The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Japanese Hell Ships

Mr. Alf Larson. Mr. Larson served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was stationed in the pre-war Philippine Islands. After the war began, he fought the Japanese invasion of the Philippine Islands both on land and in the air. He was shot down by Japanese Zero's over Luzon. He survived, continued fighting, and endured numerous hardships, including continuous starvation. After exhausting all military options, his field commander, General Edward P. King, surrendered American and Filipino forces in Bataan on April 9, 1942. Mr. Larson was captured on Bataan shortly after the American surrender and, along with thousands of American soldiers, became a prisoner of the Imperial Japanese Army. He survived an infamous Bataan Death March and two disgraceful and humiliating Japanese concentration camps. As American troops landed at Leyte to reclaim the Philippine Islands, he sailed in captivity to Japan in the notorious "Hell Ships." The remainder of the war was spent at Camp Nomachi, Japan performing forced labor until the Japanese surrender in August 1945. He left Japan in September 1945, was repatriated, and returned home to Duluth, Minnesota in November 1945.

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

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