The sea was slick with oil, littered with debris, and crowded with panicked men who moments before had been aboard the S.S.Van Warwyck when it came under attack.
But there in the water was a dog, swimming to the foundering men, guiding them to floating pieces of the wreckage or letting them hold on to her back while she herself swam them to safety.
It was June 26, 1944. The men were prisoners of war and so was the dog. Her name was Judy.
She too had been aboard the ship, and in an effort to save her life, her adoptive caretaker, Leading Aircraftman Frank Williams of the Royal Air Force (RAF), had pushed her through a 10-inch porthole and into the water 15 feet below. He then lost sight of her as he made his own escape. For more than two hours, he swam amid the chaos and debris, searching for her.
