Evening star., 1943-11-28
Adventures of the Crew Of Fort After Is DAYS on the Water

not dare turn back through the island
defense sector. SO he staked everything
upon the ships range He kept going
straight tor the middle OF the Pacific
Ocean.
Zeros Close In.
1t did not take the Zero pilots long to
find out the Dove had lost her peck.
They closed in and for 80 age-long min
utes the hunt went on. The Dove was
being slowly torn to pieces in the air.
Foot by foot she sagged seaward. till at
the extreme limit of their range-the
hunters gave up, disguised, and turned
for home. The Dove was only 20 feet
from the water now. Oil was streaming
out OF one engine. She flew thus for 80
minutes. Then the unlubricated engine
shuddered violently and finally, and fell
to pieces in its nacelle.
Classen knew the fight was finished.
He ordered the crew to make ready for
landing on the water, and set the ship
down across the seas very gently-a per-
feet pancake in the trough between two
rollers more than 500 miles from land.
Take to the Rats.
Bleeding and exhausted they dragged
themselves onto the RATS and lay gasp
ing. Still alive.
After a while Classen, 1t. Ruiz, CO.
pilot, and 1t. Dorwart, navigator, COM
pared notes and agreed that they were
525 miles from the nearest acceptable
landing. The wind, blowing strong and
steady from the northeast. was carrying
the RATS before it in the general direc-
ton of the Solomons. Yet there was no
way of telling how far ocean currents
would drift them from the southwesterly
drift which might mean life instead of
slow death by thirst and starvation at
sea.
The crew busted NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ly, because the RATS We're cranky and
very crowded. They dressed one an
others wounds, made a rain catcher
from the canvas cover of a flare con-
tainer, improvised. little sail to check
the rate of drift if the wind happened to
change.
Food was rationed and plans made to
supplement- it with fish. The emergency
gear included a fishing line and some
microscopic hooks. Sergt. Turnbull, the
tail gunner, set about fashioning hook
that would catch real fish. He used a
file left accidentally in his overalls and
OT
tin.
Day and night Sunrise, scorching
noon, sunset darkness.
RAIN squalls swept out of the north
wild, dark storms in miniature that
lashed the sea to frenzy, kept the can
teens full OF water and the castaways
mercilessly drenched. The skin stripped
from their faces. Salt water sores added
TO the vague, nagging ache of wounds.
Sharks Grow Bolder.
AS time went on the sharks, which
never left the RATS, grew bolder in pur-
suit of the fish shoals. They would leap
and send showers of spray flying. The
larger sharks would batter the soft fab
gic bottom of the RATS with their tails.
trying to stun fish.
The hook-maker at last succeeded in
his task. He caught sea bass and q
brown and cream shark about 2 feet
long. They ate the fish raw and fresh
and dried the shark flesh against ulti-
mate emergency. Another man caught
and killed q seabird The oily flesh.
dried in the sun, was revolting-but it
gave bulk to the skimp ration Classen
allowed each day.
BY the 10th day every one had lost
hope. But they still fished a little. They
still talked about the food they would