PT-31 (cont. from 19 Jan)
19-20 JANUARY 1942
PT-31
Matters had run afoul for LT Edward G. DeLong and the 12-man crew of PT-31 soon after splitting company with PT-34. The fuel strainers of his wing engines clogged, and the center engine failed shortly with an airlock in the cooling system. They drifted dead in the water as an enemy 3″ gun on Ilinin Point opened some ineffective but pesky fire. The powerless PT-31 next struck fast on a reef. For three hours the crew labored to revive the engines and free the boat from an ebbing tide. But when the reverse gear burned out and dawn threatened to reveal his boat, DeLong had no choice but to abandon ship. The crew fashioned a raft out of mattresses and the cover of the engine compartment and slid over the side. DeLong stayed behind to puncture the gas lines and rig grenades. By the time he lowered himself into the water, his shipmates had drifted away. The Lieutenant swam ashore alone. PT-31 exploded and burned.
At first light, DeLong located his crew after following their tracks along the beach. He was saddened to learn that three had become lost during the night without a trace. Cloistered in the bushes along the shore, DeLong took stock of the situation. They had but one rifle and six pistols, some scraps of canvas, no food, and no water. Furthermore, their chance hideout was within earshot of some loud Japanese soldiers in the nearby jungle. DeLong set a watch in the trees and instructed that any snooping Japanese be allowed into the hideout to be clubbed, as a gunshot was too risky. DeLong’s first plan, that of walking along the beach to the American zone, was thwarted by the proximity of the fighting. Then one of the crew spotted two bancas (native canoes) about a half mile away on the beach. These bancas now held their only hope.
The nine crept from their thicket at twilight. The smaller of the bancas proved more seaworthy, and the crew rigged a makeshift sail using canvas and barbed wire. They shoved off at 2000, the smaller banca towing the larger. Japanese voices could again be heard within a couple hundred yards, so DeLong deployed the sail only after having paddled some distance from the shore. Again, fate frowned on the party, for within an hour both bancas capsized and their gear was lost. Through judicious use of two makeshift bailers, the bancas were righted, and the party cleared Panibutujan Point. About 0130 they rounded Napo Point only to be met by a strong headwind. Making no headway after an hour of exhaustive paddling, DeLong put ashore near the point. As luck would have it, they were spotted after dawn by Philippine Army forces and taken to a nearby US Army unit. Harried and tired, they were nevertheless back at their base in Mariveles by 1730 the evening of the 20th.
Watch for more “Today in Naval History” 26 JAN 24
CAPT James Bloom, Ret.
Breuer, William B. Devil Boats: The PT War Against Japan. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1987, pp. 26-31.
Breuer, William B. Sea Wolf: A Biography of John D. Bulkeley, USN. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1989, pp. 40-43.
Bulkley, Robert J., Jr. At Close Quarters: PT Boats in the United States Navy. Washington, DC: GPO, Department of the Navy, 1962, pp. 9-16.
White, W.L. They Were Expendable. New York, NY: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1942, pp. 66-76.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: In March of 1942 Bulkeley used the remaining serviceable boats of MTB-3 to carry GEN Douglas MacArthur to safety. Those squadron members for whom there was no room on that trip, including DeLong, were ordered to join a nearby Army unit on Bataan. The surrender of American forces on 6 May 1942 resulted in the capture of DeLong and those unfortunate MTB-3 shipmates. DeLong was beheaded by his captors on 2 July 1942. LTJG DeLong received the Silver Star for his actions this night and the Navy Cross for his sustained performance with MTB-3 from February to April 1942. (Three US warships have borne the name “DeLong,” TB-28, DD-129, and DE-684. However, all three remember other heroes with the same surname.)
Devotees of Hollywood war movies will recognize this story and others about MTB-3 as the model for the 1945 John Ford production based on William White’s book above, They Were Expendable. The film stars Robert Montgomery as “LT John Brinkley” (based on real-life LT Bulkeley) and John Wayne as his highly fictionalized XO, “LTJG Rusty Ryan.” They Were Expendable was nominated for two Academy Awards, for best sound recording and best visual effects.
