PT-35

USN
Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3

 

Captain ENS A. B. Akers
Crew William H. Posey
Scuttled April 12, 1942

Ship History
On March 11, 1942, this boat along with PT 32 (abandoned during the mission) PT 41, PT 34 transported Douglas MacArthur, his family and entorage of high-ranking officers from Corregidor to Mindanao. Every member of the squadron the Silver Star.

Mission History
Burned to prevent capture at Cebu, 12 April 1942.

Relative
Kim (cousin)
"After his liberation, all the servicemen were told to surrender. My cousin and many of the others headed for the mountains and were going to try to make it to Australia. He and another buddy J.C. Chalker, an Army guy and several others plus 3 Filippinos somehow got a small power boat and headed out for Australia. Well, apparently they only made it to Celebes. When they landed the Dutch turned them over to the Japanese. The town was called as I was told Sarismanado, and the area of the common grave was called Liebonyat Garden.

The Japanese in turn killed them. I was told they were all beheaded and buried in this Liebonyat Garden in a common grave. Now, how the events of their bodies being found is not clear to me but, J.C. Chalker's body was recovered along with 9 other bodies in this grave. I have spoken with his 90 year old sister who states she still has all the records given to her parents about who was buried there.

The letter states that 10 bodies were recovered. However, they were buried in St. Louis is the Jefferson Barracks Cemetery in a group grave but only 8 bodies. Now, my question is what happened to the 2 bodies? The cemetery only has record of 8 bodies but not 10 as the Chalker family was told. The cemetery also told me that my cousins body still was not recovered--so my feeling is he is still there on the island somewhere.

I know I still have investigations to do myself to get the exact location. My guess is it is somewhere in North Sulawesi possibly at Manado. That is a tourist spot and I think has an airport also, I know Manado is the northern part of the island. I have gotten this far finding information from the beginning of our family never being told or knowing any thing about his death to getting as close to finding the island on which he died."

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