But perhaps the greatest challenge was exhaustion.

The human body requires sleep to function properly. Yet sleeping while sitting or crouching on an exposed piece of machinery above the ocean would have been extremely dangerous.

The men could not simply close their eyes and forget about their surroundings.

They had to remain aware of the movement of the ship and the ocean around them.

Every moment required caution.

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The Ocean Was Always Beneath Them

One of the most terrifying aspects of the journey was the position itself.

The men were not inside a lifeboat.

They were not floating on a raft.

They were attached to the ship itself, but remained exposed to the ocean.

The difference was crucial.

If someone lost their grip, there would be no second chance.

The Atlantic Ocean is enormous, and a person falling from a moving tanker could disappear within moments.

This meant that simply remaining alive required constant physical effort.