Buck's War

The men of VPB-13 were assigned to Noumea on New Caledonia on the edge of the Coral Sea. It was a long flight but they did patrol duty along the way and stopped for fueling twice. A PBY is capable of landing on the ocean, providing it isn’t too rough, and getting fueled from a tanker. This could greatly extend the range of a patrol. They didn’t do it much because the PBY could stay in the air for almost a day, making refueling unnecessary. But it was possible.

            When they landed in Noumea they noticed the humidity and heat immediately. They were in the tropics and south of the equator it was spring. They went on patrols the first week they were on the island and on a return trip to base they were told by radio of a flyer who needed to be rescued. They were given his last coordinates and before the sun set they saw the yellow raft bouncing in the ocean. The PBY landed nearby and taxied over to the raft. The pilot was thrilled to be picked up so soon and thanked the crew profusely. It pleased the crew to know that they did something very important. They participated in their first rescue.

            After several weeks they were asked to fly to Espiritu Santo, an island about eight hours north of Noumea. It was to be their new home base. The men spoke of finally getting some action. They knew that Guadalcanal was several hours away by air and there was plenty of action there. When Steve got his new maps, he and Buck spent time looking at them. Steve was interested in knowing the prevailing winds so he could accurately plot a course and Buck wanted to know the winds so he could recommend to the captain the best way to attack a target.

            In late October the men of VPB-13 went out almost every night. The flights were shorter but much more interesting. They were instructed not to engage warships in battle but to pass on the name, number and size of all ships and convoys that they could see. The gunners were especially busy watching out for air cover. Buck stayed glued to the radar screen.

            One evening, moments after the sun went below the horizon, Buck spotted a small blip on his radar.

            “Captain, a bogey, at 340 degrees. Small, not moving, probably a sub.”

            “Let’s try out our new technique. Steve, what would be the best approach?”

            Stay on this course until we get west of him. If we attack between 30 and 40 degrees he’ll have a hard time hearing us with all the wind that’s up tonight. It’s dark enough that he probably won’t see this black cat either.”

            “Let’s try it. Battle stations, everyone.”

            The plane descended to about 100 feet above the ocean and continued on a westerly course giving the sub a wide berth. The blip remained on the edge of the radar screen until Buck told the Captain to come about to a heading of about 30 degrees. They did and Buck asked for another five degrees.