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Biographies of the Crew and Extra Audio

Bill Millman

At 6' 4" tall, 185 pounds, Bill Millman was known as "Big Bill" aboard the Exodus. He was at the wheel when the British attacked the ship at sea. At the time of this interview, Millman had retired from his drapery business and was living outside Las Vegas. Bill Millman died in December, 2007.

LISTEN: Bill Millman and Frank Lavine explain the trouble they encountered in Portovenere, Italy, shortly after outfitting the ship with thousands of bunks for the Jewish refugees.
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(right) Bill Millman as a young bosun mate in the US Navy. He calls this his "hollywood picture." The pipe is a prop. He didn't smoke.





Nat Nadler

Nat Nadler was an electrician on the Exodus and for decades after his experience on the ship. He lives in Rutherford, New Jersey and is pursuing a second career in psychoanalysis.

LISTEN: Nadler, an electrician aboard the Exodus, describes his battle with the crew's first enemy... seasickness.
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LISTEN: Nadler explains how he fought off the British marines as they climbed aboard the deck of the Exodus.
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(right) Nat Nadler was 20 years old when he climbed on board the Exodus. This picture was taken two years prior, in 1945.





Frank Lavine

Frank Lavine was an able-bodied seaman on the ship. A life-long librarian, he was instrumental in securing handicapped access at the Library of Congress. At the time of this interview, Lavine was living in Medford, Massachusetts, where he served as director of the public library before his retirement in 1989. Like his former crewmate Bill Millman, Frank Lavine died in December, 2007.

LISTEN: Lavine describes the crew's "secret weapon" in fighting off the British marines:
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(right) Frank Lavine (middle) with crew-members Sam Schiller (left) and David Millman following the British marines' capture of the Exodus.




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