to perpetuate the memory and history of our dead

28.6 Mer Mar

These Merchant Mariners and US Navy personnel (mostly Naval Reserves) were taken as POWs as their ships were sunk by various means. Most were handed over to the Japanese at Singapore but a few were left by their original captors on Java.

The ships involved were the SS Sawolka (some of whose crew worked the TBR at Hintok), the SS Amrican Leader, the SS Humphrey and the SS Hovey. Many of these men survived the sinking of their vessel only to die as POWs. The members of the American Leader crew fared the worst as POWs.

AMER LDRAL-dcdALBERT SIDNEY MULLERCookPakan Baroe
AMER LDRAL-dcdBEHRENDT DONALD PAULYeoman3cen route (Tamahoko)
AMER LDRAL-dcdBOWENS GEORGE HMessmanen route (Tamahoko)
AMER LDRAL-dcdDELANEY FRANCIS JABseaen route (Tamahoko)
AMER LDRAL-dcdDENZIER HERMAN R (Denzler)oileren route (Tamahoko)
AMER LDRAL-dcdDICKINGER CHARLES JRABseaen route (Tamahoko)
AMER LDRAL-dcdDUFFY GEORGE William3rd OFFPakan Baroe
AMER LDRAL-dcdGORSKI STANLEY EBosunPakan Baroe
AMER LDRAL-dcdGROVER WILLIAM Aoileren route (Tamahoko)
AMER LDRAL-dcdMLODZIK ALVIN PAULSM2cen route (Tamahoko)
AMER LDRAL-dcdMOGENSEN CARL JOHANASSM2cen route (Tamahoko)
AMER LDRAL-dcdPATOCKA FRANK JABseaPakan Baroe
AMER LDRAL-dcdPEKICH STEVEseamanPakan Baroe
AMER LDRAL-dcdPOTOCNY FERDINAND JUtilityen route (Tamahoko)
AMER LDRAL-dcdSHERSHUN ALEXANDERJr 3rd Offen route (Tamahoko)
AMER LDRAL-dcdSUTHERLAND NEVILLECh CookPakan Baroe
AMER LDRAL-dcdWILLIAMS LEWIS P (Louis P?)oileren route (Tamahoko)
AMER LDRAL-dcdYOUNG CHARLES JosephJr Engen route (Tamahoko)
AMER LDRAL-Jp-survD’AMBROSE ERNEST WilliamwiperKyushu
AMER LDRAL-Jp-survHIZA FRANKABseaKyushu
AMER LDRAL-Jp-survKAMINS ERIC Otto3rd EngineerKyushu
AMER LDRAL-Jp-survMARCINKUS ANTHONY JosephwiperKyushu
AMER LDRAL-Jp-survPRIDE KENNETH JerryABseaKyushu
AMER LDRAL-MukPEDERSEN HAAKON AndrewCAPTMukden Manchuria
AMER LDRAL-SgCOHEN JOSEPHRadio OfficerChangi
AMER LDRAL-SgMoss Arthur RWiperChangi
AMER LDRAL-SgTROTTA PASQUALE AloysiusMessmanChangi
AMER LDRAL-SumatraHICKEY BERNARD JosephCh OffPakan Baroe
AMER LDRAL-SumatraKALLOCH CARL H “Blackie”seamanPakan Baroe
AMER LDRAL-SumatraPAREJKO EUGENE JOHNSM2cPakan Baroe
AMER LDRAL-SumatraPARIS PATRICK1st EngPakan Baroe
Hovey-JvMM-JapanMARGETKO WILLIAM ValentineABseaFukuoka
Hovey-JvMM-SgSIMMS FRED B “Frank”Eng OffChangi
Hovey-JvMM-SgTHORSEN HANSCAPTChangi
Hovey-JvMM-SgTURNER ROBERT Watson2nd OFFChangi
Humph-SgMM-dcdHOSEY WILLIAM WardcivPakan Baroe
Humph-SgMM-SgBASTON THOMAS JOSEPHseamanChangi
Humph-SgMM-SgCOLLINS OMAR FloydWIPERChangi
Humph-SgMM-SgDAVIDSON EDWARD MooreSEAMANChangi
Humph-SgMM-SgFRITZ ERNESTfiremanChangi
Humph-SgMM-SgGARLAND GERALD HazletonPOChangi
Humph-SgMM-SgHENDERSON VINSON GunterQMChangi
Humph-SgMM-SgKAVANAGH FRANK JosephseamanChangi
Humph-SgMM-SgMcARTHUR EDWARD FrancisfiremanChangi
Humph-SgMM-SgMcGADDES CHARLES ElvidaQMChangi
Humph-SgMM-SgMONCRIEFF CHRISTOPHER McKinleyseamanChangi
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpAtkociunas, Joseph JohnAble SeamanHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpBecker, Erich  (H?)MessmanHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpBryson, Walter AlanAble SeamanHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpBuckley, Irwin FrancisAble SeamanHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpCebollero, Charles “Carlos”  HumbertoOrdinary SeamanHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpColmyer, William TheodoreCarpenterHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpCoppenrath, Alfred Francois “Mano”2nd EngineerHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpCruickshank, Richard PaulMessmanHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpCudd, Lewis Edward2nd CookHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpDickman (Dreckman), Otto HWiperHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpEvart, AlfredDeck MaintenanceHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpHaglund, Elmer WalfidDeck MaintenanceHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpHenderson, George GBosunHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpKnudsen, John FallensenAble SeamanHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpNieves, Ricardo  MorenoWiperHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpNilsson, Henry Edvin AlexanderMessman[not recorded]
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpPisarczyk, AndrewOilerHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpRuiz, Alfonso CastilloOilerHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpSaar, ElmarChief MateRokuroshi
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpSechak, PaulAble SeamanHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-JpWardell, Clarence DudleyUtilityHakodate
SW-MMOTH-Sw-SgMackney, John NStewardChangi
SW-USNOTH-Sw-JpAGRO, Harry CharlesSeaman 2nd ClassHakodate
SW-USNOTH-Sw-JpALBERTS, Joseph EdwardSeaman 2nd ClassFukuoka
SW-USNOTH-Sw-JpANDERSON, Harvey TurieSeaman 1st ClassHakodate
SW-USNOTH-Sw-JpBABCOCK, Benjamin WayneSeaman 1st ClassHakodate
SW-USNOTH-Sw-JpBIAGINI, Joseph JohnSeaman 2nd ClassHakodate
SW-USNOTH-Sw-JpBURGER, Jr, James SpenceSeaman 1st ClassHakodate
SW-USNOTH-Sw-JpGARGANO, Anthony Michael     “Tony”Seaman 1st ClassHakodate
SW-USNOTH-Sw-JpHARTMAN, Frank WilliamSeaman 2nd ClassHakodate
SW-USNOTH-Sw-JpZANDER, William OttoSeaman 2nd ClassHakodate

Apparently, post-war, there was a heated political battle to get these men the recognition (and compensation) they deserved. Their ordeals were no less ardous than the ‘official’ US POWs. It is also of note that a few of these men were Afro-Americans constituting a tiny minority of the Pacific Theater POWs. [see Section 3.11 for more of their story]

In the following segment, the Captain of the AMERICAN LEADER details his experience as a POW as well as the sinking of his vessel: [1]

[1] Once again I am indebted to Marianne LeButt for locating the above document

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