The Fleet the Gods Forgot

I came across this Naval Institue Press book by W.G. Winlsow, The Fleet the Gods Forgot: The U.S. Asiatic Fleet in World War II, a few months ago at the Eagle Eye bookstore. The Asiatic Fleet (distinct from the Pacific Fleet based in Hawaii) was formed in 1902 and dissolved at the end of 1942 and was tasked with looking after America's interests in the western Pacific. It was storied in its time and always had an air of the romance of the east, in part because of its being based at Subic Bay, near Manilla in the Philippines as well as with a river boat squadron at Shanghai in China.

At the commencement of US involvement in World War II with Japan's surprise attack on December 7th, 1941, the Asiatic Fleet was ill-prepared in terms of the modernization of its ships. While there were a couple of ships built in the late 1920's, the majority of the fleet dated to the first world war or earlier. What is often overlooked in the quick world history classes of our children is that simultaneous with the attack on Pearl Harbor, the empire of Japan also launched invasions of many of the countries of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. Even in hindsight it was an act not only of military hubris but of astonishing logistic coordination.

Winslow tells the tale of this long neglected far-off corner of the war. Half of the Asiatic Fleet's surface units were sunk within the first three months of the war. They were ill-equipped, poorly supplied, ill-used (often as part of a joint allied effort between the US, the British and the Dutch) and almost always on the defensive but made up of often tactically brilliant commanders and resolute seamen. They bore the brunt of all the initial reverses, holding the line at tremendous odds and horrendous cost in those first few months.

The book is oddly constructed in that the first eighty pages summarize the general movements and uses of the different branches of the fleet (submarines, cruisers, destroyers, etc.). I almost didn't make it through this section and you might wish to skip it. The real stories are in Part II, which Winslow calls Battle Reports. In each of these chapters he follows a unit (a particluar ship, plane, submarine, etc.) through its experiences. Since half of them fought to the point of sinking and almost all of them were in numerous battles, these are pretty exciting stories.

And some of them are simply amazing. Take the tiny and barely armed USS Isabel, a yacht of virtually no military value (sometimes referred to as the "relief flagship"). Her adventures in the first few months of WWII were actually quite astonishing. Because she was regarded as of little value, half the time she was being given impossibly dangerous jobs to do and half the time she was being forgotten about and left to her own devices. She eventually made it safely to Fremantle, Australia.

And then there is the story of Lieutenant Commander Morrill in command of the USS Quail, a minesweeper. She was the last Asiatic Fleet unit remaining in the Philippines at the fall of Corregidor. Morrill was ordered on May 5th, 1942 to scuttle the Quail just as the surrender was being announced. Doing as he was ordered, Morrill still was reluctant to submit to capture. He and seventeen others comandeered a small tug, the Ranger and determined to make their way to the southern Philippines where they understood surviving forces to be continuing the fight. Eventually, they found that this was not feasible and they ultimately made their way to Australia.

Thus, the eighteen navy men happily concluded their incredible 2,000 mile odyssey. They had managed safely to traverse enemy-infested, unfamiliar seas in their little 36-foot motor launch at an average speed of 5 knots, using a jury-rigged sextant to plot their way on inadequate navigational charts. This daring, seemingly impossible escape from Corregidor to Darwin, Australia, by Lieutenant Commander John H. Morrill and his men must surely stand tall among the all-time great achievements attributed to men of the United States Navy.

This story on its own warrants the book. It is right up there with Bligh and his navigating the loyal crew of eighteen from the HMS Bounty 2,000 miles across the Pacific to Timor in 1789 in a 23 foot launch. Whereas Bligh had the disadvantage of sailing without a motorized and slightly larger tug, on the other hand Morrill had literally hundreds of enemy ships and planes trying to intercept him the whole journey. Both are remarkable tales of seamanship.

An excellent book (the second half) for a YA reader with an interest in World War II, the Navy and the Sea, military action, adventure, history, courage, duty and heroism.