I boarded the J.W.McAndrew at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, along with elements of the 82nd Airborne and 78th Infantry division. Three days out after we joined a convoy in the Atlantic, during the night we struck the French aircraft carrier Bearn. More than 100 troops, all of whom were in Hold 1, were killed. Fortunately for me, I was in Hold 2. The next morning the rest of the convoy was nowhere to be seen. After lumbering along with a huge hole in our bow, we reached the Azores. The officers in charge refused to land or let anyone off the vessel, so we anchored in the harbor. However, each night troops would secretly climb down the anchor chain and swim to shore where there were lights and music. Finally the officers found out about what was happening and started to arrest troops that were preparing to swim ashore. That's when the mutiny started and merchant marine personnel appeared with weapons. After a stand-off between the troops and the merchant marine and officer personnel a deal was agreed to which involved permitting troops to go ashore in groups of ten with an officer in charge. Each trooper was given 3 escudos. About a week later a Britsh passenger ship arrived and we were transported to it by small craft and had to climb up rope netting on the side of the ship. The British ship took us to Liverpool from which we trained to Southampton, where we sailed to Le Havre.