Post by The Phantom on Jun 29, 2012 6:07:35 GMT 8
From "I was on Corregidor"
The following information also seems to belong here.
Some insight into prewar minefield incursions off Corregidor by an eyewitness.
From October 1941 it appears.
"Not until we ran along the Luzon coast near the island of Mindoro did we see any evidence of civilization.
Then Army and Navy planes flew out to check out our identity.
In the late afternoon we approached Corregidor.
The captain examined a couple of charts and tables and some other papers and headed us towards Subic Bay.(?)
With some vague notions that ships had to wait for either the dawn or the dusk, we asked if we should be allowed to traverse the mine fields between Corregidor and Bataan at any hour when we might happen to arrive.
The captain said we would hug the coast on the Bataan side and a Navy vessel would escort us through the right channel.
We spied a ship putting out from Corregidor.
It stopped beside a flag buoy directly on our course. ' There is our escort' we said pleased and relieved.
A rude surprise awaited us.
It was a Navy vessel alright, an armored one.
As we reached the flag, a stentorian voice from the deck shouted,
"Stop, or we'll fire!"
We saw to our amazement that the naval gun was pointed right at us and 2 sailors, with a firm stance, cradled sub-machine guns in their arms also trained on us.
With open mouths we stared at their stern faces. Frozen into immobility, we just stood there, the captain included.
No order to stop was given, so the Lanakai kept right on going.
The Naval officer shouted "STOP!" again, this time with even more menace.
Then we all registered. "Stop!" we shouted to the captain in various tones of alarm and command.
"You have proceeded through contact and magnetic mine fields against the law", bellowed the officer.
The Lanakai stopped. In fact she was put in reverse and proceeded to back into the mine field again.
The women passengers shrieked and the men yelled "STOP!" again.
And the Lanakai finally stopped.
We were boarded by an extremely irate officer, bringing with him a sailor who kept us covered with a machine gun.
For a considerable time and without drawing a breath the officer told the captain what he thought of him.
The poor old man and the Filipino crew, drawing as near as they could, gave vent to their tension by laughing.
Then Woody told the officer that the Captain only understood Spanish.
We thought surly there would be another out burst, perhaps a translation of the first, but apparently the officer felt better.
And he probably saw that we weren't running though minefields just to annoy the United States Navy.
He looked round at us, took off his cap, wiped the sweat from his head and smiled at us.
"You had me worried sick. It is only by the grace of god that you weren't blown to heaven," he said more calmly.
"The tide is high at the moment and that gave you a few extra feet. And now I would like to see your papers."
Carefully he inspected the captains credentials, the ships papers, and charts and instructions.
"These instructions are for July, 1941."
"It is now October, 1941, and the mines have all been changed,' he said at last.
"Captain, you are to report to the Port of Manila authorities."
"There will be a Naval investigation.
And he said good-by, and descended the ladder, followed by the sailor with the machine gun, who favored us with an impudent grin.
The following week a fishing Schooner, considerably smaller than the Lanakai, and drawing only 6 feet of water to our nine, made the same mistake.
But she was not lucky.
Only 2 of the crew and nothing of the ship survived."
The following information also seems to belong here.
Some insight into prewar minefield incursions off Corregidor by an eyewitness.
From October 1941 it appears.
"Not until we ran along the Luzon coast near the island of Mindoro did we see any evidence of civilization.
Then Army and Navy planes flew out to check out our identity.
In the late afternoon we approached Corregidor.
The captain examined a couple of charts and tables and some other papers and headed us towards Subic Bay.(?)
With some vague notions that ships had to wait for either the dawn or the dusk, we asked if we should be allowed to traverse the mine fields between Corregidor and Bataan at any hour when we might happen to arrive.
The captain said we would hug the coast on the Bataan side and a Navy vessel would escort us through the right channel.
We spied a ship putting out from Corregidor.
It stopped beside a flag buoy directly on our course. ' There is our escort' we said pleased and relieved.
A rude surprise awaited us.
It was a Navy vessel alright, an armored one.
As we reached the flag, a stentorian voice from the deck shouted,
"Stop, or we'll fire!"
We saw to our amazement that the naval gun was pointed right at us and 2 sailors, with a firm stance, cradled sub-machine guns in their arms also trained on us.
With open mouths we stared at their stern faces. Frozen into immobility, we just stood there, the captain included.
No order to stop was given, so the Lanakai kept right on going.
The Naval officer shouted "STOP!" again, this time with even more menace.
Then we all registered. "Stop!" we shouted to the captain in various tones of alarm and command.
"You have proceeded through contact and magnetic mine fields against the law", bellowed the officer.
The Lanakai stopped. In fact she was put in reverse and proceeded to back into the mine field again.
The women passengers shrieked and the men yelled "STOP!" again.
And the Lanakai finally stopped.
We were boarded by an extremely irate officer, bringing with him a sailor who kept us covered with a machine gun.
For a considerable time and without drawing a breath the officer told the captain what he thought of him.
The poor old man and the Filipino crew, drawing as near as they could, gave vent to their tension by laughing.
Then Woody told the officer that the Captain only understood Spanish.
We thought surly there would be another out burst, perhaps a translation of the first, but apparently the officer felt better.
And he probably saw that we weren't running though minefields just to annoy the United States Navy.
He looked round at us, took off his cap, wiped the sweat from his head and smiled at us.
"You had me worried sick. It is only by the grace of god that you weren't blown to heaven," he said more calmly.
"The tide is high at the moment and that gave you a few extra feet. And now I would like to see your papers."
Carefully he inspected the captains credentials, the ships papers, and charts and instructions.
"These instructions are for July, 1941."
"It is now October, 1941, and the mines have all been changed,' he said at last.
"Captain, you are to report to the Port of Manila authorities."
"There will be a Naval investigation.
And he said good-by, and descended the ladder, followed by the sailor with the machine gun, who favored us with an impudent grin.
The following week a fishing Schooner, considerably smaller than the Lanakai, and drawing only 6 feet of water to our nine, made the same mistake.
But she was not lucky.
Only 2 of the crew and nothing of the ship survived."
If not the names are very similar. I am too lazy to look it up at the moment. I have been cutting the lawn in 100 plus temperature. Wife says old 80 year goats should have better sense. The way I feel at the moment, methinks she has a point. Cheers.
