During World War II, there were cats on many aircraft carriers, which was a common thing. On the one hand, there will be rats on the aircraft carrier, and rats will not only steal food, bite off the route, and are more likely to spread the plague. So it's important to keep a cat on an aircraft carrier to deal with rats.
Battleship Bismarck
On the other hand, life in the Navy in war is boring and in danger all the time. Under such a long period of repression, the soldiers' emotions are likely to get out of control and there will be drunken fighting. Therefore, raising a cat can regulate their lives, and can have a role in relieving stress and boosting morale. However, there is also a mysterious reason, that is, the Navy is convinced that "cats have nine lives", so bringing a cat as a mascot can bring them good luck.
However, in World War II, a cat named Oscar, with its fate, perfectly interpreted the cat as a mascot, which is just human wishful thinking.
In May 1941, the German battleship Bismarck, the largest and most technologically advanced, encountered a siege by the British Royal Navy and air force near Brest, and was eventually outnumbered and sunk. But as the Royal Navy prepared to evacuate, a cat was spotted clutching a piece of floating object and shivering on the surface of the sea.
According to the Royal Navy's speculation, the cat should have been kept on the battleship Bismarck. So they rescued it and brought it back to the Cossack as a trophy.
In their view, this cat is a great difficulty not to die, and there will be a blessing. Hence the name "Oscar" and it was raised on the ship. The cat quickly adapted to the new environment and got along well with the British Navy. He also participated in many operations with the destroyer Cossack. It may also be because of its existence, and whether there is any great danger during this time, everyone is more convinced that the Oscars can bring them good luck.
However, the truth is not as they think. In October 1941, the destroyer Cossack was escorting a British merchant ship when it encountered a sneak attack by the German Navy. The hull was hit by a german submarine torpedo, and the Destroyer Cossack was blown in two. Thanks to the fact that the British Legion destroyer was nearby, the surviving British Navy had already been rescued by Oscar to the Legion.
Because both times it was a great difficulty to die, Oscar became famous in the British Navy, and everyone thought that it represented auspiciousness. It was also given a new name, "Unsinkable Sam".
In November, the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal, who had heard about the incident, brought Oscar to see the carrier. Although the Royal Ark did not participate in the war for a long time in World War II, because of its advanced technology and elite weapons, it repeatedly beat the enemy to the ground, so it also became a very famous aircraft carrier in World War II. In addition, during the siege of the Bismarck battleship, the Royal Ark was also one of the British aircraft carriers.
However, no one expected that After living on the Royal Ark for thirteen days, the Royal Ark was attacked by a German U-81 submarine. To make matters worse, a torpedo exploded a large hole in the right side of the imperial family boat, and the sea water continued to flow into the aircraft carrier along that big hole.
Because of too much draft, the aircraft carrier also lost control. In desperation, the remaining British navy could only abandon the aircraft carrier and board the destroyer Lightning, which came to the rescue. But not long after, the destroyer Lightning was also ambushed by a German submarine and was also sunk.
After a series of events, the British Navy also had to re-examine the Oscars. After all, in less than half a year, which battleship Oscar went to, that battleship would encounter bad luck. In this way, Oscar was seen by them as a broom star, and no one wanted to take him on board with obscurity. Despite this, the British Navy did not abandon Oscar. They first sent Oscar to the Governor's Palace in Gibraltar. He then returned to England.