Skip to content

10/28/42

Bad night before-Crowding on deck before breakfast-Breakfast-Steamed rice-Squash stew with powdered fish and B1 concentrate-(soy bean meal ferment-Thought that it was pig slop-Pigs on board) Method of cooking rice-Steam kettles-Kitchen areas-Buckets and pails to feed Japs on board with-Also crew-Difference between Jap troop mess-None at breakfast-Lot at Dinner and supper-Middle of morning Japs come and take life preservers-This gives us more ventilation and more room in center of hold-Dinner-Pull away from dock at

12:20 P.M.-See mine planter Harrison with Jap number on it steam by-Auxiliary cruiser pulls away from pier west of us-We steam slowly-(10-12 Knots)-toward Corregidor-Convoy lying off Bataan-3 ocean freighters and one inter island freighter-Pass Corregidor-Feel swell of ocean-Too hot in sun-I go below decks-Much cooler-still no pleasure cruise-Sick call in hold-On leaving Corregidor we enter sub zone-Ship starts zig-zagging-Water and
tea lines form in afternoon-Problem of supplying 1000 men with boiled water-and in Tropics where practically all are dehydrated-Water tents on deck are polluted-Not from Manila water but from some previous time-Not bacillary and not amoebic but microorganisms-These are generally unaffected by calcium hypochlorite as is also true of the amoeba-Therefore we must boil all drinking water at an active boil for 30 minutes-Night of 10/28/42 is dark as pitch-Because we had obeyed Jap orders well so far we are allowed to sleep on deck-Relieves congestion in holds-Men sleep anywhere-On boxes barrels, buckets, and on deck in all manner of ungainly and awkward positions-Guard posted at vantage points on deck and in area occupied by us-Fixed bayonets at night-None in daytime-Have nearly had eyes out out by bayonet in darkness any number of times-Guards seemed to take special delight in keeping bayonets low-Must keep eves open when on deck to prevent running into bayonets-Cry “make way for guard” or “gangway for crew” is heard from this point throughout voyage-Note guards are posted hourly- Method of posting-Much yelling-Much bowing between sergeant, old and new guard-The smoking lamp is out-Moon does not rise until 12:30 or 1:00 A.M. (check up)-No one smokes-Rumors of where we dock first-How long it will take to get to Davao (if that is where weaere going)-Guards make Americans get off rafts, tanks, outhouses by rail-Afreid someone will fall off while sleeping there-Allowed up there in daytime-I go above, below, above, below, etc.-I feel bad-Diarrhea-Feet start swelling and hurt and are numb-Perspire voluminously-Pork soup first night-Or mutton soup at Bilibid both were so fatty that many men have the “runs” and other digestive trouble-Long lines at latrines all night-Emergency cases use rail and 5 gallon Purico cans furnished for that purpose-Cold above deck without blanket-Hot below decks without anything but shorts on-Finally sleep on whet life preservers “Nips” had left and what our own men had left (they used them as mattresses and as pillows-I find place in middle of floor-On deck men are sleeping on boxes, crates, beams, deck itself, donkey engines, sacks of rice, terra [taro] root, and buckets of salted cherries-Food on board-Tarra [taro] root, came, pumpkin, squash, papaya, dried fish (big and small in boxes), corned’ beef. (3200 lbs.-U.S.Navy-Cavite) (16 barrels-200 lbs. each)-Salt pork loin ( probably Corregidor cold stores)-B1 concentrate-Fresh fish (on ice)-Eggs-Beef (cold stores)-Salted cherries, soy beans, mongo beens, rice-

Wonder what we shall be fed-First few meals were pretty good-Good protein content-Think that we my have talked ourselves out of corned beef by wishing pork waste in soup first night-First day Japs threw away waste and trimmings-Japs evidently detest corned beef-Seem to throw it away any time that it is on Jap troop menu-Note Jap troop menu throughout trip seemed to be boiled fillets of fresh iced fish and pork for meat-Seem to trim off a lot of the fat-throw away bones and trimmings-