 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
GREEN ISLAND IN WORLD WAR II 1944: BASE No.7
BLACK CAT PBY CATALINAS And PT BOAT TEAMS
Milton W. Bush, Jr., Esq., 205 Tri-Mountain Road, Durham, CT 06422: 860-349-1418
PrefaceJul 2006 6th Edition
Forty miles north of Bougainville is the large Nissan Island atoll, three small islands on its perimeter, and long and narrow Pinipel Island to the north, collectively known as the Green Islands. A part of Papua New Guinea, then, an Australian Trust Territory Protectorate.
On February 15, 1944, the Island was retaken from two years of Japanese Army occupation by Allied Forces, U.S., New Zealand and Australia, and became a significant air and PT Boat base for a year and a half. Supply, training and repairs were also major activities.
Archaeological evidence indicates that the island has been inhabited for at least 25,000 years. The islanders in 1944 lived essentially the same as from times immemorial. In 2001, many in the Solomon Islands and in upland New Guinea maintain a primitive tribal rain forest peoples’ existence, and may be quite happy to do so.
No outside telephone service on Green Island then, and none now.
In the summer of 1944 there were three Jeeps, the original open-air SUV’s. Milton Bush, Sr., Esq,, age 33, from Saginaw, Michigan became the PATSU Navy officer for legal and personnel matters. He had one of the Jeeps.
________________________________________________________________________
GREEN ISLAND JUNE 1944 - JULY 1945
The Green Islands are eight islands, being part of two coral atolls on the north end of the Solomon Island chain, just four degrees South of the Equator. Nissan Island is the largest one and where the U.S. Navy / Marine Corps., New Zealand and Australian bases were located. One mile northwest is Pinipel Island, about ten miles long, and narrow. Rokus is the principal town on Pinipel. They are part of Papua New Guinea, about 40 miles north of Bougainville and Buka Islands, and 500 miles northwest of Honirara (Henderson Field), Guadalcanal. Rabaul on New Britain Island, the major Japanese stronghold, lies 117 miles to the west, and Port Moresby, the capital of Papua, lies 500 miles to the southwest. North of Rabaul in the Bismark Archipelago are the Admiralty Islands group, target of many Green Island bomber operations during late 1944 and early 1945.
The Island.
Nissan Island, commonly known as Green Island, is horse-shoe shaped with three, quarter-mile wide channels (mostly shallow) from the lagoon to the sea on the northwest side, the south channel is about 17 feet deep. The main lagoon entrance channel south of Barahun Island is about 120 feet wide, large enough for some cargo ships to enter and unload. The average depth of the lagoon is 70 feet. Some parts of the atoll are just a few hundred feet wide. The somewhat narrow part where the two airstrips and administration buildings were is about a half mile wide. The crushed coral road around the island is about 25 miles long. Nissan Island is 6725 acres, about 10.5 square miles. From Nissan, one can see Ambitle Island, part of the Feni Island Group, 60 km to the northwest. Its extinct volcano mountain top is 280 m. above sea level.
Spanish and French explorers sailed to the region in 1616 following earlier expeditions in the mid 1500’s. Dutch explorers returned in 1643. Cataret mapped the area in 1767. Missionaries came to settle in the 1880’s in sizeable numbers. Much of this is detailed by anthropologist, Matthew Spriggs in his 1997 work, The Island Melanesians, 317 pps. Spriggs spent two summers on Nissan excavating three main limestone rockshelter sites which had been dwelling places for thousands of years. Numerous layers of volcanic ash preserved ancient artifacts, mainly pottery pieces imported from New Britain, Buka, and other nearby islands. Nissan lacks the necessary clay deposits for pottery making.
The two islander villages known as Balil and Stor were on the northwest end. The Marist Order High School was at the future airbase area. A Catholic mission at Tongol Village was situated on the lagoon side of the south end of the island. Pokonian Plantation on the west side, and Tangolan Plantation on the east side were former commercial copra operations. The light soil on top of the coral rock and sand supports some vegetation. The soil is mainly volcanic in origin, falling on the island during periodic eruptions and explosions of volcanoes in the region. Rain forest covered much of the island. The islanders had pigs (mainly wild boars), goats and chickens. They fished from outrigger canoes, trolling for tuna and bonito; trapped lobsters; caught turtles and sea cucumbers; planted taro, Spanish yams (kaukau), sweet potatoes, green vegetables; harvested mangoes, plantains, 10 pound breadfruits, bananas, coconuts and almonds; and caught birds and bats. The fruit bat, a/k/a flying fox is a rare treat, either boiled or roasted. The climate is tropical monsoonal, with the wettest seasons being from December to March and May to October. Rainfall is 120 to 140 inches.
“When war came to New Guinea, the separate territories of Papua, and of Mandated Territory of New Guinea, came (Feb 1942) under military administration: the Papuan Administrative Unit and the New Guinea Administrative Unit. These were combined on 10 April 1942 as the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit [ANGAU], with HQ at Port Moresby. It had three functions: operational; administrative; and production.
“In the field, the key post of District Officer (with the usual rank of Major) was usually held by a person who had been a peace time Resident Magistrate of District Officer. Operational tasks included recruitment and management of native labour to carry supplies for the army, and other military work such as wharf labour, road building, airfield construction. Administrative tasks covered law and order, welfare and health. Production tasks included working/revitalizing abandoned plantations, mainly copra and rubber. ANGUA had powers of compulsion to recruit plantation labour and to keep it at work.” Provided by Wynnum Graham, Cairns, AU, 22 Nov 2001.
“In 1884 Germany gained possession of the northeastern part of New Guinea Island, along with adjacent islands such as New Britain, New Ireland, Bougainville, Feni, and the Green Island Group. Coconut plantations were started by the Germans, and burgeoned in the period of German control. I’ve not heard of any native controlled plantation developments in those times. After World War I. The German portion of New Guinea came under Australian control as the Mandated Territory of New Guinea – a League of Nations ruling. After that, the German plantations were expropriated and most were sold to Australian ex-servicemen by tender.
“Now, I don’t know who got control of the plantations on Nissan Is. It was probably someone similar to Mr F P Archer. Mr C C Jervis was a plantation manager at Nissan. This suggests the plantation was owned by an absentee owner or company with other interests. Mr Jrevis also operated a radio on coast guard duties at Nissan, until he was captured by the Japanese 23 Jan 1942. He was lost when Montevideo Maru was sunk 1 Jul 1942 en route to Japan.
“F P Archer. Born Melbourne, Australia 1890, had been an Australian soldier during World War I, then in the Aust. Flying Corps 1917-1919. He became a plantation owner, of Jame Island, Buka Passage, TNG. This is just southeast of Green Is, maybe 60-70 miles. In World War II. He signed up with ANGAU as Lt. F P Archer. It seemed Lt Archer knew Green Is well: he was chosen to guide an exploratory raiding party of 322 New Zealanders, including Survey Troup 4, who landed and examined Nissan Island on the night of 30-31 Jan 1942, prior to the landing proper in 15 Feb 1944.” (Wynnum Graham).
Taking the Island.
Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr. (“Bull”) planned the project in early January, 1944. The mission code name was Square Peg. On January 30, 1944, U.S. Navy Task Force 31 was composed of four destroyers, three high speed transports and two PT Boats, 176 and 178 of Ron 11.. Rear Admiral Theodore S. Wilkinson was the commander. Covering support was provided the following week by Task Force 38, having four destroyers and two light cruisers, and Task Force 39 with two light cruisers and five destroyers. New Zealand Battalion 30 and U.S. Navy personnel, about 320 men, landed to pick out landing zones and airstrip sites, and to measure tides and water depths, being picked up the next day. Five men were killed and ten wounded during skirmishes with the enemy.The next day a Japanese ship was spotted and sunk. On February 4 some troops landed at Pakonian Plantation on the Lower West side of the island for further scouting. They learned about the local installations from the plantation workers. On the day before the invasion, Cruiser, St. Louis, was damaged by a bomb dropped by a Japanese dive bomber. As the convoy neared the island, dozens of destroyers formed a circle around the landing craft to protect against air attacks. Two of eight dive bombers were shot down and the others driven off by the rain of AA from the destroyers. Risks of naval attacks were minimal due to the abandonment of the Rabaul navy base by the Japanese on 10 Feb 1944 following several days of intense air strikes by carrier-based planes.
On February 15, 1944, the New Zealand 3rd Infantry Division, 30th Battalion landed at the Pokonian Plantation (Beach Blue) with seven 3.7 inch howitzer guns from 144th Independent Battery and 208th LLA Battery. B Company of 30th Battery landed at Barahun Island. PT Boats 176, 178 (Ron 11), 247 and 249 (Ron 20) went after machine gun nests on the shore. Others continued across the lagoon and landed at Tangalan Plantation (Beach Red – north and Beach Green – south). A Japanese air counter-attack was fought off, though a tank landing ship, LST-486, was damaged. At least 11 Japanese fighter planes were shot down. A photo of landing craft unloading trucks and bulldozers on the beach taken on the second day of the invasion was on the cover of the New York Times Magazine on April 16, 1944. On February 18, a fierce battle erupted on the southeast end of the island. About 100 Japanese soldiers were killed. On February 20 a reinforcement convoy arrived. Other skirmishes occurred on Sirot Island, and on Sau Island in the Pinipel Bay. Roughly 6,000 troops were involved in the initial invasion activities, being 4242 NZ troops and 1564 US troops. By mid-March, 17,000 troops were working there. The New Zealand Army Division remained there until late April, then returned home.
On the day of the initial invasion, a large diversionary air strike was made on the big airbase at Kavieng, New Ireland, low level bombing and strafing by 124 planes, escorted by 61 P-38 Lightnings. Japanese AA fire downed eight planes. Lt Nathan G. Gordon in his PBY Catalina repeatedly alighted and rescued 15 men. He was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for his rescue work. (Wynnum Graham).
On the morning of March 13, 1944 near the tiny village of Tanakeran on the southwest coast of the island, 60 Japanese soldiers hidden in the jungle about 150 yards from the low sea-side cliffs, opened up with sniper rifle fire, followed by fierce mortar shelling. During the day long battle, they were eventually surrounded. A number on NZ tanks blasted away at the trees, just firing in the general direction of the enemy troops. By dusk, 51 enemy troops were dead, the last one falling onto his own hand grenade. Several Third Division soldiers were killed and a small number were wounded. New Zealand Herald article. [http://au.geocities.com/third_div/herald3_44.html]
The Island missionary workers had fled several years before when the Japanese invaded. Shortly after the Island was retaken, nearly 1,150 islanders were evacuated to Guadalcanal, mostly for malaria treatment. One baby was born on the voyage. Navy medical personnel also treated 200 Pinipel Island residents for various illnesses. About 350 people, mostly young male workers, remained on the island
Seabees from the 93rd Construction Battalion constructed the first short fighter plane air strip in less than three weeks. The 33rd CB Battalion arrived Feb 15 and worked there to mid-July. The 37th CB Battalion arrived on March 6, and remained for seven months. These battalions included about 1,000 enlisted men and 33 officers, each. The second parallel strip, one thousand feet east, was built for the bomber squadrons two weeks later, about 4000 feet long. A PBY tender ship, Coos Bay AVP-25, arrived on May 11 to service the first PBY’s and to provide quarters for the crews while the main base was being constructed. A second tender ship, Chincoteague AVP-24, replaced the first on June 16, 1944. These were about 300 feet long, a beam of 41 feet, draft of 13 feet, and 6000 hp, crew of 200 sailors, had large cranes, and were floating machine shops, providing everything for flying operations. VP-91 provided the first three PBY’s on 26 March, and five more on 27 May, 1944. On 15 June, Squadron VP-44 and PT Boat Squadron 27 arrived for regular operations. A water distilling ship operated in the lagoon to provide fresh water until land facilities could be built. 12 huge distiller-condensers were constructed, each producing 4,000 gallons per day. Large diesel generators were built and 25 or more 13,000 gallon gasoline tanks were installed. Tanker trucks carried the fuel to the airstrips, and to the lagoon beach area where the PBY’s were hauled out by tractors and serviced after each flight. On October 25, 1944 the 93rd Batt. went to Guiuan NAS to work for seven months.
An Olympic-size pool for collecting rainwater was build near the 93rd CB camp south of the airbase. A windowless brig with a metal roof was built, about 15 by 20 feet, out in the jungle. The sight of it was intended to deter misbehavior. Each unit’s living quarters camp had a movie theater and a ballfield, six in all. A saw mill was built in the jungle, about half a mile north of the base in the jungle, producing thousands of feet of lumber each day. An open air chapel was built on East Point, overlooking the ocean. The several chaplains took turns conducting services. The Baptist chaplain was said to be able to conduct a Jewish service in perfect Hebrew.
The Tactical Equipment.
PBY-5A’s. Catilina Flying Boats. The South Pacific Navy Command had about 12 squadrons, painted black for night operations. These were the Black Cats. Each squadron had about 16 planes. This model was new and improved in 1944. Retractable landing wheels and wing float gear; radar to locate ships; ID transponders. Wing bomb hangers for two 1,000 and two 500 pound bombs, or depth charge loads. Crate space for 40 20-pound fragmentation bombs, dropped by hand. Wing brackets to hold two torpedoes. A 3,000,000 candle power searchlight. Twin .30 cal. eyeball nose turret machine guns; two side blister .50 cal. machine guns; and one .50 cal. rear tunnel gun, down through the keel. Crew: pilot; copilot; navigator; radioman; radarman; bombardier; two mechanics/gunners, and two additional gunners.
The planes were built by Consolidated Aircraft Co. in San Diego. A total of 3,600 of various models were made. (1939 versions had no wheels or bomb racks). Engines were two 1,200 hp. Pratt & Whitney. 104 foot wing span; 61 feet long; 34,000 lbs./ 41,000 fully loaded. Cruising speed 117 mph., max. 180 mph. Ceiling 15.000 feet; patrol range 2,550 miles / tactical range, 1,500 miles; fuel capacity about 1,800 gal. The three blade props had 12 foot diameters. Quarters for four bunks were in the center for sleeping during long flights. A small kitchen was also provided.
They were manufactured by Consolidated Aircraft. Consolidated Vultee became part of Convair in 1954, which later changed its name to General Dynamics Corp. “P’ indicates Patrol; “B” indicates Bomber; “Y” indicates Consolidated Aircraft Corp.; 5 is the model series, and “A” indicates Amphibious. Squadron designation “V” indicates Heavier Than Air, i.e. Airplane; “P” is Patrol. “B” was added in 1944 for Bomber capability. Harbor Drive facilities in San Diego are probably where most were assembled and launched. In 1945 some PBY’s were manufactured in New Orleans, and some in Canada.
VP-91 3 planes to Green 26 Mar 1944 and 5 more on 27 May, to 15 Jun 1944 when reassigned to Halavo Bay. LCDR E. L. Farrington. 45 officers and 146 enlisted men. Squadron nicknames “The Stingers.” Part of FAW-1.
VP-44 16 planes June 15, 1944 to 11 April 1945. LCDR Gerard S. Bogart [Pebble Beach, CA]
VP-101 (became VPB 29 Oct 44) 5 planes 1 Jul to Sep 25,1944. Lauren Johnson and Dave Hanson this squadron had PBY-5’s, pure seaplanes, no wheels.
VPB 33 1-30 Dec1944. F. P. Anderson
VPB 53 16 planes, 15 Apr 1945 to 18 June 1945 LCDR Gerald H. Duffy. Then went to Guiuan NAS, Samar Island. Missions were mainly practice bombing and strafing Buka Island and Rabaul areas, harassing the enemy, and air sea rescue searches.
B-25 Mitchell’s. 42nd Bomber Group (“Crusaders”) of the 13th U.S. Army Air Force (“Jungle Air Force”), and RNZAF. A squadron of about 12 planes. These planes were manufactured by North American Aircraft Co. / Boeing in Dallas and Kansas City. Two engine, twin-tailed bombers. 10,000 were built. Two 1,700 hp Wright Cyclone engines; speed 300 mph., range 3,000 miles with drop tanks. Empty weight 20,000 lbs.; payload 6,700 lbs. 13 .50 cal machine guns operated by the bombardier and a gunner. Operated by a pilot, copilot, radio operator, gunner and bombardier. Three blade 13 foot diameter propellers.
The Marine Corps and Navy versions of the B-25 bombers were called PBJ-1’s. Squadron VMB 433 was on Green July 16 to Aug 20, 1944. Bill Parks of San Jose flew 14 missions to Rabaul. Squadron VMB 423 “Seahorse Green Marines” flew from Green, June 21, 1944 to May 26, 1945, per Ted Rundall, a radio-gunner in Linwood, NJ. The ability of the planes to glide is said to be the same as that of “a falling safe.” VMB 423 lost a plane and crew on April 20 and 22, 1944 at Espiritu Santo in training; plane and crew lost on June 22 (night crash near Rabaul) and June 29 (night crash in the trees, next to their squadron camp, near the lagoon); a plane lost October 3, 1944 off N. Ireland, crew rescued. A squadron would usually have a crew roster of about 550 Marines.
PV-1 Ventura medium bombers were operated by the RNZAF. These were Lend-Lease program aircraft. Twin 2000 hp Pratt & Whitney engines; twin tails; twin .50 cal nose guns; twin canopy .50’s; a lower tail gun. Two droppable 165 gal wing tanks. Built by Lockheed Vega Division at Burbank, CA. These were medium to low level bombers. They flew in conjunction with B-25’s in raids against Rabaul and New Ireland, often in 50 plane groups. They were hard to fly at low levels. 313 mph; 1790 mile range; 3000 pound bomb loads. Crews of four or five.
Squadron No. 1 arrived in May 1944 at Ocean Field
Squadron No. 3 replaced them in April 1945. 14 planes.
Crew members mentioned were: Dunstan; Jack Register; Rolf Yates; Ron Fenton and West.
Marine Corp. / RNZAF F4U Corsairs. Two squadrons, about 30 planes. High-powered fighter-bombers. They were manufactured in Stratford, CT by Vought-Sikorsky, a part of United Aircraft Co. 12,500 were built during the war. 1850 horsepower Pratt & Whitney engine, 18 cylinders. 415 miles per hour; ceiling 37,000 feet. Weight 10,000 pounds; range 1070 miles. Radar scope. 3 blade prop with a 13 foot diameter. Six .50 cal. wing machine guns, converging at 250 yards; 1600 rounds @ 5000 per minute. Eight five inch wing rockets or two 1,000 pound bombs. Often carrier-based. These planes were 100 mph faster than the Zeros; an enormous advantage.
Squadron VMF 531 downed a “Jake” off Green on Feb 15, 1944; two more on Feb 17; and one on Feb 19. Col. Frank Schwable; Lt Jack Plunkett; Lt Col John Harshberger.
Squadron VMF 114, Mar 13, 1944 to May 7.
Squadron VMF 221 Mar 1944 – Apr 1944.
Squadron VMF 223 (“Bulldogs”). May 7, 1944 to June 18, 1944, transferring to Espiritu Santo. Charles A. Lindbergh, tactical test pilot, flew with this group from Green Island, summer 1944 and downed one aircraft near Rabaul. Col. Bow, commander. The squadron was also briefly on Green mid-Mar 1944 when evacuated from Piva, Bougainville by artillery attack.
Squadron VMF 222 Aug - Oct 1944. Transferred to Guiuan, Samar Island Base Jan 1945. One pilot was Lt. Henry McCullough Turner.
RNZAF Corsair fighters squadrons:
No 20, S/L G.M. Robertson 26 Oct – Nov 1944.
No. 18 S/L G.H. Corbet 22 Nov - Dec 1944
No. 14 S/L D.W. Cocks 22 Nov for 10 days
No. 16 S/L P.S. Green 21 Dec 1944 – Feb 1945
No. 17 S/L B.V. Le Pine Jan – Mar 1945
No. 15 S/L M.R. Clarke Feb – Apr 1945
No. 24 S/L A.G.S. George Mar – May 1945
No. 21 W.J. Macleod Apr – May 1945
All RNZAF planes left Green by May 21, 1945.
Marine Corps. SBD-3 and 5 Douglas Dauntless dive bombers. Two squadrons, about 30 planes. A pilot and a bomber-gunner. Somewhat slow dive-bombers. 1,000 hp Wright engine; 250 mph maximum; 173 mph cruising speed; range 950 miles. One center 650 lb bomb; two 110 lb wing bombs. 10,200 lbs when loaded. 33 feet long; 41 foot wingspan. Two .50 cal nose guns; two .30 cal. rear seat flexible guns.
Squadron VMSB 341, April-May1944 and Sept-Oct 1944. Many dive bombing raids on Rabaul and Kavieng. Report of air strikes (57 missions) by Mel Clark, gunner, and article by Albert Black on 1944 operations out of Green.
TBM-3 Avengers made by Grumman Aircraft, carrier-based torpedo bombers, escorted and operated drone assault dive bombers from Green starting Sept 27, 1944, and also on Russell Island. Avengers were high-powered planes; 1700 hp Wright engines; range 1000 miles; 278 mph; 23,400 ceiling; 10,545 empty and 18,250 loaded; three man crews. The drones were two engine @ 150 hp. TDR-1’s. One 2,000 pound bomb; 1,000 mile range. Radio-controlled and television sighted – aimed at Rabaul targets. These were the first U.S. made cruise missiles, ancestor of the Tomahawk missile. Germany had somewhat similar drones as air-to-ship missiles, and sank three big ships.
PT Boat squadrons, about 12 boats. Most were built by Electric Boat Co. (Elco) or by Higgins. About 80 feet long and 21 feet wide. Fifty tons. Three Packard V-12 gas engines @ 1350 hp. Max 41 knots; 3000 gals fuel @ 474 gal per hour. At 35 knots, range was 518 miles; at 10 knots, about 1600 miles. Four 21 inch torpedo tubes; 8 tube 5-inch rocket launchers. 20 mm Oerlikon (Swiss) machine gun forward and aft; 37 mm cannon forward; 40 mm Bofors Gun (Swedish design) cannon aft; one .50 cal Browning machine gun on each side. The U.S. PT Boat production was 531 units. Usually 15 to 17 man crews, including three officers.
Squadron MTB Ron 10 16 boats (12 in service) Feb 16 to Apr 19, 1944. Elco 80’s. LCDR Jack Gibson. Nos. 108; 116; 124-5; 163-174. Boats lost in 1943 were 164; 165; 166 and 173.
Squadron MTB Ron 5 21 boats (12 in service) periodically in Feb and March , 1944 Elco 80’s. CDR Henry Farrow. Nos. 62-65; 103-114; 314-19. Decommissioned Nov. 15 Feb 1945 (remaining boats transferred to Ron 10). Boats lost in 1943 were 109; 111; 112; 113; 117 and 118. Lost in 1944 were 63; 107 and 110. Reassigned in Mar 1944 to Emirau. PT 107 exploded in a gas dock fire on 18 June 1944, leaving only two survivors. Lt. Cdr. Alvin Cluster was JFK’s squadron commander. Annapolis, 1940. 1919-2004, Bend, Ore.
Squadron MTB Ron 28 12 boats Feb 17, 1944 to May 1944. And Sept 1 to Oct 18, 1944. Elco 80’s. LCDR G. A. Matteson, Jr. Nos. 378-383 and 546-551. Decommissioned Oct 21, 1945 at Samar Island. Boat nicknames provided by Will Day, Mar 2005:
378 Dracula
379 Scorpion / 79’er
380 Hellion
381 Shelly / George Matt
382 Bed Bug
383 Knight Raider
546 Timber Wolf
547 Paoli Local / Ena Baby Come Seven II
548 Divil’s Dozen
549 Dracula
550 Queen Bee
551 Saphire
Squadron MTB Ron 19 10 boats Mar to May 1944. Higgins 78’s. LCDR Russell H. Smith. Nos. 235-244. Squadron was decommissioned May 15, 1944. Boats 241- 244 reassigned to Ron 23, and 235-240 to Ron 20. The 239 was lost on Vella La Vella on 14 Dec 1943 in a gas refueling explosion. The next day they moved up to Treasury; then to Green about 5 Mar 1944.
Squadron MTB Ron 27 12 boats, June to Aug 24, 1944. Elco 80’s. CDR Clinton McKellar, Jr. Nos. 356-361 and 372-377. Decommissioned Oct 19, 1945 at Samar. In late August 1944 the squadron went to Biak Island in Dutch New Guinea with the tender, Varuna, and some Ron 28 boats. Boat nicknames provided by Will Day:
356 Honeysuckle Rose / Dynamite / Dynamite 6
357 Dinamite II
360 Coral Princess / Blanche Leahnita
372 Donna Faye / Miss Fortune
373 Hatches Janie
374 Torpedo Truk
375 Judy
376 Spirit of 76
377 Miss Chatterbox
Squadron MTB Ron 23 12 boats Apr 1944 to Nov 10, 1944. Higgins 78’s. LCDR Ronald K. Irving and Lt. Donald F. Galloway, USNR. Decommissioned Nov 26, 1945 at Samar with the bare hulls being burned on the beach.
The PT Boats were supported in the lagoon at the Barahun Island base by USS Vanuna, AGP-5 on 1 Mar 1944 to 31 July 1944, a large PT Boat tender, 328 feet in length, 60 feet wide, shallow draft of 13.5 ‘. Crew of about 130 men. Originally built in 1942 as LST-14, it had one three inch gun, eight 40 mm cannons and eight 20 mm cannons. On the aft deck of an AGP was a heavy-duty crane, called “the A-Frame.” The stationary derrick was about 75 feet high, four sides, each about 20 feet at the base, triangle “A’s” going up to the top operating pulley mounts which connected to the top of the hoisting boom, about 90 feet long.. The lifting pulley rigs went just over the top of the boom and down to the main hoisting pulley rig, connected to four cables to haul the boat slings up. The crane engine platform was in the middle of the A-Frame. Could probably lift 75 tons. Other AGP cranes had a big solid post derrick and a deck-mounted boom. A third type had a V-shaped boom mounted at the side of the ship. Cable straps went under a boat for hoisting. This type most resembles an “A”.
A large three-bay floating dry dock was placed during the summer near the loading pier to facilitate hull and propeller maintenance work. A barge-mounted crane did some of the heavy lifting. The Floating Equipment Maintenance Unit (FEMU’s) barges were about 100 feet long and 50 feet wide. Two Chrysler 8 cyl engines; 2 or 3 knots at best. Barahun Island is only 90 acres, about .14 square miles.
A map of Barahun Island from Tom Fitzgerald of Riverside, NJ, Ron 28, shows the base on the north half of the island, with T-shaped steel pontoon docks out into the lagoon. Nearby on the beach area were the administration quonsets and shops for torpedoes, electrical, engine repairs, etc. Back in from the quonsets were the generators, evaporators, pumps and fuel storage tanks. A crushed coral foot-path went north a few hundred yards to the little spit of land on the NE side of the island where the officers’ quarters and club were. The road turns west up to the mess hall on the NW side; then S to the EM’s tent quarters, a few hundred yards. Next to that, in the middle of the island on a bluff overlooking the ocean, were the US Army Coast Artillery Gun and Signal Corps. radar fire control stations. Gullies in the road made vehicle travel impossible.
By late 1944, all PT Boats had been sent to work in the Leyte area, preparing for the expected invasion of Japan. A big rescue crash boat remained at the Green Island air base.
Japanese forces had more than a dozen types of planes. Six are of significance for this area:
Mitsubishi Zero A6M “Zeke” fighter planes. 1000 hp, 14 cylinders, cruising speed 200 mph, maximum 330 mph, 3700 lbs, 6000 lbs loaded. 30 feet long; wings 40 feet. 150 gal tank and one 94 gal drop tank. Range 2000 miles. Ceiling 32,000 feet. Two 7.7 mm machine guns @ 500 rounds; two 20 mm wing cannons @ 60 rounds; two 130 lb bombs. Light weight, but fragile; poor control at high altitudes.
Aichi D3A “Val” dive bomber, two seater. 8000 lbs loaded; 33 feet long, 242 mph, 1000 hp, 31,000 foot ceiling, range 1,100 miles. Two 66 lb bombs and one 551 lb bomb.
Nakajima B5N “Kate” torpedo bomber. 8000 lbs loaded. 34 feet long; 51 foot wingspan; 217 mph; 770 hp; 25,000 foot ceiling; range 688 miles. Two seater. Six 132 pound wing bombs and one torpedo or two 551 lb bombs.
Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” medium bomber. 61 feet long; wingspan 82 feet. 21,000 lbs loaded; two 1500 hp engines; 270 mph; 30,000 foot ceiling; 3000 mile range. 2200 lb bomb load or one 17 inch torpedo. One 7.7 mm nose gun; one dorsal; one ventral; one 20 mm tail cannon.
Kawanishi H8K “Emily” flying boat, similar in appearance to PBY’s. Four engine; 92 feet long; wingspan 124; 68,000 lb loaded. 280 mph max. 28,800 foot ceiling; range 3000 miles. Five 20 mm cannons; three 7.7 mm guns. 4,400 lb bomb load or two torpedoes under wings. Only 180 were built.
Aichi E13A1 “Jake” twin pontoon flying boat reconnaissance / dive bomber. One Mitsubishi Kinsei 143 engine, 1080 hp. Low wings; three man crew. 138 cruising speed; 233 max. 28,640 ceiling; range 1128 nm. Rear 7.7 mm machine gun; 20 mm cannon forward, downward-pointing. One 250 kg or four 60 kg bombs. 1350 units built 1940-44. Radar and sonar (poor) equipped by 1944.
Base Operations. South Pacific Base 7. (Repair, Supply, Staging and Training)
Following initial base construction, a specialized PATSU group was brought in to manage all ground administration and support operations. Patrol Aircraft Technical Support Unit. 16 officers and about 150 enlisted men. Lt. Kelly was the C/O. Personnel, medical, supply logistics, communications, aircraft maintenance and munitions supply, base maintenance, food and housing. Supply and fuel ships would steam into the lagoon every few weeks. Fuel requirements were obviously gigantic. Supplies and munitions would be unloaded onto LCT’s and then ferried to the supply depot known as The Dump, located about one mile south of the airfields. The bomb and ammo dump was half a mile south of the supply depot, well-hidden in the jungle. Mail, personnel, and other supplies would come via PBY’s on return trips from larger bases. The ANGAU controlled an islander worker and police security force of about 500 men.
One of the regional Navy tanker ships delivering 100 octane aviation gasoline to the island bases was the USS Tappahannock AO-43. Built in 1942, scrapped in 1987. 21,750 tons; 520 feet long; beam, 68 feet; draft 30 feet; 12,800 hp; 17 knots max.; 7,425,000 gallon cargo capacity. The airbase had a gas tank farm hidden under the trees. The tanks were about 20 feet in diameter and 10 feet high, holding about 13,000 gallons each. The total capacity was about 340,000 gallons. Aircraft used about 20,000 gallons of fuel, and PT Boats used about 15,000 gallons per day.
Liberty Ships brought thousands of tons of everything. The USS Cassiopeia AK 75 was the first to call, on 6 Mar 1944; departed on the 10th. Returned 15 Mar 1945; left on 24th. Returned on 28th; left on 29th. Returned 8 Apr 1945; left on 12th. It was 441 feet long; 57 feet wide; draft of 27 feet. Eleven knot speed. Crew of 81. 1950 hp steam turbine; 4,000 tons dry; 11,000 tons loaded (about 300 box car loads or 2800 Jeeps). Carried four LCT’s (50’) for unloading and two LCJ’s (35’). Built in 45 days late 1942 at the Richmond, CA Todd-Kaiser Shipyard by Permanente Metals, Inc. Launch name was Melville W. Fuller. Renamed on delivery to US Navy. Sunk as a practice target in 1961. Had two twin .50 cal; two 40 mm’s; six 20 mm’s; and a rear five inch deck gun. Decorated for downing six Zero’s and one Betty Bomber at Leyte. Involved in Nov 1, 1943 dockside explosion in Noumea, New Caledonia. Also a whiskey heist Feb 23, 1944 of 94 cases of scotch which was labeled for delivery to Admiral Halsey on Guadalcanal. Cargo would be loaded at big supply depots south of the Solomons and then sent north on inter-island hops. Brisbane, AU was the main transshipment port.
Cargo aircraft were C-47’s. Unarmed transports, originally, DC-3’s. Known as “Gooney Birds.” The Japanese version was called the “Tabby”. Six man crew; 6,000 pound cargo capacity. About 9,500 U.S. planes were built 1940-1945. The aircraft were operated by Southern Command Air Transport, SCAT. In the spring of 1944, Richard M. Nixon ran the base air cargo office.
On one occasion a Jeep arrived wired under a PBY wing; the enlisted men wanted one of their own. The other two were kept by PATSU officers.
The tactical squadron units each had their own command structure, usually headed by a Lt. Commander. The main command center was on Guadalcanal, known as Cactus Strategic Command. Aircraft from bases on Bougainville often joined in bombing runs against the many Rabaul army and air force installations. The command center was later moved a bit north to Munda.
Airbase Facilities.
The main air base units were set up near the middle of the airstrips. Quonset huts (a/k/a Nissan huts) served as office and shop facilities. Most of the several camp quarters were south of the base, hidden in the plantation trees. Tents of about 20 x 20 with peaked roofs were the crew quarters. Buckets and barrels were placed at the tent edges to collect rainwater during the afternoon rains. For a shower, you had to bring your own water with you. The cook shacks had tent roofs over them. About 300 U.S. Navy personnel and 180 U.S. Marine Airmen lived in the tent villages. Earlier, 13,000 Navy CB’s worked there constructing the base facilities. The RNZAF camp with about 150 New Zealand and Australian airmen was set up north of the airfields. Another NZ Army base was on the SW side of the island. The 29th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery crews were there. Each battery had four troops, with each troop having three Bofors 40 mm AA guns. Tea times for His Majesty’s troops were promptly at 10 AM and 2 PM.
Base Map of Facilities, drawn by 93rd CB circa April 1944, provided by Ken Bingham, NAVFAC, U.S. Navy, Port Hueneme, CA (CB Command Historian’s Office) in a chain of five photos. The map shows part of the east side of the island starting about half a mile north of the runways, then down the island about 3 miles to South Point. About half the area is solid jungle. Each of the facilities is numbered
Photo 3. North End of Base.
One half mile north of the airbase, on the lagoon, is a dock, the 37th CB camp, and inland is the MAG 14 camp, mess hall and recreation fields. Hospital area.
Just off the north end of the airbase, in the jungle, is the fuel tank farm, about 12 tanks, and 6 water storage tanks.
North of the runways are aircraft parking areas. Between the runways are the PATSU administration Quonsets for Units 1-3.; a windsock; a BAR station. Oceanside, are PATSU Air Operations; intelligence; mess hall; fuse tent; 13th Airdrome Squadron H.Q.; a loading dock and gas pump unit; repair shop; storage; mess hall; ammunition supply; hydraulic shop; electrical shop; prop metal shop; dispensary; stills; MAG 14 H.Q.; mess hall; 22nd CB H.Q.
Photo 4. Center of Base.
Lagoon side are SCAT operations and storage; repair shops; tank farm by the beach. East side are torpedo unit; repair shop; storage; mess hall; ammunition supply; hydraulic shop; electrical shop; prop metal shop; dispensary; stills; MAG 14 H.Q.; mess hall; 22nd CB H.Q.
Midfield are antenna; generators; radio operations; field operations; meteorology; parachute tents;
MAG 14 ordinance; repair shops; intelligence; fighter command; control tower between runways; mess hall; radio; radar; freight dock; 27th CB camp; big coral pit near lagoon.
South end of field, in the jungle are the bomb dumps, about 8 acres.
Photo 5. Narrow strip south of airbase.
Lagoon Road, Kiwi Camp; stills; water tanks; showers; laundry; generators; library, gas tanks; “Officers Country” near the lagoon beach, and EM camp inland. Acorn 10 area; well and 5,000 gal. tank.
On the Oceanside are Pilots’ Road; Pilots’ Camp, having about 80 tents; radar camp; laundry; generators; gun emplacements – BAT 208; transmitter; Comm. Building;
Photo 6. Near south end of island, below “Officers’Country”.
Island Services Command (probably the Aussie Administration H.Q.); FMAW; Argus 7 Road. The 93rd CB Camp is inland, theater, water tanks, showers, mess, laundry. Hospital is near lagoon beach, Wards A and B. Somewhere in the area was the water storage cistern, about 75 by 100 and 10 feet deep. Radar station; one 40 mm gun and five 50 mm guns., oceanside.
On south end is Service Command Road, the 33rd CB Camp, well and water tanks.
Photo 7
Lagoon Road; Halis village camp; three warehouses, cold storage building; food dump; big lagoon dock; hospital, garage, store room, mess hall and carpenter shop. Dock Road, Dump Road and Port Director’s Road. NZ Camp. East side is main communications center, tower, generators.
Photo 8 shows South Point Road, South Point and NZ Camp.
The PT boat base and camp were across the lagoon on Barahun Island, about 5 miles away. That one mile long island also had an old overgrown copra plantation on it. Trees were planted in rows, 27 feet apart. About 450 sailors were stationed there (five squadrons, on and off), plus administration and land support staff of about100, with carpenters, welders, electricians, engine repairs, radio/radar repairs, machinists, gun repairs, quartermasters, cooks. The boats tied up to anchored float buoys and small boats took the sailors ashore. The AGP Varuna, tender ship maintained the boats until mid-July, when three floating dry docks were delivered. There was a fuel dock with a gasoline supply pipe coming from the storage tanks inland. There was a machine shop, cook house and a mess area. The main meal was about noon after the boats returned from the all-night missions. Little cooking was done on the boats. Sleeping quarters for most were on the boats. Some officers got Quonset hut quarters on shore. Many sailors specialized in hand grenade fishing off the end of the main dock. Intelligence briefings were about 3 PM, followed by patrol assignments. Boats were usually sent on patrol every third night, to allow for the constant boat repair and maintenance work to be done. The Army guns next door made huge booms when test fired on occasion. Ferry boat service was provided by a barge to the airbase twice a day transporting mail, supplies and personnel.
80 foot Elco Boat Layout at Battleship Cove, a 1945 model. Rear section, the lazerette / storage room and manual tiller; engine room; captain’s quarters (Port side); armory (Starboard side);head (P); radar room (S); galley (S); officers quarters (P); EM quarters; head near bow; chain locker. Above: day room; chart room. Upper deck: helm and guns; torpedoes; smoke generator can.
Limestone caves along the ocean shore were rumored to be special places where enlisted men with some spare time operated stills. Bags of potatoes were borrowed from storage, fermented and “cooked”. Apples were sometimes fermented, also. The caves had been used as burial places for many thousands of years.
Squadron 23 boat nicknames from United States PT Boats of World War II: The first four came from Ron 19 in May 1944.
PT 241 Snuffy Ken Conley and Norman Fluhr
242 Celeste C.J. Willis and William Metcalf. C/O is Alpine W. McLane
243 Tonde Leyo C/O is Ray Robinson
244 Werewolf William A. Raney Journal (C/O)
277 Knightmare [Stuart Walsdorf accounts]
278 Bottoms Up [Scott Blair accounts]
279 Sunk 11 Feb 1944 in collision with PT 282 in a violent storm. One man lost overboard.
280 Scutter
281 Midnite Swan [Arnold and Greg Kamataris accounts]
282 Mail Boat [Thomas A. Mohan, New Hampshire}
283 Hero’s Haunt Sunk 17 Mar 1944 by U.S. Destroyer Guest’s guns. [John R. Day account.]
284 Gunboat Annie
285 Scuttlebutt John [John Day accounts] C/O Lt. A.W. Ferron
286 Fighting Irish [Ralph Ceward Calvert]
287 Pistol Packin’ Mama [Robert Turner accounts] C/O Lt. Leonard
288
The squadron transferred to Palawan Island in Dec 1944, and later to Samar Island.
The Australians’ island administration group of about 100 had their own quarters in the villager area on the North end. The villagers may have done the food providing, cooking and the laundry, this being Australian governed territory for 25 years. That area was off limits to U.S. enlisted men. In the equatorial rainforest climate, most islanders had little need to wear more than a simple sarong about the waist, called a “lap-lap.”
The food staple for the base was bread, one loaf per person per day. Periodic food supplies might include 100 pound bags of dry materials: flour, sugar, rice, navy beans, potatoes, tapioca, powdered milk; and 10 pound tins of canned butter, fruit, jams, green beans, lima beans, peas, tomatoes, shredded chicken, the ever-present Spam, Vienna sausage (small steamed/canned hot dogs to most), peanut butter, despised powdered eggs, ketchup, pickles, dried beef (for “chipped beef on toast”), pudding mixes, cocoa and coffee. The official monthly food allotment was 26 pounds for base personnel and 52 pounds for sailors, meaning that a sailor could have a whole pound of SPAM per day. Industrial size food canning was essentially perfected during the Civil War for shipment to troops by 1862 by rail box car. Fresh foods might come when a PBY spotted a refrigerator ship or found a battleship and asked them for the good stuff, or from the larger bases frequently visited. Beer to help ward off malaria usually came from Australia in 100 case lots. Officers got all of the whiskey due to their rank.
Fresh fish could be provided by the villagers, by hook and line in the lagoon, or by the primative practice of dumping hand grenades off the dock and netting in the fragmented results. That practice was eventually banned. The cooks could do anything with fresh fish. In that era, the commissary staff were racially segregated.
Island defenses, lookouts and island perimeter patrols were provided by several companies of U.S. Marines. They were attached to Marine Air Group 14, previously based at Guadalcanal. Anti-aircraft batteries were on either side of the South Channel entrance and at the north and south ends of the island. These were manned by U.S. Army gun crews.
Malaria and Dengue Fever are endemic to all of the islands. Dengue is also known as “bone-break fever”. At Bougainville, it was reported that 85 percent of the forces contracted malaria. The medical test for flight duty was a temperature of 102 degrees or less. In 1941-42, many Nissan villagers were deathly ill from malaria, and were taken by boat to other islands where they could receive some treatment. The survivors were eventually returned to the inland in 1945. Quinine tablets were distributed daily to everyone on the base, but were largely ineffective in preventing the diseases. It is probable that many, if not most, of the 300 Japanese garrison troops there in February 1944 were down with malaria.
One of the six or more island Officers’ Clubs got a Steinway piano in 1945 via a PBY, hung from a bomb rack, flown in from the Espiritu Santo base (as it was being decommissioned) in the New Hebrides; a very long flight. Bob Hope & Co. visited on August 1 and 2, 1944 to put on big shows at the airbase and boat base.
Mission Objectives June 1944 for the Bismark Archipelago Campaign.
Guadalcanal had been mostly taken over by February 1943 after prolonged jungle battle campaigns. By March 1944 parts of the Bougainville/Buka air campaign had been completed and the airfields had been captured, but at least 80,000 enemy troops remained active in mountain jungle areas. A good part of New Guinea coastal areas had been retaken. Rabaul on New Britain still had 128,000 enemy troops at five army bases and five somewhat crippled airfields. Kavieng, on adjacent New Ireland was also a major enemy base. Efforts to cut off supply routes were continuing for those two islands and several dozen surrounding enemy-held islands. The bulk of the Japanese carriers had been sunk. Most of the enemy shipping was done at night by small motor barges. During the day, on main runs from Rabaul to Buka, they would hide in island coves. If the Green Island combined squadrons could cut off all Japanese shipping and aviation in the area, nearly 400,000 Japanese troops would be their virtual prisoners for the rest of the war.
By day, the Navy, Marines and RNZAF would conduct bombing runs on the islands, and search for ships. PBY’s would often accompany the main bombers for search and rescue missions. These were called “Dumbo Runs”. The slow PBY’s would leave about four hours before the bombers left, then circle target areas offshore until called by radio to fish downed crewmen out of the sea.
By night, the PBY’s and PT Boats would team up to go hunting about 9 PM for shipping, using radar and huge searchlights. The planes would illuminate the barges from a few miles away or drop flares over them, and the boats would go in and shell them with the 40 mm cannons until they sank. Usually, three planes would go out each night, and return the next morning. Three day rotating shifts. These night operations continued until late 1944 when the last of the PT squadrons departed.
By late Spring of 1944, Rabaul and Kavieng had been effectively blockaded, and airbases neutralized. The Japanese Navy actually abandoned Rabaul Harbor on Feb 1, 1944 after prolonged carrier-based attacks. At least 50 ships dot the harbor floor. The main efforts then shifted to bombing more northerly enemy-held island bases on a daily basis, about 17 in all. This was leading to the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October, 1944. A huge sea and air battle after the start of the Philippine Islands Campaign. The Japanese lost most of their remaining carriers and other big ships there. And the term “Kamikaze Attack” became infamous during the struggle.
By the end of October 1944 the CB battalions moved out to the Leyte area along with most of the PT Boat units. Army and Navy fighters and bombers were reassigned to more forward bases. This left Green with the PBY’s and the RNZAF fighters and bombers, and the Little Joe crash boat. So manpower was gradually reduced from 17,000 to about 450, making it a somewhat quiet place.
In July 1945, most of the remaining Green Island Navy forces were transferred to Guiuan NAS on the south end of Samar Inland in the southeastern Philippines. Guiuan was a collection of five big air and sea bases. The main cargo ship base was 15 miles south on Caliocan Island in the Leyte Gulf. CB’s built a causway to connect it with Samar. The PT boat base (Base 17) was about 12 miles north of Guiuan, west of the town of Salcedo in San Pedro Bay, commonly known as Bobon Point. Tiny Botic Island was just north of the Point. 212 PT Boats were docked there near the end of the war, including Rons 23, 27 and 28. Warships anchored west of Guiuan in the “Guiuan Roadstead”. The small island of Manicani in San Pedro Bay in mid 1945 housed 6000 sailors and a huge ship repair facility.
Fall 1945.
The war ended (in theory) on September 2, 1945, and the Green Island base was decommissioned late October. Many troops were not sent home for nine months, or more. On some mountainous jungle islands, isolated individual Japanese Army soldiers did not get the surrender news, and remained “on duty” in hiding for a decade or two. One soldier was rescued in 1979 and the last one in 1980.
“After the war a vast quantity of Green Island Base supplies were dumped, and thousands of drums of fuel were sold to locals for $.13 a liter.” (www.pacificwrecks.com).
Some Missions.
Arthur P. Herin Jr. maintained a PBY – VP 44 squadron flight log on Green Island for a year, 1944-45. His nickname was “Speedy”. He was a radioman/gunner. He still has flare-ups of his island malaria at age 83 in 2001.
June 1944 9 Munda Pt., New Georgia to Green 3.0 hrs. LCDR Conroy
12 day patrol north 9.5 Lt Hunter
13 day patrol north 9.8 Conroy
17 day patrol N.W. 9.3 Conroy
21 day patrol north 9.4 Lt Hunter
25 day patrol N.W. 9.8 Hunter
28 day patrol north 9.2 Hunter
July 5 night bounce 2.3 Hunter
7 day patrol north 9.8 Hunter
9 day patrol north 9.8 Hunter
11 anti-sub off New Ireland 3.1 Hunter
13 day patrol N.E. 9.7 Hunter
21 nite bombing New Ireland 9.9 Hunter
26 nite bombing (snafu) 2.3 Hunter
29 day patrol N.E. 9.6 Hunter
Aug 4 nite hop – Bougainville 4.8 Hunter
7 day patrol N.E. 9.3 Hunter
10 day patrol N.E. 9.5 Hunter
17 Green to Henderson 4.5 Hunter
Henderson to Halavo .3 Hunter
29 Halavo to Henderson .3 Hunter
Henderson to Green 3.9 Hunter 13 passengers
Sep 3 Green to Emirau (W. of N. Ireland) 3.0 Lt Garrison
4 Patrol N.W. 8.7 Hunter
6 Patrol north 8.4 Hunter
8 Emirau to Green 3.1 Hunter
11 nite hop (bad weather) 1.9 Hunter
14 on leave at Sidney, two weeks Navy transports
Oct 7 nite bombing New Ireland 6.2 Hunter
14 nite bombing channel 7.0 Hunter
24 gunnery hop 2.3 Hunter
27 nite bombing New Ireland 7.1 Hunter
Nov 8 Green to Bougainville 1.1 Hunter
Bougainville to Russell Isl. 3.2 Hunter W of Honeria
10 Russels to Green 4.0 Hunter
15 nite bombing channel 7.4 Hunter
23 nite hop (bad weather) 1.3 Hunter
28 sub searching Bougainville 8.0 Hunter
Dec 13 strafed Buka 2.0 Hunter
15 sub search (snafu) 3.3 Hunter
22 nite hop (snafu) 2.0 Hunter
Jan 1945 2 nite hop Choiseul Isl. (E. of Bou.) 5.3 Hunter
7 Dumbo run Rabaul 4.0 Hunter
12 trip to Hawaii On transports
Feb 6 Dumbo run Bougainville 3.7 Hunter
8 nite hop (bad weather) 2.6 Hunter
25 Dumbo run Rabaul 3.2 Hunter
Mar 1 Green to Emirau (Adm. Isl) 3.0 Lt Davis 18 pass.
Emirau to Manus (Adm. Isl.) 1.4 Davis 18 pass.
3 SRB to Los Negros .4 Hunter
6 Manus to Hollandia (Jayapura) 7.3 Hunter
7 Hollandia to Biak Island, I.Jaya 2.8 Hunter
9 OWI to Biak (a/k/a Wiak) .2 Hunter
Biak to Hollandia 3.0 Hunter
10 Hollandia to Manus 3.8 Hunter
12 SRB to Los Negros (Adm. Isl.) .4 Hunter
14 Manus to Green 4.2 Hunter
16 Green to Manus 4.4 Hunter 12 pass.
17 Dumbo run 1.0 Hunter
19 bad weather-returned to base 2.5 Hunter
20 Manus to Emirau 1.1 Hunter 4 pass.
Emirau to Green 3.0 Hunter 4 pass.
Apr 1 Green to Piva, Bougainville mail hop 1.0 Davis
Piva to Green mail 1.2 Davis
4 Dumbo run Bougainville 4.0 Hunter
13 Green to Manus 3.8 Lt Johnson 15 pass.
15 Manus to Emirau 1.9 Johnson 15 pass.
Emirau to Green 2.8 Johnson
16 Green to Guadalcanal 4.0 Hunter
18 Guadalcanal to Funa Futi 10.2 Hunter 4 pass.
19 Funa Futi to Canton Island 6.0 Hunter 4 pass.
Canton to Palmyra 7.7 Hunter
20 Palmyra to Kaneohe, HI 8.1 Hunter
(This trip was mainly to return defective new PBY’s from Green to the factory. Hull rivets popped off everywhere and the ocean gushed in.)
12 Feb 1945 photo of NZ Corsair burning up at the airstrip. P/O N. W. McCready was on a test flight when it caught fire. Returned to base quickly and escaped.
Norman A. Schneidewind, AMM 1st Cl, Pensacola, FL was in Patrol Squadron 44, also. He was a PBY flight mechanic, responsible for starting the engines and monitoring them, raising and lowering the floats, and operates the port 50 cal machine gun. He also trained to fly PBY’s. N.A. is age 77 in 2001. Most of his log entries are stamped by Lt. Cmdr. G.S. Bogart. The plane commander was Lt. Jasper Martin of Dallas. The nickname was “Ruthie Belle” for his bride. BUNO 48278.
June 1944 2 Convoy coverage 6.1 Lt. Martin
4 Naussori to Tonga Tabu 3.2 Martin
5 Tonga Tabu to Nausori 3.3 Martin