The USS Flier
Death and Survival
on a
World War II
Submarine
MICHAEL STURMA
THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY
Publication of this volume was made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Copyright © 2008 by The University Press of Kentucky
Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth, serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University.
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12 11 10 09 08 5 4 3 2 1
Maps by Dick Gilbreath
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sturma, Michael, 1950-
The USS Flier: death and survival on a World War II submarine / Michael Sturma.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8131-2481-0 (hbk. : alk. paper)
1. Flier (Submarine) 2. World War, 1939-1945—Naval operations—Submarine.
3. World War, 1939-1945—Naval operations, American. 4. World War, 1939-1945—Campaigns—Pacific Ocean. 5. Survival after airplane accidents,
shipwrecks, etc.—Philippines—Palawan. I. Title.
D783.5.F56S88 2008
940.54’510973—dc22
2007046559
This book is printed on acid-free recycled paper meeting the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Member of the Association of
American University Presses
To Joan Roberts
Contents
Acknowledgments
Numerous people assisted in the research for this study. Charles Hinman and Nancy Richards extended the aloha spirit at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum at Pearl Harbor. My special thanks to Charles for his lunchtime conversations and his Web site On Eternal Patrol. I am grateful to Steve Finnigan and Wendy Gulley for their assistance at the Submarine Force Museum at Groton, Connecticut. Carol Bowers and John Waggener of the American Heritage Center at Laramie provided invaluable help both at a distance and on the spot. Kathleen Lloyd of the Naval Historical Center, P. A. Leonard from the Office of the Judge Advocate General, and Patrick Kerwin from the Library of Congress made important contributions in piecing together the USS Flier’s history.
I was fortunate to have the logistical help of Susan Witt, Wes Witt, and Barbara Eblen during my research in the United States. Closer to home, my friend and colleague Mike Durey provided a fount of naval knowledge. Peter Marks generously guided me through the Weld Club in Western Australia. Like much of my writing, this project benefited from the support of my wife, Ying.
I owe special thanks to Alvin E. Jacobson for sharing his memoirs and memories. I hope this book will serve as a tribute to the remarkable men of the Flier.
Prologue
The thirteenth proved unlucky for the USS Flier. On Sunday night, 13 August 1944, the