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By Gordon DysartIntroductionThe author is a private pilot who has also traveled on the international airlines for many years in his business. He became interested in the adventures of early day Jlying. and did considerable research to obtain the information in this story. The excitement of those pioneers and their accomplishments to reach various countries in the early days rejlects the indomitable spirit that made America into a great nation.Early on December 7. the Ph illipine Clipper a Martin M-130, left the lagoon at Wake Island bound for Guam. The plane was loaded with tires for the Flying Tigers P-40 fighter planes in India. Burma, and China. When in the air 30 minutes, a radio message informed the captain of the attack cn Pearl Harbor and ordered the plane to return to Wake. When the plane arrived at Wake the radio operator told the crew that Guam was under attack. The Clipper was quickly loaded with fuel in one hour, and was sitting low in the water loaded with high octane fuel when the Japanese planes arrived.Part IITwo bombing andstrafing runs destroyed fuel dumps, set the hotel on fire, and destroyed thedirectional radio system, but the flying boat was not badly damaged. True, it had about 60 bullet holes in it, but the engines were o.k. and there were no fuel leaks.In 3' hours the plane was stripped of all excess weight and loaded with 60 peopleincluding tvvo wounded. It took three tries to get the overloaded plane off the water, but then it was turned toward Midway. There was no outbound directional signal for navigational aid, and the crew did not know it. and Midway was even then being attacked by Japanese warships. This meant that the Midway radio direction finder would also be out ofcommission, and the crewwould have to fly from one pinpoint in the Pacific to another with no DFequipment to guide them. Duiing daylight they Hew 25 feet abdve the sea to avoid detection by Japanese attack planes. After dark they climbed to 10,000 feet and began calling anyone who would answer on the radio.No one answered. Flying by taking fixes on the stars the Clipper ultimately had no trouble finding Midway - it was on fire.The pilot turned on all lights to keep from getting shot down, and made a pass over the lagoon, where he normally landed. It was littered with small craft, so he landed at the outside edge of the lagoon, taxied in the dark to the Pan Am dock, and ordered the plane refueled at once. Shore personnel wanted to know any news and the captain told them that Wake was finished; he was on his way to Hawaii.Approaching Oahu in daylight he radioed ahead asking where he could land and was directed to Pearl Harbor. The destruction was devastating, and some fires were still burning. The Pan Am side of the harbor had not been badly damaged. Captain Hamilton and the crew and passengers disembarked and went to bed on that Monday, December 8, 1941. They had been flying, refueling, navigating, and dodging Janpanese bullets for over 36 hours without a break. Two days later the Phillipine Clipper was flown back to SanFrancisco...Meqnwhile in Hong Kong, the station manager, William Bond, received a call from the captain of the Hong Kong Clipper early inthe morning of December 8, 1941 (it was December 7 inHawaii). The Clipper was supposed to fly to Manilla, but Manilla had radioed the captain to stay where he was. Yet the Hong Kong authorites were urging him to get out of Hong Kong fast. The crew rushed to the Clipper, but were just in time to see it strafed, set on fire and destroyed. Officials believed the Japanese would be in Hong Kong withing 48 hours. The Prime Minister found Bond . and knowing there were three lane planes left (a DC-2 and two DC-3's)belonging to the ChineseAirways which Pan Am controlled, he requested Bond to take his wife and Chaing Kai-Shek's sister-in-law (Mde. Soong) away from Hong Kong All three planes took off at dark for Nanyung, filled with airline personnel and relatives of government officials. Several round trips were made evacuating government people and records, and by the time Hong Kong fell on the fourth day. Bond had rescued 275 people, the only civilian planes to fly, and all of his crews.The Pacific Clipper with Captain Ford commanding a crew of 10 was-in the air between New Caledonia and New Zealand. Ford knew how valuable his Clipper had suddenly become. Only 12 existed and they were the only long range, heavy payload aircraft in the world. His route to San Francisco was cut off and all Pacific bases were underPage■MBrenda Cox, center. Pictured als Varnon, Woodcreek Mayor JeanmanexperienceSWTHighest HonorsLong-timeresidentHays CgrowPd. Pol. Ad. by Brenda Cox for Hays
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Wimberley Wednesday View
Wimberley, Texas, US
Wed, Mar 02, 1994
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USA 28 May 2019
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