A largely unreported tragedy during the Second World War was the drowning of 10 United States Navy personnel from the USS American Legion during a training exercise off the Paekākāriki coast near Wellington in June 1943.
Image of Frank Zalot Jnr taken from the film.
In this film available on the Ministry's NZHistory.net website, one of the survivors, Frank Zalot Jnr, finally reveals the true story of the tragedy and its aftermath. Read the full story of the tragedy here.
Frank was interviewed during a visit to New Zealand in 2012 during which he attended the unveiling of a memorial to the US Navy personnel who died.
