When I joined the service in 1940, I did not know the pointed end of the boat was called the bow, to me, currents were raisins, tide was soap, and helm was a bakery truck. This should establish my maritime knowledge up to that point.

At Sea with the Army:

This event takes place on the Admiralty Islands in 1944, I had been leading a recon patrol behind the jap lines, I brought the patrol down to our own lines to the beach after the mission was accomplished for some sack time. The word was passed by some joker that there was mail for us at headquarters across the bay, so I wrangled passage on an LCM evacuating some wounded, this is where my lesson began.

I boarded the LCM along with twenty six stretcher cases, one Aussie, and one Englishman who was serving with the Aussies. The Coxswain and one U.S. Army soldier made up the crew of the vessel, which was operated and maintained by the Army Amphibious Engineers.

The Coxswain fired up the engines at about 04:30, put her in reverse and opened the throttles, executing a very neat maneuver in clearing the beach, in so doing backed over the stern anchor line so completely we fouled the starboard screw, that engine simply shuttered and died.

So....we still had the port engine, after cutting the anchor line leaving the anchor on the bottom, we proceeded to Headquarters on course to Red beach. This course was made up of two legs, with the apex about 1,000 yards off Bear Point (which the enemy still held).

To be continued...

Jack

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All the Best
Jack

Can't wait for the rest, Jack. This has the makings of a great story.

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"Faint heart never won fair maiden", so I say "Go for it!"

Lou

Thank you Lou, the fingers numb up and slow down, also I never know when I'll get knocked off line before posting, then need to retype.

Jack

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All the Best
Jack

carry on jack,getting interesting,more please,ray..

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ray w.

Part two:

As Bear point appeared off our starboard bow I noticed that our competent crew of two appeared to be concerned about something, at about that time I noted Bear Point was bearing broad abeam of us. The cause of concern was revealed to me that old faithful, our Port engine had been overheating for the last thirty minutes, and had just began knocking, so before our well trained crew could figure out how to unlatch the hatches and open up to have a look, the death rattle grew louder, the engine then locked up and seized. Leaving us dead in the water with a ten knot onshore breeze blowing.

Now, as the only commissioned officer aboard it was time to size up our situation which looked less than hopeful with each discovery. The vessel's transmitter had been removed for use ashore, our anchor was left behind during our departure, the port engine was hopeless, twenty six wounded in the well deck needing medical attention. It was time for a plan to be hatched out, so the only thing that came to mind was freeing the starboard prop and restarting that engine. Both the Aussie and the Cockney volunteered, and went over the side with trench knives in hand to cut the line from our fouled prop.

It's a hopeless bloody tangle Sir, they reported back after about 10 minutes taking turns and catching their breath, working on a corkscrewed three inch thick line without scuba masks or air tanks, while we drifted closer to shore. About this time I noticed what looked like hail hitting the water about 400 yards off our beam, I looked again through the field glasses and with a rude awakening noted a jap machine gun, and jap small arms fire were checking our range from under cover along the beach, and were attempting to make things more uncomfortable for us.

The Aussie's eyes spotted what looked to be a navy ship at anchor across the bay, perhaps two or three miles distant. After a quick international pow wow, it was time to come up with a distress signal.

Jack

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All the Best
Jack

I like it...I like it. next episode jack....

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ray w.

This is like going to the Saturday matinees at the movies and having those little serial stories. They always end at the most intriguing part. You've got me hanging, Jack.

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"Faint heart never won fair maiden", so I say "Go for it!"

Lou

thats true lou,keep em wanting more..it,s good too...ray..

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ray w.

Part three:

Inquiring of the LCM's crew, I received a negative answer as to the availability of a very pistol, flares, signal lamp, or any other means of summoning the Navy's aid. Being hard headed, young, and resourceful in those days was in my favor, as well as not wanting the deep six on what could have been considered a milk run. I had an inspiration: that fifty caliber gun next to the bridge has a box of ammo stowed below it, the flash and smoke might attract the Navy's attention, I could also entertain the enemy at the same time!

One look at that weapon would have made an Army or Navy Ordnance officer break his swagger stick, this was no time think of maintenance, however this thing had not been cleaned or oiled since Pearl Harbor.
I unstuck the seawater rusted top cover revealing it's orange inner workings and loaded the belt. I yanked the bolt back twice, forcing it back on the second, muscled it around to line up the muzzle with with undergrowth ashore, and let fly...three rounds...five rounds...then she quits!

OK, next best thing? Too far from shore for a Thompson,...for now anyway, flash hider for night firing rules out any visible flash, now what?

Maybe we can use semaphore with signal flags spouts the Aussie.



Jack

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Jack

getting gripping!,now what happened...ray..

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ray w.

Part four:


The Coxswain had a look through the lockers, no signal flags were aboard, we came up with two soiled undershirts and tied them onto the crew's carbine rifles, they were handed to me after I climbed above the cockpit railing of the LCM, I did not have the slightest notion of semaphore signaling, and I was more likely to be noticed by the japs, who all this time were still quite intent at doing their best in making this as interesting for us as possible.

After just a few moments of waving the flag mounted carbines, the coxswain held up my field glasses and said they are sending a boat away from the ship, moving quickly, looks like a second boat behind that one! Now my dismay was complete, they must have observed us, or they must have been watching us first, or by some stroke of luck, I must have hit upon some word, or signal that truly insulted the Navy.

I climbed down and retrieved my glasses from the Coxswain, I looked to see our rescuers coming at high speed. I remember saying "Oh hell, we are in luck that ship is a PT tender, these fellas are good", about that time the hairs stood up on the back of my neck, my mind raced.....we look like a jap barge dead in the water, off shore of a jap Island, a barge is a favorite PT target, and these swab jockies have a habit of shooting first, and identifying the wreckage the next morning.

Jack

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All the Best
Jack

good stuff jack,,,part 5

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ray w.

As Astro would say, "rup row"

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Best Regards,
JW

Part five:

I looked over to Bear point to check the time frame and distance we had remaining before beaching, as the shooting had slowed down and become more random, the japs were either running low on ammunition or saving it for us when we ran aground ashore.

Our expressions of gratitude and looks of jubilation drained off quickly as we came under fire from the friendly side, while being just slightly out of range, we all hit the deck, and the shooting stopped, and the thundering aircraft engine sound slowed some, apparently the netting around our bridge, and lack of smartly maintained gray paint slowed the identification process during the 35 knot attack run.

I almost picked up the undershirt carbine to wave, but thought twice and stuck the top of my head up to see a 40MM trained on us with the crew at battle stations as the Skipper made a semi circle around us.

I put my empty hands up and the Peter Tare came along side, I shouted out our situation, 31 men aboard, 26 are wounded, the XO shouted for a line from us for a tow, something else we could not furnish, that item was wrapped around the prop during our flashy departure when this adventure began.

Jack

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All the Best
Jack

Part six:

The people who designed the LCM type landing craft had never designed it to be considered it a planning hull. Well, two tow lines were passed over and secured by our official crew members, while the second Peter Tare cleared her guns on Bear Point. The skipper of our tow vessel shouted all set? and we were underway again, and smartly picking up speed as that fellow opened up the three big Packards even more, with us doing a very respectable 13 or 14 knots behind him, and Bear Point getting smaller astern of us.


Conclusion to follow; hands are numb!


Jack

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All the Best
Jack

Part seven:

I hope this has not been too tedious for the readers so far, this story is a true event, and has a bit more to it.


Our heroic PT skippers test of the tow lines tensile strength, as well as his boats transom was a complete success. As we slowed to the floating dock at Red Beach, the resourceful LCM's crew secured the vessel with our borrowed tow lines.

The wounded men where being tended to, and removed two or three at a time, it didn't take long for the old Army LCM to be emptied out, and ready for her next mission at the repair dock. I gathered my gear and hopped onto the dock, to head down to where the PT boat docked as quickly as possible before she got underway again. I had but one thought in mind, which was to express my heart felt gratitude and appreciation for the Navy's efforts in pulling us out of rather sticky spot, as well as complimenting the skipper and his crew personally for the expertly executed manner in which they handled the situation.

Jack

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All the Best
Jack

applause,great recollection jack,thanks for sticking to it till the end,I take it 7 was the end,ray..

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ray w.

an old brit saying and rallying call that seems true to both countries.. " The navies here"

Part eight: Conclusion

As I headed down the floating dock, the Peter Tare skipper was heading up my way rolling up his sleeves with something urgent on his mind. We met half way, I set down my gear and listened up. Now as good as his ability to run that eighty foot speed boat was, it was by far and away exceeded by his ability in using descriptive words and phrases.

In a few well chosen words, in which he hammered into me with very concise sentences, a brief resume of my ability as a Signalman, and as a Seaman, punctuated by a number of colorful remarks.

When he was forced to stop and catch his breath, I explained the vessels' condition, the lack of equipment, lack of weaponry, and that I was a merely a guest aboard, as the ranking passenger, no more than that.

That gave this dark haired Ape of a Lt. Jg. a chance to wind up again. He then made a series of remarks concerning; No anchor, No lines of any kind, No maintenance of engines, No signaling equipment of any kind, No business on the Bay, No business on the water, and just no brains in general.

I then thanked him for his assistance, and saluted, after a couple more colorful comments he returned my salute, turned abruptly. But as he stormed off, he left me with the impression that he doubted the parentage of the entire U.S. Army.

This story is a true event, a lesson I never forgot.

Jack

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All the Best
Jack

Thanks, Jack, for another rousing story. Well done.

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"Faint heart never won fair maiden", so I say "Go for it!"

Lou

thanks jack,well told too,ray..

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ray w.

Thank you Jack for such an amazing story. Is this event what led you towards working with the PT boat in your Avatar?

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"Don't one of you fire until you see the whites of their eyes! Powder is scarce and must not be wasted. Fire low! You are all marksmen and could kill a squirrel at a hundred yards. Reserve your fire and the enemy will all be destroyed! - Israel Putnam, at the Battle of Bunker Hill, 1775
"War is a conflict of great interests which is settled by bloodshed, and only in that is it different from others." - Karl von Clausewitz

Hello Mike,

No, this happened a short time afterwards, I was a 1st Lt. by then with the 1st Cav. I have been trying to put a date to this, Bear point was on Manus Island, this had to have been in the first weeks of March '44, we landed on Manus the latter part of March.

Jack

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Jack

Note from the author:

I have revised the vessels' designation to the correct one of LCM, an LCT was a much larger craft.

Jack

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All the Best
Jack

Hi Southwest Pacific Vet,

I finally figured out how to contact you. It encourages me no end to find a youngster like you still banging on a keyboard and talking to the world. A world far different than back in 1942 - 1945 when times were tough and our guys were tougher.
It is a pleasure and an honor to have someone of your experience and position comment on my post.

We will have to stay in touch.

"Fair Winds and Following Seas"

Larry Kirby