Mr. Lamb said he
was serving with the 2nd Marine Division on one of the several Landing
Ship Tanks,(LST's) which exploded while docked at West Loch. According
to the Navy Reports, 127 servicemen were killed and 400 injured in the
tragedy, which by then was 3000 miles from the battle lines of the Pacific
front of World War II.
Mr. Lamb said that
the events preceding and following the little publicized "second disaster"
at Pearl Harbor remain one of the mysteries of the war.
Sometimes called
"Secret Pearl Harbor" or "Second Pearl Harbor," it happened while six LST's
and three Landing Craft Tanks were lined up at West Loch with other vessels
to take on food and ammunition and to pick up new anphibious equipment
for the invasion of Saipan.
"It was a sunny quiet
Sunday," he said. As American Servicemen lounged on the decks of the landing
ships or played cards, the quiet was shattered by a series of explosions.
The first blast came
from LST 383, knocking men from their feet and jarring a group of other
LST's moored about 300 yards away in the anchorage and ammunition loading
area. Some carried landing craft and tanks loaded with troops and ammunition
for the 4000 mile voyage to the Japanese stronghold of Saipan.
Flames shot into
the air and debris fell like shrapnel across the LST's moored in the harbor.
Bodies of men floated on the loch as others abandoned ship by jumping into
the water. Off-duty Navy men joined the Marines and soldiers who crowded
to vantage points aboard the vessels to stare at the smoke and flames billowing
from the shattered "383".
Lamb said that after
the first explosion, the curiosity of the troops turned to horror as they
watched the burning ship and saw survivors of the stricken vessel pour
across the decks of adjoining ships. He was serving aboard LST 179, right
next to the first to explode and had to dive some twenty feet into the
water.
Swimming with his
eyes open, while dodging pieces of hot steel, Mr. Lamb managed to swim
to the shore. He lost all of his personal possesions, coming away with
only the clothes he was wearing,( the young Marine had suffered shrapnel
wounds and was hospitalized for several days on the island). After reaching
the shore he joined others who were heading for protection in the cane
fields nearby. When they reached the field, they found it dotted with men
who had been cut down by flying metal from the explosions.
While running, Cpl.
Lamb said he found a man who had lost both legs when a truck engine blew
on one of the ships. He said he took off his belt to use as a tournequet
before two fellow Marines dragged the enjured man across the field to the
hospital. " The chances of losing both limbs by such a blast", Lamb said,
" would probably be a million to one".
The second LST literally
blew to pieces and the fleeing men tumbled for cover as chunks of jagged
steel rained over the area. As panic increased, many were pushed into the
water, with many of those drowning before they reached shore. Then a blast
tore through the third vessel, it matched those which had come before and
added to the terror. It sprayed flaming gasoline, which spread swiftly
across the water, overtaking some swimmers before they could reach the
safety of the beach.
Meanwhile, the fire
spread to the other group of ships moored near an ammunition island and
fire boats had moved in on the holocaust. The crew of one fire boat pushed
its bow right between two flaming vessels and sprayed water on both, (disregarding
the fact that all three could've been blown to bits at any moment).
Shortly after 9 P.M.
, another ship erupted like a volcano, lighting the entire disaster area.
The fires were finally brought under control the following day, but seven
LST's were distroyed, three others burned and a merchant ship,( the Joseph
Francis), was scarred by flames. Mr. Lamb says he feels the death toll
may have reached a thousand, though the offical Navy report listed only
127.
He said there is
only rumor and speculation amoung the survivors as to what might have caused
the tragedy. Some claimed the acetylene torch of a civilian welder came
into contact with explosives, but many of the servicemen felt a saboteur
might have come on board and set a 'timed' explosive. Official Navy Department
reports described the incident as " an explosion of undetermined origin"
but ruled that the blast "was not caused by sabotage".
News of the disaster
was classified "Top Secret" at the time to prevent the Japanese from
learning about the massive concentration of troops and ammunition for the
for the invasions of Saipan and Tinian in the Western Pacific. "It was
not declassified until 1962 or publicized until 1963", said Mr. Lamb, who
was only 19 at the time.
***********************************Epilog****************************************
In spite of the disaster,
replacements were found and the fleet was able to leave for Saipan in June,
only one day late from the originally planned departure. Cpl. Lamb
was re-assigned to LST 213 and served in communications between the mortar
platoon and the front lines throughout the war. |
