Media

When Cassie Brown was researching the sinking of the Pollux and Truxtun for her book Standing into Danger she conducted audio interviews with many of the survivors. Elsewhwere on our web site in a section entitled The Story - Dead Reckoning we provide a brief history of the sinking and include audio excerpts from five of Brown's interviews. Below are the five interviews in their entirety.

Interviews with Survivors

(N.B. These audio files will take several seconds to begin.)

Interview with Larry Calemmo, USS Pollux survivor, audiotape #38, Cassie Brown Collection, Archives and Special Collection Division, Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University.

Larry Calemmo [click to play audio]

Interview with George Coleman, USS Pollux survivor, audiotape #10, Cassie Brown Collection, Archives and Special Collection Division, Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University.

George Coleman [click to play audio]

Interview with Alfred Dupuy, USS Pollux survivor, audiotape #71, Cassie Brown Collection, Archives and Special Collection Division, Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University.

Alfred Dupuy [click to play audio]

Interview with Lanier Phillips, USS Truxtun survivor, audiotape #68, Cassie Brown Collection, Archives and Special Collection Division, Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University.

Lanier Phillips [click to play audio]

Interview with Alfred Pollack, USS Pollux survivor, audiotape #36, Cassie Brown Collection, Archives and Special Collection Division, Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University.

Alfred Pollack [click to play audio]

Memorial Service for the USS Pollux.

Song - It's the Color of my Skin Written by Arnold Burry, performed by Kevin Burry

Arnold Burry (performed by Kevin Burry) - It's the Color of My Skin [click to play audio]

Lyrics

(Verse 1)
They treated me like their own
No hatred in their land
A colored man shipwrecked
On the shores of Newfoundland
They washed me with their love
By their kind and gentle hand
How they cleanse my tender soul
And renewed my faith in man

(Chorus)
You can't get it of
It's the color of my skin
But the angels from St. Lawrence
Continue to take care of him
Saying......
Oh! Don't you worry mister
You have nothing to fear
Oh! Don't you worry mister
We are all God's children here

(Verse 2)
From my skin they washed the oil
As they made me whole
Those people gave me hope
When my homeland was so cold
As I boy I would hide
From the madness in our land
I just had to get away
It was more than I could stand

(Chorus)
You can't get it of
It's the color of my skin
But the angels from St. Lawrence
Continue to take care of him
Saying......
Oh! Don't you worry mister
You have nothing to fear
Oh! Don't you worry mister
We are all God's children here

(Verse 3)
I thought my life was over
When we crashed on their land
The color of my skin
Would be more than they could stand
One spoonful at a time
Their love uplifted me
If everyone were like them
How sweet the world would be

(Chorus)
You can't get it off
It's the color of my skin
But the angels from St. Lawrence
Continue to take care of him
Saying......
Oh! Don't you worry mister
You have nothing to fear
Oh! Don't you worry mister
We are all God's children here