Eighty-Three Days - The Survival of Seaman Izzi

Words at war. Presents 83 Days. The story of Seaman Izzy. Izzy. Izzy. Izzy, what? Just Izzy, it's my last name. Izzy. Some last name you got. What's your first name? Basil. Basil, huh? A mother didn't like children, maybe.

And he'll take it easy, Izzy. Lay out the flat. Yeah. What are you guys as the Navy Man? You're Izzy. Yeah, me. Seaman's second class, am I raiding American gun crew on a Dutch merchant ship?

How long were we out there? Eighty-three days. What happened? We was torpedoed. About four-thirty in the afternoon of November 2, 1942, a fast Dutch cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk a few hundred miles off the coast of South America.

Only a few of the four hundred men on the ship survived. And one of them, Basil Dominic Izzie, Seaman's second class of the United States Navy, was found in a raft in Middle-Shinile three months after the sinking.

Tonight, the National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with the Council on Books in Wartime, brings you the incredible saga of Seaman Izzie and his companions. Words at War Presents, Eighty-Three Days by Mark Murphy. It was torpedo, huh?

Yeah. Then what? Oh, nothing much. Nothing much we could do. It was off watch when it happened. Me and Jouty, he was my buddy and Jensen and a couple of others. I forget now. Anyhow, we was playing poker.

Jawbone poker. Jensen owed me close to a million bucks by then. How much? A million bucks, you owe me. Don't forget it. That chance with you and on to me for it. Come on, deal.

Yeah, you wear the spots off, Jeffleman. Shefflin' her. But take it easy, I'm dealing, ain't I? You deal like my old lady. Don't forget the pot, Andy up. I forgot. You forgot? Yeah. For 3,000 miles, we have to tell you every time to Andy up.