Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-08-06
CHAPTER XII

"Shortly thereafter we were sup
posed to make a landfall-an island
about half mile square, at which
point we must turn in order to make
the final landfall which would bring
us into port.
with such a wind and sea, we
were probably retarded, but by how
much? had to guess at it. Also
the helmsman was having wres-
ting match with the wheel-it was
all he could do to keep within ten
degrees on either side Of the COM
pass course-which meant a posi-
BILE error of twenty degrees. We
missed the island entirely in the
dark, and from then on until dawn
I changed course as thought nee
essary. Dawn came at six and we
saw land ahead, a point which I
thought was the peninsula just west
of Cagayan, our destination.
showed it to the Admiral, and he
shook his head with satisfaction.
"We were up to top speed now,
carbon burned from the motors, and
at $3.50 we sighted the light on the
point at Cagayan's entrance. We
slowed to let the Al boat lead the
way, as it had the channel charts.
General Sharp, commanding Of
ficer of the island of Mindanao, was
down to meet us, and as soon as we
could see the pier we woke up Gen.
eral Macarthur" said Bulkeley.
He shook the salt water out of his
gold generals cap, tipped it on his
head-somehow it always lands at
a jaunty angle, seems to 60 with
his cane-and looked around with
his jaw set-a fine figure of SOL
der.
"Then he said to me, Buckley,
I'm giving every officer and man
here the Silver Star for gallantry.
You've taken me out of the jaws of
death, and l won't forget it!'
"Still later that afternoon he told
me: If the boats never accomplish
anything more and were burned
now, they'd have earned their keep
thousand times over. If possible,
when 1 get to Melbourne I'll get you
and your key men out
VIC dlllpGu Oll Tic Till lSSlllll
Four flying fortresses from Austria
liza were supposed to have met the
General One cracked up on the
take-off, two came down in the Aus
tralian desert, and the one which
finally arrived had supercharger
trouble and had to turn around and
60 back without any passengers, so
Macarthur didn't get away until the
eighteenth.
1--WE told the crews to keep quiet.
not to let it get out whom we'd
brought in, so the Japs wouldn't
find out and maybe attack while
Macarthur was waiting"
1.-THE afternoon we arrived" said
Kelly, "Bulkeley told us what Mac
Arthur had said about getting US
out if he could 1t was good news,
but we weren't exactly excited. For
if the air force couldn't get even
one serviceable plane up here from
Australia to take Macarthur out,
what chance had we?
"Our job, knew, would be to
fight out the war in the southern
islands-with torpedoes while we
had them, and on land with rifles
when they were expended. So bet
ter not get our hopes up.
1.-THE boats were to be anchored
off the beach, and before left mine,
told my executive officer to check
on the anchor-We were close to the
beach and there was a lot of surf
pounding the coral. Just to make
doubly sure, went on the forecastle
for a last inspection myself. The
line seemed taut. I tugged to make
sure, and it came loose in my hand.
Start the engines Immediately!
They were started in thirty seconds,
but five seconds later there was a
grinding scrape-one propeller had
hit bottom. The other engine conked
out, and when we did get it going it
was too late, the waves were slap
ping at us broadside, each breaker
driving us farther on the beach.
II yelled over to the Al boat to
get under way and give us a tow
but by the time we'd tied her line
onto ours, we were stuck-hard and
fast. We worked furiously four hours
until the tide had gone out, and by
midnight we were solid as concrete,
in water so shallow that now there
were only three feet of water aft
and less than a foot forward I'm
possible to get off that night. I
went to bed disguised.
.Next morning was up at five
and there she was high and dry ex-
cept for six inches of water at her
stern, and a crowd of natives gawk-
ing. It all happened because the
anchor shackle had parted-the
threads stripped. 1t was the old
story-continuous usage and no re-
placement of parts.
Sunday, we were again up at
dawn. We had persuaded the army
to lend us a sergeant and work
ing party of native troops, and we
started digging and pounding away