the shipmate boy
He was a true fighter, why would he want to die in the end?
Did they shoot an alternative ending?
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I think the point is that Erling/C-19 was definitely a true fighter, like the story's whale with many scars who took a long time to die - as he most certainly did not want to die.
The Norwegian water was freezing Erling to death with each passing second. Trying to get out of the deadly water was totally futile and increasing the likelihood that both boys would go down. He wanted his friend, Olav/C-1, to finally let go in order to save himself - to fight for his life - for the both of them in a sense. Olav was to deliver the letters to Erling's sister too. It was quite suspenseful and moving.
"Don't get chumpatized!" - The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)