Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-05-07
Us. Cruiser. Thumbs Nose
At Hell Inn Heroic Odd ySSey

that was bombed 10 He'll and
was brought right out of IL
again by n crew that doesn't
know the meaning of the word
Abandoned
In the thick of the fight fol-
the Pacific from the very start
the Marblehead was knocked out
of action on February 4 when
"a Japanese bombers attacked a
formation of United Nations war
ships in Macassar Straits.
Two direct bomb hits and a
near miss that rent its plates
below water sent the Marblehead
Keeling. Fifteen of the crew were
killed and 20 wounded.
when the war broke out"
the navy stated, "the Marble
head and several United States
destrOyers were at Tarakan, n
port I'm northeast Borneo. The
Marblehead forced into action
Immediately and for the first
month Of the war was engaged
In covering the evacuation Of
United Nations shipping from
the Philippines southwark.
SAVED so SHIPS
"proteced by the sweeping
guns of the Marblehead and
other United States cruisers and
destroyers, more than so mer-
chant ships were evacuated I'm
these operations without a loss"
Then on February l. the Marble
head accompanied by other Ameri-
can and Dutch warships went out
to find a concentration of Japa-
nese ships near Balikpapan,
Borneo. They run into vastly
force of seven cruisers
and ID destroyers, and withdrew.
But three days later the Marble
Head and its sister ships headed
back 10 ambush the japanese
armada steaming southwark
through Macassar Straits for the
Dutch East Indies. The flotilia,
including the cruiser U. ). ).
Houston. which later was sunk,
was ambushed by more than half
a hundred enemy warplanes.
BLOCKED SUICIDE DIVE
zone of these Japanese planes
said the navy. twas hit by anti
aircraft fire of the Houston. As
the plane fell, its pilot attempted
In suicide dive on the Marble
head. but the cruisers gunners
poured fire on the falling plane
and completed Its destruction
with hits that sent II crashing
into the sea about 80 feet from
their ship.
"Tn this engagement the Hous-
ton was hit by one bomb, while
the Marblehead received two
direct hits and was badly dam
aged under water by near miss.
All three bombs caused serious
damage.
1.-THE Marblehead was rocked
by explosion, swept by fire and
threat tened with flooding. The
crisis was intensified when her
steering gear was completely
disabled.
"Only through the ability and
determination of the Marble
heads personnel was the ship
afloat on Its perilous flight to
Java.
PUMPS INADEQUATE
"At one stage water was pour
Ing In at such a rate her pump
Ing equipment proved inadequate
to keep up with the rising flood.
The Marblehead's crew then
formed n bucket brigade and,
baling frenziedly for hours, man.
aged to avert n swapping while
emergency repairs were being
made"
The Marblehead made Tjilataj jap,
on the south coast OF Java, Feb
ruary Z. The dock was so small
that only the bow and a portion
amidship could be worked upon.
With what repairs possible. the
Marblehead again took 10 sea. al
though its rudder was still useless.
Steered by engine speed on its
twin propellors the ship threaded
its way to Ceylon. After further
repairs at the British naval base,
the ship began the next stage of its
journey, a 4,000-mile trip TO the
south tip of Africa, where further
repairs were made.
Then came the last lap and
haven in home port.
There" the navy concluded,
"the Marblehead rides today,
home at last and triumphant
over the overwhelming odds that
had prevailed against her ever
making n