Pollyanna the Russian Reindeer

Pollyanna the Russian Reindeer
You’ve heard of the red-nosed reindeer that pulls a sleigh and delivers gifts, right? Have you heard of the Russian reindeer that lived in a naval submarine during World War II? In 1941, at a post in the Arctic Circle, two naval captains began chatting about Christmas. The British captain said it was difficult for his wife and baby to get around in the snow. The Russian captain told him he needed a reindeer, and he soon brought him one as a gift. Unable to refuse the gift, the British captain brought the reindeer onto the HMS Trident submarine through the torpedo tube. Pollyanna the reindeer slept under the captain’s bed and ate from a barrel of moss. When her food ran out, Pollyanna enjoyed scraps and condensed milk from the galley. Six weeks later, when the submarine arrived in England, Pollyanna was too big to exit the way she had entered. Crew members hoisted her out of the main hatch and placed her in a zoo.

1. The British naval captain received this gift in 1941 from a Russian naval captain.
2. Pollyanna ate moss, scraps, and evaporated milk on the submarine.
3. It was difficult to get Pollyanna out of the submarine in England because she had gained weight and wouldn’t fit through the torpedo tube. She had to get hoisted out of the hatch.