Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 25 March 1942 — Page 13
WEDNESDAY, MARCH
25, 1942
THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES
PAGF 12
JAVA SHIP LOSS Still the Story Grows... of Pearl Harbor Bravery;
INCREASED T0 15
U. S. Reveals 3 Destroyers And Cruiser Missing: 1300 to 1600 Lost.
WASHINGTON, March 25 (U.P). —Allied losses in the three-day battle of the Java sea, biggest naval battle of the war, rose to 15 varships today with disclosure that
three U. S. destroyers and a cruiser were sent to the bottom by the Japanese, A navy communique revealed that the 1190-ton destroyers Pillsbury and Edsall were lost, presumably with their entire crews totaling | about 290 officers and men, in ad-| dition to the destroyer Pope and| the 10,000-ton cruiser Houston. The loss of the 1190-ton Pope and | the Houston was announced on! March 14, two weeks after the battle which cost the united nations five| cruisers, eight destroyers and a sloop. A 15th allied ship, a Dutch | destroyer, was beached. The sinking of the four American naval vessels which disappeared into the smoke of the running battle never to be heard from again,! took an estimated toll of between 1300 and 1600 lives.
AT DEFENSE RALLY
Fire prevention will be the topic| of a civilian defense rally at the Fletcher Place Methodist church at 7:30 tonight. Mrs. Frederick Leete Jr. is in charge of arrangements. Mrs. Lawrence Earle, representing the Marion County Civilian Defense council, will speak.
20 Civilians Cited for Res
By FRANK TREMAINE United Press Staff Correspondent HONOLULU, March 25.—A navy launch was passing the capsized hulk of the battleship Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor Dec. 7 when someone aboard heard a “tap . .. tap . . . tap” coming from somewhere inside. The launch raced back to the navy yard through the shrapnel
that was hailing down from the shell-scarred sky. A cutting crew of navy yard civilian workers, under an ensign,
climbed into the hull and started a 38-hou fumes ‘and rising water to rescue 32 men, a
fight against deadly the known survivors,
who had been trapped inside the battleship. For the first few hours, until the hull had been penetrated, the navy men worked by the light of the blazing battleship Arizona, hugging the Oklahoma's side to escape the shell splinters. Once inside, they worked in deadly fumes and fast rising water to cut through bulkhead after bulkhead.
Five separate parties of trapped seamen—some of whom were clinging, at the last, to overhead fixtures so they would not drown
—were rescued.
8 » 8
‘Face Great Hazards’
THE NAVY TOLD the story foday in announcing the aio cf 20 civilian navy yard workep§ and the ensign “for heroic d most efficient work, with utter disregard to their personal safetye in assisting in the rescyé of 32 members of the crew of the U. S. S. Oklahoma which’ had capsized during the attack on the fleet in Pearl Harbop/by Japanese forces Dec. 7, 1941/ It was gle to their untiring eftorts inthe face of great hazards,” the citation read, “that the rescue work was continued until ali known survivoes had been released from the hull. “The rescue was successful because of the resourcefulness and courage of the rescuers and the patience and level-headedness of the trapped men.”
It was about 11 a. m. Sunday, just after the second Japanese attack, when those aboard the launch heard the tapping from the Oklahoma's hull. The first cutting c.ew worked until 7 p. m. Sunday and a second crew brought cut the last two men at 1 a. m. Tuesiayv. 2 8 2
Cut Through Ship's Hull
IT WAS HOURS before the first crew cut through the hull. They started work with acetylene torches, but it was soon evident that there was danger of fire and pneumatic equipment, slower but safer, was substituted. Julio De Castro, Honolulu-born navy yard man, was put in charge of the crew. “When I got to the ship I saw that acetylene cutters had put one hole in the stern but had not cut through to a space in which we could work,” he said. “I went up amidships where they had another hole through the outer shell. I dropped down
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| ‘Burn a hole through here. water's coming up at our waists | ! now.’ “I told them to keep their heads | and we'd get them out if they'd |
| listen to orders and didn’t get
By the light of the blazing battleship Arizona (above) . . . the | civilian rescue crew worked to save the survivors in the capsized
hulk of the battleship Oklahoma.
into the hole and found them cutting into the fire room where they had heard some voices. “I climbed out and took my crew aft near a hole they had started back there. There were indications that some men were
still alive. = n on
Blazing Ship Lights Work
“WE DRILLED a test through, just a small hole, and water started spouting out under a lot of pressure. It was fresh, and I knew we had gone into a fresh water tank. “I figured this was a good place to get through to the inside. “We worked by the light of the Arizona fire. For about an hour there was anti-aircraft fire all over the place, but we kept on working. When the firing got too hot we would flatten out against the hull and hope nothing would hit us. “We made a larger hole and I and a couple of others dropped into it. “Here we had our first lucky break. There was a manhole right below us. This meant that we could open it and save a lot of time because we would not have to cut another big hole. “We cut a small hole through the manhole hatch. I reached through and pulled the dogs on the hatch, and opened the manhole. i = TT 4
‘Those Sailors Were Swell’
“THE COMPARTMENT was empty. But we knew that on the other side of it were the men who had been tapping. I found another hatch. We went over there and shouted. Somebody shouted back. Boy, did that sound good! Those sailors were in there shouting like hell. “‘Are you all right?” I shouted. “‘Yeah, we're all right so far, someone shouted back. ‘But the water's coming up faster. It's up to our waists now’ “They kept shouting, ‘For God's
hole
{ sake, hurry.’
“I told him to keep steady and listen to what I was telling them. “ ‘Now just one of you, one who is strong and well, do all the talking,’ I said. The rest of you just keep quiet and keep your heads.’ “Say, those sailors were swell. It was early Monday morning now. They had been in that black space without light or anything else since early Sunday but, by golly, they just quieted right down and took my instructoins. ” 8 s
Too Much Pressure
“I TOLD THEM to undog the hatch on their side because there was too much pressure on our side. We were using pressure to keep the water down. “Well, those six boys in there got the dogs off the hatch. It was about 6 Monday morning. “They sure came piling out af
there, naked as the day they were |
born. They knocked me down and I floundered in the water, but I didn't care. I didn’t blame them for wanting to get out of that black hell hole. “The last sailor out said that others were trapped in the next bulkhead, so we climbed into the compartment the sailors had just vacated. The water was rising
| pretty fast.
“ ‘Hurry!’ yelled a sailor inside.
screwy. # 8 2
‘They Sure Can Take It’
“THOSE SAILORS take it. They said:
sure can
“‘0. K., but hurry like hell Some of us are hanging on to the |
overhead in here.’ “When we finally got through the hole the water was right up to it and the sailors, all naked, were up to their armpits in water. They tumbled out of that hole like streaks of lightning. “Eleven men came out. They had been in there 24 hours. And brother, you can’t even imagine what a black hole that was until we let the light through. “The water was too high for further work so we returned to the outside of the hull. Then we had to figure how far back those others were. I figured where we'd have to start. We put a hole
through there. 2 2 ”
Is It Still Sunday?
“WE ENTERED an empty oil tank, but there were a lot of fumes. I and three others went in. We felt a tapping under our feet. We cut through into another empty space. Again we found a manhole and a sailor hollered through it that the water was up to his waist. :
cue of 32 Trapped in Ship
The |
side the compartment where the men were trapped by opening a testing hole in the manhole, Then the sailors inside undogged the | manhole, Eight came out. One | had a broken finger and another | had a broken arm, It was 3 p. m. Monday. “ ‘What time is it?’ one of the sailors asked. ‘Is it still Sunday?’ | “My crew spent the rest of the | day searching that section of the | hull, but we others.
“A crew working near the fire
room penetrated 150 feet of the hull and rescued five others, Two
more were removed from a for- |
ward section about 1 a. m. Tuesday. ” ” o “MY CREW returned
shop about 7 p. m. Monday
Somebody came up to me while I |
was changing my clothes. I was all in a hurry and wanted to get home. This guy asks me: “‘Why didn’t you fill out this overtime slip?’ “I just looks at him.” De Castro walked five home through the blackout. Those cited with him are John F. Madura, Lawrence V. Jordan, Fred W. Taylor, J. Walter Drapala, Duncan S. Ellis, John K. H. Rasmussen, Maurice G. Engle, William K. Mahaiula, John M. R. Washlick, Richard A. Goings, Thomas M. Hill, Joseph Bulgo, Elbert E. McCutcheon, Frederick C. Twigger, Alexander M. Smith, Vasso D. Ferreira, Archie R. Pattchette, Paul J. Bakanas, Irving C. Carl and Ensign F. M. P Sexton.
miles
WORLEY IS CLEARED OF GAMING CHARGE
Claude M. Worley, former police chief, today was cleared of a charge of keeping a gambling house at his tavern at 1550 N. Illinois st Floyd Mannon, special judge in Municipal court 4, discharged the former city official yesterday. holding that the evidence was insufficient. He also cleared Harry C. Lawless, 515 E. 15th st., a tavern vatron, and Miss Mary Kelly, 1530 N. Illinois st., a waitress, who also had been charged with gambling. Mr. Worley lives at 1922 N. Delaware st.
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Pleased to Announce
Will be in our Maternity Shop on the Third Floor, Friday, March 27, from 12:00 until
4:00 P. M. If you are a "Lady in Waiting"
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There will be informal modeling of Eloise Glover dresses in the Maternity Shop throughout the afternoon and tea will be served from
2:00 until 4:00.
Ayres’ Maternity Shop, Third Floor
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