Flier back in drydock

Posted by Rebekah
Jul 26 2010

So sixty-six years ago today Flier is back in drydock, though this time, for a minor problem.

What was actually causing the loud noise on  the starboard side of Flier was never fully explained, but she was drydocked, and her starboard tailshaft, both propellers and starboard strut bearings were pulled and replaced.  This is going to take a few days.

Today also marks the anniversary of the Robalo’s official disappearance date.   I’m not sure what intelligence information caused the Navy to select this date as the day the Robalo went down, but nonetheless, this is it.

The official record today reads that due to a mine strike, Robalo sank today two miles west of Palawan Island.  Four men made it to the shore of Palawan, were captured and held as guerilla forces, rather than POWs.  Two of those men were Ensign Tucker and Quartermaster Martin, the same names that de la Cruz and later, Captain Crowley would report to the investigation were washed up on Comiran Island and captured.

The green regions are all areas the Robalo was reported going down. The red dot is the resting place of Flier, now known. As you can see, the search for the Robalo could be very long indeed.

So who’s right?  Until the wreck of the Robalo is discovered, we may never know.  Even if the wreck is discovered, that will likely not answer questions about the number of survivors that might have made it to shore, though it might tell us which scenario is more plausible.

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