t jumped on the band wagon yet, Dungeon Crawler Carl is a book series about a man named Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s former show cat named GC, BWR, NW Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk. Their adventures start after Earth is taken over by aliens, destroyed and turned into an intergalactic reality show that mimics the style of various in-person and online multi-player role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons and World of Warcraft.

Carl and Donut’s adventure begins after Earth is taken over by aliens, destroyed and turned into an intergalactic reality show that mimics the style of various in-person and online multi-player role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons and World of Warcraft. (AS Photo Family (Adobe Stock))

Source

Fans of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series might remember that in book three, “The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook,” Carl tells talking cat Princess Donut the story of another brave cat, Unsinkable Sam, for plot-related reasons that I won’t mention here in case they spoil the story. Nonetheless, Unsinkable Sam’s story captivated me, and I knew I wanted to learn more. So, I took a break from the Krakarens, Mordecai and bug-headed talk show hosts, to go on a deep dive about an unsinkable Navy cat.

Having cats on ships dates as far back as the ancient Egyptian seafarers: Cats can see better at night, offer pest control aboard as well as companionship for those serving on the ship. So, it is no surprise that there was a cat on the German battleship Bismark serving alongside the crew.

Having cats on ships dates as far back as the ancient Egyptian seafarers. (Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Source

Disabled from the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941, the Bismark sank and members of the HMS Cossack discovered a lone cat floating on a wooden plank in the water. They named him Oscar, derived from the code for “man overboard”. Oscar was one of only 114 survivors of the 2,200 aboard the ship.

Oscar sailed with the crew of the HMS Cossack for five months; then it was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sank. Roughly 30 crew members survived the sinking...along with Oscar the cat who then became known as Unsinkable Sam once his rescuers, the crew of the HMS Ark Royal, heard about his exploits.

Sam only lasted with the HMS Ark Royal until it too was torpedoed in November 1941.  (Frank Henry Algernon Mason, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Source

Sam only lasted with the HMS Ark Royal until it too was torpedoed in November 1941. Sam survived this third sinking and spent the rest of his working days on land hunting rodents in the building of the Governor General in Gibraltar. He retired in the Home for Sailors in Belfast until he died from old age in 1955.

There are those out there that don’t believe in the legend of Unsinkable Sam. Some argue that his story is often blended with that of Simon, another wartime feline naval survivor. Some argue that the photos of Sam never quite match up to the stories. I choose to think Sam’s legend is true because, like Princess Donut, I like to have things that inspire hope during bleak times. Plus, a cat that survives even one shipwreck when thousands of others perished is pretty unsinkable.