CAMAS, WA (KPTV) -
Ask Bill Minton about his experiences in World War II, and he gets a certain look on his face.
It's almost as if he's traveled back to 1942, back on board the American Liberty Ship SS William Dawes.
"That was something firmly imprinted on me. I remember. I could see it in my mind everything that was going on," he said.
Minton said the ship had just left the south Australian city of Adelaide when the captain received word of submarine activity ahead.
They were advised to dock at a nearby bay, but there were no navigational beacons to guide the ship in.
So the captain decided to circle off shore until daylight.
But just before sunrise, a Japanese submarine torpedoed the William Dawes.
Minton, a navy signalman, was asleep at the time.
"The first thing I can remember is I'm standing and there's just turmoil all around. It was a feeling of I knew I had to get out of there," he said.
He felt his way around the dark ship into a passageway. As the ship began to sink, he and another sailor managed to push through a water-tight hatch to escape to the deck above.
"When we got to that water-tight door, I knew that it was either open that or perish because I knew that was the only way out," Minton said.
They got onto a life boat and as they were heading to shore, Minton caught a glimpse of the massive sub that sank their ship.
"When it came up, it looked like the whole bottom of the ocean was coming up," he said.
It was decades later before Minton got to see the William Dawes again - or what was left of it.
An Australian diving expedition found the wreck in 2004.
The Australian government planned a tribute to the men who lost their lives onboard and Minton was invited to be their guest of honor.
Last month, he traveled back to the site to toss a wreath in remembrance of the five men who died that day.
"The people that perished, of course, they have a special spot in my heart. Their faces are firmly implanted in my memory," he said.
"I think I'm living on borrowed time. I really do. I think that every day is a gift," Minton said.
Copyright 2012 KPTV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
