Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-07-02
CHAPTER vi

$50 we separated, expecting to
meet at dawn. 1t was the last l
ever saw of the 81 boat. But here's
what happened to our "a boat in
Subic. First, remember it was dark:
er than hell, and the shore line was
loaded with Jap field guns. None of
us had ventured in there since the
Japs took over. We had got in just
a little way when a Jap searchlight
spotted us and blinked out a dot
dash challenge, asking who we
were. Since we didn't know the
Jap code reply, naturally we didn't
answer, but changed course, veer-
ing away. But the Japs were get
ting suspicious by now, and from
over by Ilinin Point a single field
piece opened up. None of it fell
near us-maybe they were shooting
at belong in the 81 boat.
when we were about abeam of
Sueste light another light came on
to challenge us-this time from a
ship - maybe that cruiser. We
changed course to 60 over and have
a look, but she was small fry-not
worth a torpedo-the hell with her
we were headed for Binanga and
the cruiser.
by one o'clock we we're off the
north entrance to Port Binanga,
where we were to meet belong in
the 81 boat and 60 in together for the
attack, and when he didn't show up,
l began to be afraid something
might have happened, yet couldn't
be sure.
But there was nothing to do but
60 on in alone. To make the sneak,
we cut the speed down to eight
knots, skirted Chiquita Island,
rounded Binanga Point, and entered
the little, bay on two engines at
idling speed. Everything was quiet,
no firing down here, and then we
saw her ahead in the dark not five
hundred yards away. Creeping up
on her, we had just readied two
torpedoes when searchlight came
on and in dot-dash code she asked
who we we're.
1--WE answered, all right-with two
torpedoes-but they had hardly been
fired when l gave our boat hard
rudder and started away 1t isn't
safe for an NTH to stay near a
cruiser. One torpedo hit home with
a hell of a thud-we heard it over
our shoulders. Looking back, we
saw the red fire rising, and present
ly two more explosions which might
have been her magazines.
"But we had no time for staring,
for into y,1nrfx fro,,t>1D
of those torpedoes had failed to
clear its tube and was stuck there,
just at the entrance, and was max
ing what we call hot run, its pro-
pellers buzzing like hell, compressed
air kissing so you couldn't hear
yourself think. But worst of all,
torpedo is adjusted so that it won't
fire until its propeller has made a
certain number of revolutions-I
shouldn't give it exactly, but let's
say it is three hundred. After that,
the torpedo is cooked like a rifle,
and an eight-pound blow on its nose
would set it off-bloWing us all to
glory.
$50 what to do? Somehow that
torpedo propeller had to be stopped
and stopped quick, or else a good
hard wave slap on the torpedo's
nose would blow us all to splinters.
And at this point our torpedoman,
MARITIME, used his head fast. He
ran to the head and swiped a hand
full of toilet paper He jumped
astride that wobbling, kissing tor
pedo like it was horse, and, with
the toilet paper, jammed the vanes
of the propeller, stopping it.
WED stopped for all this, but
we couldn't afford to wait long. The
cruisers fire was lighting up the
bay behind us. Ahead, all over Su-
bic, hell was breaking loose. So we
started up, gave her everything we
had to get through that fire.
with three motors roaring, ana
US skipping around in that rough
water with everything wide-open,
guess we made considerable commo-
ton. Anyway the Japanese radio in
Tokyo, reporting the attack next
day, said the Americans had a new
secret Weapon-a monster that
roared, tapped its wings, and fired
torpedoes in all directions. 1t was
only us, of course, but we felt flat
tered. We got the hell out of there,
and that was all there was to it."
"Well," said Kelly, Macarthur
wouldn't quite agree. He gave you
the DISC. for what you'd done"
But belong has the real story"
insisted Bulkeley. 81 pulled up out
side the mine field off Corregidor
to wait for him. Neither of us could
60 in until it got light, because 9TH
erwise the army on shore, hearing
us in the dark out there, would think
it was Japs and set off the mine
field. But when the sky got light
and l saw my boat was alone,
realized belong was in trouble.
And since he's now a prisoner of
the Japanese-if he's alive-we'd
better tell his story for him.