Curios and Relics

Philadelphia and Delware River Museum Ships

Philadelphia is home to a major US Naval shipyard, and several museum ships, Cruiser USS Olympia, Submarine USS Becuna, and across the river in Camden NJ, the Battleship New Jersey. The Olympia is of special note given that it it is the only surviving US warship of the Spanish American War, during which she was the flagship of Commodore Dewey in the battle of Manila Bay. The Becuna is a WW2 era submarine, and the New Jersey, a WW2 Iowa class battleship.

The offical US Navy summary of the USS Becuna's WW2 war patrols is here.

In the Becuna war patrol logs, there was an interesting incident noted.
1 September, 1944 "Sighted small boat with jury mast riggged. Closed adn rescued a Japanese Solder. He said his name was Abe Tsuehmatu, and that he had left wake Island in this boat on 1 August. He can speak broken English and is willing to talk. We will turn him into ComTaskGroup 17.7"

4 September 1944 "Sighted Escort, USS HEED, bearing 250'(T), range 15000 yards. Moored starbord side of USS BAYA, alongside USS HOLLAND at Saipan. Delivered Japanese Prisoner to ComTaskGroup 17.7."

It is interesting to think about the circumstances of that rescue / capture. Abe was likely starving and expecting likely death if he stayed on Wake Island, he risked starvation and death by going AWOL, and his heart likely sunk when he realized he was being captured by the US. But in the end, his life was likely saved by the capture.