Evening star., 1942-09-29
81 Days Adrift on an 8x4 Raft on the Pacific
Waves Beot Hard
Against Bottom
Of Rubber FIout

forced to land q scout bomber in
the ocean iohen its gas gaze out
on the epening OF January IS,
1912. The craft sank almost i'm
medtdteiy, but they MANAGED to
escape on an 8Tf foot rubber raft.
They Dere ,0ithout provisions
and NTH scdnt equipment. Yet
this heroic United States Nauv
trio managed to surpipe, battling
an inferno OF seas and heather
tor 81 days over a course that
coDered about a thousand miles
hntH they finally reached safety
on an obscure atoH. The nerpe-
ftnpling details OF this etrrdordi-
nary experience are being related
here as told to RobefI TrumbuU.
CHAPTER III.
We had expected the plane to float
FOR at least a few minutes, but she
sank almost Immediately.
The wing on which I had been
equatting dropped from under me
without a warning ripple and the
weighted nose as quickly pulled the
fuselage beneath the slate gray sea,
leaving tiny whirlpool to mark it's
grave.
Pastula and Aldrich foated
straight up out of their cockpits,
pulled by their pneumatic life jack
cts as if hoisted by slings beneath
their arms. And I was wrestling
desperately with the rubber raft,
now initiating in my hands.
Aldrich was hanging onto my
chart board, which Tony had passed
to him. and two flashlights. He lit
one just as the plane sank with that
incredible finality of a dropping
stone. Seconds later I heard him
strangling in the salt water and
saw the lighted f1ashlight spiraling
down under the water like lumin-
GUS fish. In an instant it was gone
and we were in darkness.
In his first racking struggle to
keep afioat in this terrifying new
element learned later that neither
he nor Tony could swim-Aldrich
dropped the chart board as we'll as
both flashlights. The parachutes had
proved impossible to salvage. un-
shipped my AS automatic to get rid
of the weight which was pulling me
down and Aldrich did the same.
Tony Pastula saved his, though
against his will, because it was
fastened around his thigh by raw
hide loop which he was unable to
loose in the water. Meanwhile we
were all swallowing great quantities
Of sea.
Recalls Friends Experience.
At first, after we were all three
eafe aboard the raft, we wondered
whether it was going to be strong
enough to withstand the terrific
pounding it was taking from the
waves. Then recalled that friend
OF mine had once foated for nine
days in the same type of craft off
Panama. After that I was not so
concerned about the raft's sinking.
I talked to the boys about our
chances Of rescue and tried to cheer
them up. This didn't take as long as
l had expected. I learned that
healthy young men in their early
20s are not naturally pessimistic.
Gene and Tony's husky young bod
les, hardened in the navy, threw
on the exhaustion of their struggle
In the sea. The discipline in which
they had been trained exerted itself
now and they were ready to appraise
the situation calmly.
We thought about the things you
would expect person to think about
under such circumstances. We were
on a spot, and knew it. However,
we confidently expected the ship to
send back a search, and we knew
there was good possibility that
we'd be found.
Tony was actually elated now.
Chief" - he called me Chief
throughout the voyage - when I
found out you were gonna land in
that water, I thought, boy, this is
it,
"You thought I couldn't land that
plane in the water, eh?"
II that sounds like SNUG state
ment, well. I probably was little
pleased with myself. That was a
good landing. although it wasn't
difncult to make.
Tony was giggling in his relief tc
be alive.
Boy, Chief, 1 thought we was
Eoners for sure! I thought we was
gonna fly in thousand pieces
Best hoped for was that I wouldn't
know what hit me. Chief, howe
va do it?"
Tony Feels Pretty Good.
explained that it wasn't diff.
cult, nor dangerous.
Tony whistled and laughed. HI
felt pretty good about the whole
situation
1 turned to Aldrich and asked hin
q few questions about the radio set
] couldn't understand why we hac
been unable to raise the ship.
thought we should have caught /,
signal.
Hey. who's got cigarette?" Ton,
demanded.
Gene jammed his hand into hi
sodden trousers pocket with auto
matte politeness, and then stoppet
and grinned.
I'D like a cigarette with my cof
fee, il we had some coffee" h.
drawled.
The lack of cigarettes and coffe
was to become one of our favorit
topics of conversation. We Nav,
men like our coffee good and strong
with plenty of sugar, and mos
of all we like it often. I think W
missed our smokes and coffee NOR
than anything else.
Meanwhile I looked over the raj
as best I could, and felt all over tn
fabric, wishing Gene had hung ont
one of those flashlights. However
examined the boat thoroughly, an
found it to be in practically ne'
condition and in excellent shap,
which pleased me very much.
found out later that the boat wa
about five years old; you can Sc
1t now in the naval museum at An
napolis Incidentally. I've got t