It was June in 1976 when Micheal Palmer revealed his secret to a local news paper.  He was the only survivor of the cruise line "The Sea Breeze" that sank just six miles off the island of Sardinia.  He struggled to speak as the tears filled up his eyes.  He went on to tell his story on what happened to him on that tragic day on July the 7 1960.

"It was my first cruise shilp holiday" he said and I was very excited and looked forward to it.  I had always fancied going on a cruise and for me it was a dream come true.  I regarded the trip as a new beginning!

Since the age of ten I had been compelled to a wheelchair due to a very bad accident.  It happened when I fell off my horse and badly damage my spinal cord.  I was told by my doctor that I would never be able to walk again.  I refused to believe him and lived in hope that one day I would recover.

It was a warm pleasant day when the ship "The Ocean Breeze" set sail on the Mediterranian just off the island of Gibralter.  The water was as calm as a mill pond and the visibility was good.

The cruise liner was out of this world and very luxurious.  She was made in 1958 and was regarded as one of the best!  It catered for over eight hundred passengers most of them were young couples with children.  Honeymooners were also popular on the ship.

I met Peter an elderly gentleman who was travelling alone.  He was a widower who had been on his own for over six years.  It was also his first trip on a cruise.  Peter and his late wife Millie were both planning to travel together on a cruise but his dreams were shattered when he discovered that Millie had been tragically killed in a plane crash.  She was travelling to Florida to attend the funeral of her father Harry.  I felt very sorry for what had happened to him and expressed my deepest sympathy.
We both got along really well and become great companions.  He was a very kind and considerate man who took great care of me and assisted me on the journey.

We had been sailing for nearly a week and everything was running smoothly.  We had visited three countries already and were looking forward to the rest of the trip.  Our next visit was going to be Naples and then Malta.  There was so much more to see and do!

On the eighth day of the trip the sea become very unsettled, this was unusual for this time of year.  The captain of the ship Mr Matthew Smith reasurred us that everything would be fine and that the bad weather would soon clear and pass over.  I had no reason to doubt him because after all he was the captain of the ship with over fifteen years experience.

During the early hours of the morning on the next day the storm got much worse, the gale force winds had become much stronger and very powerful.  It had already caused some destructive damage to the right side of the ship.  I started to feel very uncomfortable and afraid but tried to constantly reassure myself that everything would be alright and nothing bad would happen to us.  The atmosphere did not feel right and some of the crew look very uneasy to the point of looking suspicious.  This was not a good sign!  The captain still remained calm and told us not to worry.  I found this extremely hard to believe as things seemed much worse then previously.  Many people started to panic and cry.  The situation was getting out of hand as the ship violently rocked several times as the huge waves covered the deck with water.  We were totally unprepared for what was going to happen to us.  I heard a terrific bang as loud as thunder.  We were hit by a towering wave which broke the vessel in pieces.  A volcano avalanche in Sicily triggered a huge freak wave.

I must have passed out after that and the next thing that I remeber was lying at the bottom of the sea bed.  At first I was disoriented and wasn't too sure what was happening to me but I then I started to panic and started choking as my lungs filled up with water.  I desperately tried to push myself up but it was impossible.  I then recall seeing a figure resembling an unclothed female.  She was swimming towards me at great speed and then my mind went blank and I cannot remember anything else.

I was discovered on a slanting rock outside a cave on a lonely stretch of beach by a young man named  Joseph who was walking his dog at the time.  It was the day after the storm and he was collecting  sea shells for his little daughter lucia.

I feel blessed to have survived and I am now no longer a cripple.  This has astounded my doctor and my family.  I believe that I was saved by a Mermaid who gave me the power to walk again.  I have always believed that the sea is one of the most mysterious environments on earth and anything is possible!