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Posted on 05/02/2004 12:02:35 AM PDT by snippy_about_it
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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 In 1898, the Republic of the Philippines became an American possession as a result of the Spanish-American War. Until the end of 1941, military duty in this far-away possession bore an idyllic quality. That was to change drastically. On December 7, 1941 Japanese Naval and Air forces attacked the American Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. There was no declaration of war. It was a sneak attack. Simultaneously, they launched attacks on American bases in the Philippine Islands.  Soon Hong Kong fell to the Japanese, followed by Singapore and the Malay Peninsula. Like the inexorable lava flow from Mount Pele, Japanese forces boiled over the Far East. American and Philippine forces retreated to the Bataan peninsula by the beginning of 1942, awaiting return of the Pacific fleet, and rescue. General MacArthur was ordered to Australia by President Roosevelt, leaving General Wainwright in command. On May 6, 1942, General Wainwright surrendered to General Homma. There could be no rescue. So began the infamous Bataan Death March and years of cruel captivity.  By the end of 1944, the Japanese began moving able bodied prisoners to Japan, to be used as slave labor. If a man could stand, he was considered able-bodied. In December of 1944, 1,619 men were loaded aboard the Oryoku Maru. This marked a descent into cruelty and depraved brutality that staggers the mind. On December 15, 1944 the Oryoku Maru was sunk in Subic Bay. The move continued aboard the Enoura Maru and Brazil Maru - a descent into Hell, leaving a trail of dead and dying men across the Pacific until their arrival in Moji, Japan on January 29, 1945.  The Oryoku Maru prison ship being sunk off Olongapo, Luzon, on December 15, 1944. Less than 300 of these men survived until the end of the war. Oryoku Maru, Enoura Maru and Brazil Maru became known as "Hell Ships." A reading of the trial proceedings will leave no doubt that this was and will always remain a true characterization. Japan, Formosa, Manchuria, Korea . . . eventual destinations for the nightmarish voyages aboard "Hell Ships." As the allies drew closer, the Japanese began moving POWs out of the Philippines by sea. A thousand and more prisoners were crammed into cargo holds — spaces only big enough for a quarter that number — oftentimes with only enough room to sit for a journey that would last weeks. Never enough buckets for their waste, and with hundreds of dysentery cases, the healthy succumbed. Deprived of air and water and exposed to intoxicating heat, men suffocated or went mad. While Japanese weapons transports bore Red Cross markings, ships carrying prisoners of war went unmarked and were targeted by American submarines.  On 7 September 1944, American torpedoes found their target in the Shinyo Maru. As the prisoners fought their way off the sinking ship, they were fired on coming out of the holds or in the water. Of the 750 Americans who began the voyage, only 82 made it to shore. On 24 October 1944, the Arisan Maru, with 1,800 American prisoners aboard, was torpedoed during a typhoon. That night over 100 New Mexicans were lost, including brothers Dwayne and Eugene Davis of Carlsbad. Before heading to sea on 14 December 1944, men were already dying in the holds of the Oryoku Maru. Transporting Japanese soldiers, civilians, and 1,619 prisoners of war out of Manila, the ship suffered repeated attacks from American fighters who had no idea she was carrying POWs that day. That night, the soldiers and civilians were put ashore leaving behind the prisoners and their guards. Returning to finish the Oryoku on 15 December, fighters from USS Hornet loosened bombs that killed approximately 300 prisoners of war. The survivors were rounded up and held in an open enclosure for five days with almost no food until they were transported in two groups to San Fernando by truck. Several of the weaker prisoners were "selected" for execution.  Arisan Maru On Christmas Day, the survivors were loaded onto the Enoura Maru and the Brazil Maru. The ships arrived in Takao (Formosa) on New Year's Eve, and remained in port for the next six days with the prisoners still aboard who received no food and little to no water. The men from the Brazil Maru were then transferred to the Enoura Maru. On 9 January 1945, 300 prisoners died when the Enoura Maru was bombed. Of those killed, approximately 200 prisoners in the forward hold were killed instantly. On 11 January, the remaining 1,000 POWs were loaded onto the Brazil Maru which did not head to sea until 14 January.  The Brazil made port in Moji (Japan) on 29 January with only 500 of the original 1,619 prisoners of war who began the long ordeal onboard the Oryoku Maru a month and a half earlier. Within weeks, one hundred more men would perish including several New Mexicans. Only nineteen of the forty-three New Mexicans who had originally embarked on the Oryoku Maru survived.  Already having survived unimaginable horrors in Japanese prisoner of war camps, some the Bataan Death March, and up to a month and more aboard a Hell Ship, prisoners arrived in the north with little clothing, and in November and December, many fell ill with pneumonia due to exposure. Those that survived were put to work to support the Japanese war effort as slave laborers where each act of sabotage was a small victory. They were Americans after all, their "heads bloody, but unbowed!"      |
free dixie,sw
Thank you Mark Davis!
free dixie,sw
We boarded the Noto Maru in Manila harbor. All Japanese ship names ended with the word "maru." I don't know why.
WRITER'S NOTE: Research showed that the word "maru" was the equivalent to the SS prefix of American ships and the word "fortress."
What kind of ship was the Noto Maru?
She had been an inter-island freighter before the war. The ship would sail from Japan to the Philippines, pick up sugar, and return to Japan.
The Noto Maru was one of the "hell ships?"
Yes.
When you boarded, how many ships were in the harbor picking up prisoners?
They took us by ferries to the middle of the harbor. The Noto Maru was the only one loading American prisoners. The harbor was quite congested with ships. I don't know the reason they were there. We boarded the Noto Maru by walking up a big old gangplank. Then the Japanese ran us down into the ship's hot hold. It was in the middle of the day. It was hotter than Billy Blazes!
How big was the hold?
It was about 1,000 square feet and rectangular in shape. It sure wasn't much for five companies totaling 1,162 men. Each company had an officer in charge. Some companies were more than 200 men, some were less. We boarded the ship in companies and stayed in these companies throughout our captivity. Company One was the first to board way back in the hold.
Company Two boarded and got a little bit closer to the opening, Company Three got closer yet, Company Four closer yet, and Company Five was right in front. I was in Company Four, which was relatively close to the hatch. We went through boarding and disembarking three times before we finally sailed. We would go there, get on the ship, get in the hold, and the next day they would take us all off. I don't know why. There probably was submarines around or some reason not to sail. We finally boarded on August 13, two days before we sailed and left Manila Harbor on August 15, 1944.
During those two days you were confined to that hot hold?
Yes.
Were there other holds in the ship besides the one you were in?
I'm sure there were others but we stayed in the same one for the entire voyage.
Did the Japanese give you water?
They sent it down once a day in a big old bucket. If you were lucky, you got some. If not, too bad. Maybe a friend would give you some. He would if he got some.
How much water did you get? (Jane)
I got a cup every once in a while.
A cupful a day? (Jane)
Yes.
Did you get food?
They sent down a big bucket of food once a day. They designated some Americans to dole it out to us.
You were fortunate to get a cup of water and Lugao, that soupy rice, once a day?
Yes.
It must have been something, crammed in there in the heat with all those people.
It was hell!
What are the seasons like in the Philippines?
Their seasons are reversed from ours. It is spring there in August and the beginning of the dry season. The fields get big cracks, six feet deep just from the dryness. It is hot there all the time, spring, winter, summer, and fall.
The rainy season would follow?
Yes. There were two rainy seasons and two dry seasons.
You were in the harbor in the hold on that ship for two days. Did you have any idea what was going on? Were you able to communicate with the Japanese?
We had no idea what was going on. When we were loaded in the hold, they hauled up the ladder. There was no way to get out of that place or communicate with anyone.
They just left you down there in that stifling hold?
Yes.
What were you wearing at the time?
We wore whatever we had on when we were captured! I had a pair of khaki pants, a khaki shirt, and underwear, which I kept the whole damned time.
This was over a year and one half since capture! They didn't give you guys anything else to wear?
No, we didn't get anything else.
What would happen if you got a rash from being hot and sweaty in dirty clothes for such as long time? Did you get sick or have any medical problems during the voyage?
I didn't have any medical problems during the voyage.
What happened if, for instance you got something in your eye? What would you do if you had injured yourself in some way?
Tough! We had nothing to treat anything with. We had no medication whatsoever on the voyage or in the prison camps, for that matter. Fortunately, I had my illnesses prior to being in captivity except for malaria.
You didn't have any medication in the camps either?
No.
How did you sleep?
There wasn't enough room for anyone to stretch out. There wasn't any room to sit. You either stood or squatted.
You were really packed in there.
We were packed in there like sardines.
Was there fighting because of the close quarters?
Surprisingly, after we got settled in, there was very little. Tempers would flare once in a while, but that was short lived. Everybody was in the absolute same boat as everyone else.
How did you go to the bathroom?
Ha! The latrine was a big tub about six feet across and about three feet deep. It was located directly below the opening above on deck. To get there you had to crawl over everyone. When you did, you lost your place. If you were lucky you could get it back. I was in Company Four, which was next to the last to get down into the hold. It wasn't so bad for me because I was close to the middle of the hold. The hatch was open but didn't provide much ventilation. The Japanese were not too careful when they raised the tub and some of the contents would spill down on some of the prisoners.
It must have just smelled terrible especially with the latrine right there!
It reeked and it was hot! There was very little ventilation.
Was there any electric light in the hold?
No way! There wasn't any light at all. During the day, the hatch was open. But it was dark most of the time. It was open at night but that didn't change anything. In the tropics, nighttime is like pulling a shade over everything. There is nothing blacker than a tropical sky at night! We sailed in the China Sea to Takao, a port at Formosa. I don't know how many days it took because I lost track of time. We knew there were more ships in the convoy, but had no idea how many. Some soldiers were able to get up on deck by faking sickness and could see other ships. We zigzagged back and forth to avoid submarines.
When you arrived, did you realize you were in Formosa?
No. After the war, I found out we had been in Takao, Formosa. I also discovered there were several tankers and ships in our sailing group for a total of ten to fifteen ships. The first day we were there, the Japanese ran us up on deck in small groups.
How did you get up on deck?
We climbed up a wooden ladder. When we got on deck, they sprayed us down with ice-cold salt water from pressure hoses. After about ten minutes, they ran us down into the hold. We never left that hole again until we reached Japan.
You didn't get some fresh air and have time to look around a bit?
No. You ran up, they put the hose on you, and back down you went!
Was it far from the deck into the hold?
I would say about fifteen feet. You couldn't begin to reach up and touch the deck from the floor of the hold. The B-17s came on the second day. We couldn't hear them coming and didn't know they were there until bombs started falling.
They probably were doing high-altitude bombing. How long did the bombing raid last?
I guess about forty-five minutes. The bombers didn't hit anything in the harbor. Their aiming was atrocious, thank goodness!
They had no idea American prisoners of war were in that ship?
None at all! The Japanese didn't mark their ships with Red Crosses or any markings whatsoever! Besides prisoners, our ship carried Japanese troops, civilians, and who knows what else. We stayed in Takao harbor for two days. We set sail the day after the bombing.
What did you do in that hold during the voyage?
We just sat there in that in that dark, smelly, hot hold.
Would you take turns and try to lie down?
Nobody could lie down. There were some people that were sick. They stayed in the very front of the hold where the "Benjo Bucket" was. We called the latrine the "Benjo Bucket." They could lie down there. The rest of us either stood or squatted and tried to be comfortable.
Couldn't you sit instead of squat? (Jane).
There were eleven hundred and some people in that small hold. There was no room! You would sit there with your knees up to your chin. You were leaning on the other guy's legs behind you.
That had to be very uncomfortable. You couldn't lay or sit down for all that time! You had to squat?
That's right.
Good Lord! (Jane)
Did anyone go insane while you were in there?
No one went insane on our ship. But, there was no perception of time.
Were there any sea battles?
Not when we sailed from the Philippines to Formosa. After we left Formosa, submarines attacked the convoy.
What happened when the attack began?
The Japanese had a machine gun on deck they brandished at us. It was like they were saying, "You better not try and come up!"
Did the attack happen during the day or at night?
The hatch on our hold was open and it was dark. We knew for sure that something was happening. The Japanese were running around up on deck and were very excited. We started to hear and feel a lot of "thuds." We later learned these "thuds" were exploding depth charges.
What was the mood of the prisoners?
We were getting desperate. Many people were saying, "Hit us!" "Hit us!"
Do you recall what you were thinking during this attack?
I was thinking, "Hit us."
You felt that way too? Were you afraid?
Surprisingly, no. I would say 99% of us were calm during the attack.
There wasn't a mass panic of trying to climb out?
No. I don't know what would have happened had we been hit. But, there was no panic.
Where was the rope ladder?
They had pulled it up out of the hold.
We heard and felt one tremendous explosion and saw a big glare in the sky. This had to have happened when a Japanese tanker was hit. Since we were in the hold, we couldn't see any actual fire.
Did everyone get excited?
Yes! When we saw the glare, everybody hollered, "Yeah!" Right after that, the Japanese closed the hatch so we couldn't see anything.
How long did that attack last?
I would guess it lasted several hours. We continued to zigzag. The submarines chased us for quite a while. I don't know if any other ships were hit. After the attack was over, they peeled off the hatch. Shortly after that, it was daylight. They figured we might try to riot or cause trouble, which we didn't. The crew stayed up there anyway with the machine gun just in case. Nothing else happened on the voyage except the awful time we spent in that hot, stinking hold. We headed for Japan!
Except the unspeakable conditions in the hold, the major incidents of the hell ship's voyage to Japan was the bombing in Formosa by US B-17s and the submarine attack? Yes. We left the Philippines on August 15, 1944, and arrived in Japan on September 6, 1944. We spent a total of twenty-three sailing days in that awful hot and stinking hold! As we approached Moji, Japan, I was assigned to a detail. I don't remember what it was, but they put the ladder down and I went up on deck. I was in the first small group to climb out of that hold. When I got on deck, I knew my name, rank, and serial number. That was all! If I would have been in that hold much longer, I probably would have gone insane. I never had to go back in that awful hold again!
WRITER'S NOTE: Out of the approximately eleven "Hell Ships" which left the Philippines, only five or six safely reached Japan. The others succumbed to attacks, resulting in the loss of thousands of American lives.
Written by: Rick Peterson
I'm not sure what's happened with his Sunday show. It played noon to 3 here, but has been off for quite some time. Repeats of Hannity are played now. I liked Hannity a lot more when he used to guest host for Rush, but he's different now.
So was K7UGA, Barry Goldwater!
K4ZVZ Paul W. Tibbets War Hero
W6EZV Gen. Curtis LeMay Military legend
KD4*** AnAmericanMother FReeper
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