Evening star., 1942-04-06
Destroyer Peory, Creoky Navy Tin Can, Sank
GomeIy Fighting Swarm of japanese Bombers

fire and guided by the foaming white
wake which nothing can camoufiage,
the Jap bombers made their first
run over the Peary. 1t was slightly
OF angle. No matter. One at time
the big b0mberS wheeled laboriouSly
in wide curves and carefully began
again. The Peary was madly zig
raging below, making white doodles
across the ocean floor. But the
second run, too, was slightly less
precise than the Oriental execu-
tioners demanded. The artistic Nips
wanted something perfect.
If we had even one modern anti
aircraft gum" said the men on the
Peary's bridge.
In all, the Japs leisurely made
eight full-length approaches with
out dropping bombs.
Bombers Seize Chance.
Lets get this over with" sug-
gested 1t. William J. Catlett of
Canton, Miss. who was coming the
ship to Comdr. Birmingham
They've got enough fuel to keep
this up forever. Let's let them drop
their bundles and dodge them after
ward"
Comdr. Birmingham thought his
advice good. The next time the
Peary gave the Japs a fair chance
and, as quickly as Toxic diplomat
grabbing a nest of Pacific islands,
the patrol bombers seized it. The
Peary managed to veer away as
what one officer called two big,
black planets the size of Mars" de-
scended.
Others followed. The nearest
bomb splashed a geyser 100 feet
away, but none hit.
The aircraft commander now
played his trump, an attack at low
level by torpedo planes The at
tackers carried two small torpedoes
a little bigger than cigar shaped
gas tanks, slung under the Jap Navy
Zeros for extra range. The torpe-
does seemed to travel almost with
out a wake. Two were launched by
each plane. But all four missed
1t took from 2 o'clock until 4:20
for the Japs to spoil their afternoon
and leave the Peary unSpoiled.
Darkness came and, although safe,
the Peary was not quite herself.
Running on One Engine.
Operating on the port engine
alone, the Peary had a couple of
hours unmolested, then entered
Banka Strait-not the now famous
narrows off the eastern shores of
Sumatra but a tiny strait between
Bunakeng Island and Cape Tango
Pisok, near Menado. Here she was
attacked by three large two -motored
land bombers.
Of the three oompers which at
tackled this time, one scored near
miss, by glide bombing, damaging
the Peary's steering gear. There
after. with her single functioning
engine. the Peary was steered by
hand. Kenneth Quineaux, who was
killed while firing a machine gun
against the planes, has been post
humously awarded the Navy Cross.
Another seaman, who also survived
the Peary's later attack, was Glen
A Fryman, who threw smoking
four-inch shell into the water, saw
ing many shipmates, and has been
recommended for the Navy Cross.
The Peary's great and final hour
came when she was lying in harbor.
The Japs had sneaked an aircraft
carrier among the Indonesian Is
lands near Australia and sent over
70 bombers with approximately 80
fighters.
Five Bombs Hit Ship.
The Peary had no choice but
to lie at the quay, the same as at
Cavite. Dive bombers began to peel
off and plunge upon the Peary. In
all, five 500-pound bombs struck the
moored destroyer. One hit fell di-
rectly in what is known as the
streaming fireroom," single
flreroom continuously maintaining
steam while anchored. Another hit
the fantail, where the already dam
aged steering gear was located, A
fourth hit the galley deckhouse.