From: camelsho@conquest.ksu.ksu.edu (   James A Seymour   )
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Last US Navy WWII Battle??
Date: 4 Nov 92 17:21:50 GMT
Organization: Kansas State University


From camelsho@conquest.ksu.ksu.edu (   James A Seymour   )

I picked up a copy of "The Stars And Stripes WORLD WAR II
FRONT PAGES" at the local used book store.  The book has
copies of the front pages of Stars and Stripes in a 
chronological order.  Not all of the covers are printed,
just enough to tell the story from the USA Armed Forces
view point.

An article on the last page about the supposedly last US
naval battle of the war intrigued me.  I'm reprinting it
here for your amusement and information. (With out permission,
of course.)  Also, I have several questions tacked on to the
end of this post.

********************** Article Follows *************************

THE STARS AND STRIPES, SATURDAY, OCT. 6, 1945

Armed US Junk Fought Navy's Final Battle

SHANGHAI, Oct. 5 -- (UP) -- The United States Navy's last surface
engagement of World War II was won off the China coast by a handful
of Yanks aboard a pair of ancient junks.

The battle occurred Aug. 20 -- five days after the Japanese sur-
render-- when one Army captain, two Marine officers, one Navy
lieutenant and four Navy enlisted men conquered a heavily armed
Jap army junk, killed 43 Japanese and took 39 prisoners, all but
four of whom were wounded.

The Navy's first battle under sail since Civil War days took place
on the night of Aug. 19 when Lt. Livingston "Swede" Swentzel, jr.,
led a little two junk flotilla out of a coast town near Hainan, 
Shanghai bound.

Commanding the Second junk was Marine Lt Stewart L. Pittman.  Aboard
Swentzel's junk were Capt. Austin B. Cox, an army air-ground support
officer whose necessity to reach Shanghai was one of the reasons for
the voyage; Capt. Pat O'Neil, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and Seaman
First Class James R. Reid.

With Pittman were three enlisted men--Gunners Mate William K. Barrett,
Gunners Mate Floyd Rose and MOror Machinists Mate David A. Baker.

The morning of the 20th while tacking north against a heavy wind, the
tiny task force suddelny confronted a big menacing junk.

The Americans spotted a gleaming .75 howitzer which immediately 
belched smoke and fire, making a direct hit about 10 feet above the deck.  
The blast killed a pair of Chinese tommy-gunners and knocked out a
third and sprayed Captain Cox with fragments.

When the junks were less than 100 yards apart, Reid got a rocket off
which exploded squarely on the deck of the Jap ship.  Swentzel said,
"You could see pieces of junk and pieces of Japs flying in all 
directions."

Soon after that the Nips gave up, hoisting a dirty skivvy shirt on
a bayonet in a token of surrender.  The Americans, who came alongside
and boarded found the ship a terrific shambles.  The ship was loaded
with Jap ammunition.

***************************  End Article *****************************

Questions raised:

Were junks and other idiginious water craft routinely used for Allied
war use?  If so, in what capacities?  Did these boats determine any
major stratagies?

What kind of rocket did Reid fire at the junk?  Was his a lucky
shot? i.e. What was the accuracy and explosive power of the rocket?
Should it have blown up an ammo laden junk OR was it probably
relying on schrapnel for its damage?

What exactly is a .75 howitzer?  I usually associate howitzers with
big bores lobbing high explosive shells in a high arced tragectory.
Does the .75 mean it was only .75 inches in diameter?
Or, does it refer to some ratio of bore to length?

What other types of ordinance were used on junks/sampans during
WW II?  What was the most outragious of these?

Was this indeed the US Navy's last surface action of WW II?

Please Post Replies For Everybody's Use

Thanks for any answers,
james seymour/camel/camelsho@matt.ksu.ksu.edu
Newsgroups: sci.military