Evening star., 1942-04-04
BY the Associated Press.

! 6y Lle ASSOCldleQ fTeSe.
The Aircraft tender Langley
and the fleet tanker Pecos went
down while fighting a 52-hour
running battle with enemy
bombing planes in the Indian
Ocean south of Java between
February 27 and March l, ac-
cording to the accounts given by
their commanding officers.
The Langley was literally smoth-
cred with bombs" Comdr. R. P. Nc
Connell, related on his arrival in
San Francisco yesterday.
The PecoS, which was sunk while
carrying survivors of the Langley,
was attacked by three formations
of dive-bombers, her skipper, Comdr.
E. P. Abernathy, reported. Comdr.
Abernathy arrived in San Fransisco
with Comdr. Mcconnell.
Having had two ships shot out
from under them in a little more
than two days, the survivors of
the 11,050-ton Langley spent be-
tween four and six hours in the
water. A few had lifeboats.
I'VE were carrying supplies in
the combat zone" Comdr. McCon-
nell related, when we were sighted
by a hostile observation plane on
the morning of February 27.
About noon a formation of hor-
izontal bombers were reported and
we prepared for battle. They made
series of approaches, dropping
bombs twice from formations of
nine planes each and from about
$4,000 feet altitude.
The second run of bombs was
very effective. The Langley was
practically smothered. We were in
the midst of the Salvo and the dam
/ age forced us to leave the ship.
Praises Escorts Action.
Our escort destroyers performed
very commercially in the battle as
well as in rescuing the Langley sur
vivors. After the men had been
picked up, the destroyers hastened
the sinking of the tender so that
material would not fall into enemy
hands"
The Langley before becoming a
tender was an aircraft carrier, and
originally was built to be a collier.
She still carried sections of her fly
ing deck, but it was not usable as
such. No planes were launched from
her during the battle.
1--WE didn't get any of the enemy
planes" Comdr. Mcconnell said. He
added that he had no aircraft sup
port during the encounter
The battle lasted a little more
than two hours.
The next morning the deStroyers
attempted to transfer the Langley
survivors to the 5,400-ton Pecos,
which was about 80 miles away
when the fight began. But both
ships still were subject to bombing
attack and apparently were not far
from an enemy submarine. The
transfer was not carried out.
They kept moving and the trans
fer was made the next morning.
Planes Prevented Rendezvous.
Taking up the story there, Comdr.
Abernethy said he was ordered to a
small island south of Java to meet
the destroyers carrying the Langley
survivors, but a formation of enemy
bombers appeared and the Destroy
ers moved away from the rendez-
vous.
The next day, March l, the Pecos
lowered a motor launch and made
IL trips to the destroyers, picking up
all the survivors without loss of men
or materiel. The transfer started
during the early morning and was
completed about 8 am.
The tanker headed toward Aus
tralia. Soon enemy planes were
sighted.
IT felt" Comdr. Abernethy said,
chat we were in for serious trouble.
About noon, formation of six
dive bombers launched round OF
bombs at us and our ship was hit.
One explosion knocked the crew
from a gun, but another crew was
able to take up action.
Kept on Shooting.
These same six bombers then
loosed another round at us. Then
a second flight of six planes came
over and. cut loose, but we remained
afloat and kept shooting.
"On their third flight there were
nine dive bombers and some other
planes. The damage to the Pecos
was progressive and she finally sank
by the DOW a little over four hours
after the start of battle.
I'VE estimated that about 30 men