Amazing Rescue By RNZAF Catalinas of Destroyer's Crew

[Dave Homewood]

AMAZING STORY

N.Z. AIRMEN'S FEAT

RESCUE OF DESTROYER'S CREW

(R.N.Z.A.F. Official News Service.) EMIRAU, March 3.

What makes one of the most amazing stories to come out of the Pacific war is the rescue of a destroyer's crew within easy range of enemy guns on Leyte Island, in the Philippines. The rescue was effected by four New Zealand Catalina flying-boats. Altogether, 142 survivors were picked up. One aircraft took off with 63 men on board.

The flying-boats made five trips and some of the survivors were picked up within 1500 yards of the enemy-held shore. With seven Thunderbolts for cover, the first two Catalinas landed in Ormoc Bay, just before noon, one taking the eastern and the other the western half of the bay. The aircraft in the eastern area picked up 16 men from a life net and taxied a mile and a half up the bay to rescue another 12 from a life raft. Sixteen more were taken from the water, the plane taxiing from place to place. No more survivors were to be seen so, with 44 passengers and a crew of seven, the Catalina took off and returned to its base.

In the meantime the Catalina operating in the other part of the bay had sighted a number of survivors in rafts and float nets and picked up 30, going within 1500 yards of the shore to get 20 of these. Thunderbolts circling overhead directed the flying-boat across the bay to opposite the town of Albuera, where another 22 men were rescued from the sea. Further on, four men who were seriously wounded were taken on board out of a party of 30.

The 56 survivors filled the flying-boat, the wounded being placed in bunks while the others were packed throughout the plane. Then, with its 63 occupants, including the crew of seven, the Catalina took off after a three-mile run across the bay. It reached its base after a flight of three hours.

Three other sorties finished the job the bay being completely cleared of survivors, the last Catalina doing a coastal sweep at 50 feet through nearby islands.


EVENING POST,  7 MARCH 1945

[Dave Homewood]

This is an amazing story, I'd never head of this rescue.

Which Squadron was it, No. 5 or 6 Squadron?Where were they operating from? I looks up Albeura and Ormoc Bay on Google Maps and it's in the centre of the Philippines - I had no idea our Cats were operating up there.

What was the Destroyer's name?

[Mustang51]

I had never heard of that either. Would be a fascinating story to hear the entire account.

[flyinkiwi]

May 28, 2020 0:28:56 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

What was the Destroyer's name?

I think it might have been the USS Cooper DD-695.

[Dave Homewood]

Well that says the survivors of the Cooper were rescued by Black Cats. We never had Black Cats, that pints toward the rescuers being US Navy or RAAF. But the article I posted comes from the RNZAF Official news correspondent, surely he did not cock that up and claim someone else were New Zealanders?

Of course it could well be the Wikipedia article that is wrong.

[tbf25o4]

Dave, the first victim in any war is the truth!! The story makes great propaganda, but you are probably right the aircraft would have been USN or RAAF

[davidd]

I am left wondering how the RNZAF has somehow got itself mixed up with this famous rescue; I think the "official News Service" correspondent at Emirau has got horribly confused here, or was it simply that the text of an American news agency newsflash was passed back to New Zealand as an interesting story from the war, and then somebody here has assumed that they must of been New Zealand aircraft, otherwise why else would they have sent this story to us? I would have thought that most people in RNZAF Headquarters, even those possessing the most basic knowledge of where our squadrons were located would have put two and two together here and realized they must have been American aircraft and crews. Also the obvious lack of the names of any participating New Zealanders makes the item seem suspicious - generally speaking, the Air Force's News Service tried to include such details to humanise the stirring action which took place on that day. So far as I know, only NZ air personnel to have been in Philippines in roughlu this timeframe were those few (seven?) Corsair pilots of 17 Sqdn, ferrying up American F4Us in late 1944 or early 1945, at request of an American Headquarters responsible for logistics. I have no hesitation in suggesting that this news item has, somehow, erroneously included New Zealand involvement in this quite spectacular and amazing mass rescue. I wonder if a smaller ""fake news" alert was printed in a subsequent edition of NZ newspapers admitting the lack of any NZ presence at Ormoc Bay that day (cannot blame the newspapers for running a story handed out by the RNZAF itself!)
David D

[flyinkiwi]

I checked the reference and it's not particularly official looking.

www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd695txt.htm

[Dave Homewood]

Mark McGuire has sent me this link:

Chapter 4: Patrol Bombing Squadron (VPB) Histories (VPB-33 to VPB-54) of this link contains the information on page 7
www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/naval-aviation-history/dictionary-of-american-naval-aviation-squadrons-volume-2.html

Which says, in reference to Black Cats squadron VPB-34:

3 Dec 1944: At 0013 hours, Cooper (DD 695) was
struck by a torpedo while engaging Japanese surface craft and barges in the waters of Ormoc Bay, Leyte, Philippines. The ship broke in two and sank in less than a minute, resulting in the loss of 191 crew members and 168 survivors left struggling in the water. At 1400 Lieutenant Frederick J. Ball and his crew were returning from a long-range reconnaissance mission and spotted the survivors floating in the bay. Ball landed his Catalina in the bay and proceeded over the next hour to pick up survivors within range of enemy shore
fire. He rescued 56 sailors from the bay, and when the aircraft could hold no more Lieutenant Ball began a takeoff run that took three miles before liftoff could be achieved. He safely returned to his base with his passengers, many of them wounded. The remaining 112 survivors were collected by another VPB-34 Catalina which taxied to safety outside the bay where they were offloaded onto another ship. For his bravery under fire Lieutenant Ball received the Navy Cross.

[aircraftclocks]

It was the Cooper. Reading the loss report, it suggests that it was the tides (moving survivors south then west) that affected when the bulk of the crew could be rescued.
The report also advises that due to the action occurring at the time, the other ships were not in a position to rescue. One of the other ships is thought to have thrown life rafts to survivors during a high speed pass.

[Dave Homewood]

Sorry about the duff gen folks. It's still a very interesting story of brave Catalina crews, just not our Catalina crews.

[Mustang51]

While on the subject of Catalinas......John Cruickshank turned 100 on 20 May. He was awarded the VC for his attack on a U-Boat. Ordinance did not release on first run but did on the second and the U-Boat was sunk. Cruickshank was wounded an incredible 72 times. He flew back to base for a while before passing out. Regained consciousness and was able to land the Cat. The story is one of incredible courage and resilience

[Dave Homewood]

Yes what an amazing deed that was. Incredible he survived that flight, near alone lived to 100!

[aircraftclocks]

From USS ORCA war diary

3 December:
Playmate one had negative results. Urgent requests for rescue planes were received to pick up survivors of the U.S.S. COOPER (DD-695), which had been sunk on the night of 2/3 December in Ormoc Bay on the west side of Leyte. Departure of the planes was delayed until 1140 as the fighter cover was unable to get off because of weather.
Playmate two, piloted by Lt.(jg) Joe F. BALL, U.S.N.R., picked up two officers and fifty-four men, making a total of sixty three in the plane including the crew. Other survivors had to be left behind as there was no more room in the plane. Included in the group of survivors were four seriously wounded men who occupied the four bunks, which normally could have accomodated five or six uninjured persons. The plane required a three minute run to get off the water.
Playmate three picked up three officers and thirty-eight men.
Playmate four picked up two officers and twenty-three men.
Playmate six picked up one officer and six men.
Playmate seven picked up one officer and eight men.
Total number of survivors: nine officers, including the Commanding Officer of the COOPER, and one hundred twenty-nine men. Two officers and ten men required hospitalization and were immediately sent to the LST 464 hospital ship.
Playmate five covered the Palau - Leyte route with negative results.
Preparations were instituted to send two rescue planes, with fighter cover, to Ormoc Bay at first light on the morning of the 4th.

4 December:
Playmate one returned from Ormoc without survivors, but meekly presented the Commanding Officer with one Japanese POW.
Playmate two had negative results over Ormoc Bay.
A recount of survivors showed a total of one hundred forty-two instead of the original one hundred thirty-eight.

5 December:
Playmate two evacuated twelve more survivors of the COOPER from Ormoc Bay Area.
Army Playmate three five also evacuated twelve from the same area.
These survivors are believed to be the last, the total now standing at ten officers, one hundred fifty-seven enlisted men.


From VPB-34 war diary

Dec. 3
Lt(jg) Ball (#33) returned from Ormoc Bay with 56 survivors.
Lt(jg) Harrison (#32) proceeded and returned from Ormoc Bay with 7 survivors.
Lt(jg) Gillard (#81) proceeded and returned from Ormoc Bay with 9 survivors.
Lt(jg) Essary (#32) proceeded and returned from Ormoc Bay with 44 survivors.
Lt(jg) Day (#21) returned from Ormoc Bay with 26 survivors.
Lt(jg) Pfleeger (#87) conducted an air-sea rescue hop with negative results.
Lt(jg) Day (#21) conducted an air-sea rescue hop with negative results, Lt(jg) Potts flew from Leyte to Palau.
Lt(jg) Comery (#91), Lt(jg) Singleton (#23) and Lt(jg) McManus (#28) conducted day anti-sub searches.

Dec. 4
Lt(jg) Ball (#32) and Lt(jg) Essary conducted air-sea rescue hops with negative results.
Lt(jg) Ball (#33) picked up one Jap prisoner while on air sea rescue mission.
Lt(jg) Bowen (#28) and Lt(jg) Hayes (#91) conducted day sub searches with negative results.

Dec. 5
Lt(jg) Gillard (#32) proceed and returned from Maltong, Ormoc Peninsula with 12 survivors.
Lt(jg) McManus (#26) and Lt(jg) Fletcher (#28) conducted day anti-sub searches.

[Dave Homewood]

Great info, thanks for that!

[chinapilot]

Interesting as usual Dave - pity someone’s imagination got the better of them.

The Australian Catalinas got as far as Hong Kong and Swatow on several night mine laying operations staging through the PI.