Aussie comes to S.F. to see sub that saved him

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 3/18/9 | Carl Nolte

[SmithL]

An old soldier from out of the past stepped carefully aboard the World War II submarine Pampanito at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf to relive a day he can never forget.

His name is Harold Martin. They used to call him "Curley" after his thick blond hair back when he was an Australian soldier, back when he was a prisoner of the Japanese, working as a slave laborer on the infamous ''railway of death" in the jungles of Thailand.

It was his fair hair that saved Martin and 72 of his comrades who had been left to die in the South China Sea after the American submarine Sealion sank the ship carrying them to work in the coal mines in Japan.

Seeing the fair-haired man on a raft with others convinced Paul Summers, skipper of the Pampanito, that the men in water were not Japanese. The Pampanito was part of a submarine wolfpack; the American sailors were prepared to fire on the men in the water.

But instead, the sub picked up the men - exhausted, covered with fuel oil - and gave them their lives back.

Martin, who is 92 now, came back to the Pampanito for the first time in 65 years on Tuesday. He wanted to see the submarine, now a museum ship, one last time.

He is tall and spare, a bit deaf, and bald now, but still limber enough to climb down a vertical ladder to the interior of the submarine. "That bunk there," he said softly, pointing to a top bunk, one of 36 spots in the crowded crew's berthing area. "That is the one where they put me."

"A heartwarming experience to be back after 65 years," he wrote in the Pampanito's guest book. "Thank you."

[SmithL]

Sixty four years after being rescued by the US Pampanito in the South China Sea, Harold Martin, 92, (r) an australian solider during WWII visits the submarine, now a museum at Pier 45, on Tuesday March 17, 2009 in San Francisco, Calif. In the dark days of WWII martin was captured by the japanese and put to work building the famous death railway in thailand; later he was shipped to japan with other prisoners, and then torpedoed by an american sub where he and 72 of his mates were rescued by the Pampanito after a horrific ordeal in the south china sea.

[HereInTheHeartland]

The Pampanito is worth a visit. The Jeremiah O’Brien is right next to it also.

[SmithL]

PING ) ) ) ) ) )

[SmithL]

fyi

[Andyman]

Pics of the sub here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyairriess/sets/72157611979840336/

Went there this Christmas, the sub was a highlight of our trip.

[WayneS]

What a great story.

I hope God continues to bless “Curley” with a healthy, long(er) life, and a painless demise when his time finally comes.

[Doohickey]

It is little known that during WWII, the Japanese Navy did not mark the ships that were carrying wounded or POWs, as is the accepted international practice during wartime. As a result, thousands of POWs were killed by U.S. submarines operating in Japanese waters.

[unkus]

Yes, it’s a sad fact of the war.

[garyhope]

Till the day he died, my career Army (Airborne) dad hated the Japanese. He wouldn’t buy a Japanese car or TV. I tried to tell him that most Japanese TV’s were now made in America by American workers 15 miles from where he lived, but that still wasn’t good enough.

The Japanese have a great culture in many ways, but during WWII, they were bastards.

[no-s]

I visited the Pampanito once with my son's scout troop. They stood watch overnight and explored the boat. I rigged a hammock in the forward torpedo room and helped the watchstanders stay awake with a bout of prodigious snoring...

The torpedo room looks pretty big - it might be the size of my living room - but it's crammed full of gear. I left the next day with a lump in my throat.

[Redleg Duke]

My late Dad also always referred to them as “Those Purple-Pissin’ Jap Bastards!”

[investigateworld]

It's sad that even the most nasty Jap pow camp commanders who were give life in prison, were all home safe and snug in their own beds by 1956.

They did less time in the joint than what W wanted the border guards to do......

[HereInTheHeartland]

The Jeremiah O'Brien is one of the few remaining Liberty ships left, and has been nicely restored.

A lot of great history to see there, after a Pampinito visit.
And Boudin sourdough bread next door after all of that!

[rahbert]

as is the shooting of helpless men in the water by US sailors...a war crime if it were done by Japanese or Germans.

[unkus]

Yes, war is hell.

[shredderman]

I believe this is also the Sub the served as the “USS Stingray SS-161” in Down Periscope with Kelsey Grammer and a great cast of characters. It would be nice if they had left the mural of the stingray on the Port Bow as it was in the movie. A great boat, and my hat off to those who served in the Silent Service, from one Sailor to another. Fair Winds and Following Seas.

[SmithL]

When our Troop toured the Pampanito, the Fwd Torpedo Room was reserved for an all-night movie marathon, starting with Down Periscope.

But I was standing a horizontal watch in the After Battery.

[SolitaryMan]

I visited SF three years ago this month and the Pampanito was the highlight of the visit. Very well preserved and it was a joy talking to the two shipmates that were onboard to answer questions.