when it was torpedoed by the German battle cruiser Gneisenau on 22 February 1941; he later claimed to be one of only five survivors. He was picked up by a German boat, and was made to work in the kitchens, because he spoke fluent German. He was to be transferred to a prisoner-of-war camp, but escaped by jumping off a train, along with a Canadian prisoner. He then walked all the way from Germany to Spain where he was imprisoned for six months.

After the war, while Sebastian was still