Captain  Ens. Henry W. Cuttler (USNR)
Crew  MoMM3c Francis C. Watson
Crew  Hyde (MIA)
Crew  Bruce S. Bales (USNR) (MIA)
Crew  QM2c Allen B. Gregory (USNR) (MIA)
Crew  RM2c Harry E. Barnett (USNR)
Crew  Y2c Henry S. Timmons
Crew  TM3c Edgar L. Schmidt (USNR) (MIA)
Crew  MoMM3c Evo A. Fucili (USNR) (MIA)
Crew  SC3c James P. Mitchell
Engine Room  MoMM1c William Daley, Jr (USNR) (WIA / KIA)
Crew  TM2c Morgan J. Canterbury (USNR)
Sunk  March 7, 1944 

Wartime History
After a successful attack on Bogia Bay the night before, two PT-Boats from Dregger Harbor attempted to push deeper in to Japanese territory on the night of March 6/7, PT-338 (Lt.(jg) Carl T. Gleason) and PT-337 proceed to Hansa Bay in search of barges, where they idled outside the bay at 2am.

Spotting targets close to shore on radar, they attacked two luggers moored together, but heavy machine gun fire opened up from the beach area. They turned to strafe the beach but more guns opened up, including a heavy battery at Awar Point. The first shell fired hit the water near PT-337, three or four others nearby.  Another hit the engine room, and started fires aboard, wounding Daley,  forcing them to abandon the boat, that exploded and sank afterwards. PT-338 departed the scene, and every time it approached the area was driven away by gunfire and widthdrew alone before dawn.

Ordeal At Sea
In a life raft, they attempted to paddle out to sea, but were fighting strong currents, in the night, Daley died from his wounds and was buried at sea.  Morning found them still near Hansa Bay but drifting toward Manam Island. They attempted to head there, as it might be easier to escape detection and find food and water there, but currents kept them from reaching the island. Two of the crew attempted to swim to the island, but currents swept them back.  Two others also tried in the night and were never seen again.

By dawn on the 8th, they were still to the north of the island.  Delerium gripped the surviving crew, with more trying to swim to the island, but disappearing. They thought they saw one of them reach the shore, then Japanese appear on the beach.  Mitchell successfully reached the shore, saw enemy and returned to the raft.  That night, a boat approached them from shore with armed men aboard, but a sudden squall came up and the boat disappeared. On the morning of the 9th, they found a overturned Japanese boat, and found a crab clinging to it that they ate, and a drifting coconut (dried out), the only food or water they had, and all were covered in sores.

Escape
Finally at noon on the 10th, three B-25 circled them, dropped a package but it sank, but two other packages survived, with instructions that a PBY would pick them up. The morning of the 11th, a PBY covered by two P-47s arrived and  picked up the five survivors, taking them back to Degger Harbor.

References
At Close Quarters, pages 224 - 226

Contribute Information