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 Author  Topic: While researching PT 32 and LTjg.Schumacher
  TED WALTHER

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Found some info on While researching PT 32 and LTjg.Schumacher:

In the 1960's, My Dad had a Naval Reserve Buddy at NRC Whitestone named Fred Wroble (then he was a LT, USNR, what we called an LDO machinist),I met Fred in the early1970"s, when he was moving to Miami. Dad told me that Fred was in the Philippines on the Bataan Death March.
Today I found out Fred was a MM1/C originally assigned to USS Sealion(SS-195), which was bombed at Cavite on 10 Dec 1941and destroyed to prevent capture on 25 Dec 1941.
Fred then became crew on the USS "Maryanne", a converted yacht(which was owned by Dutch "Sugar and Real Estate Millionaire" Jan Marsman and his wife "Diamond Mary" or "Aunt Mary" Marsman) which was part of the Inshore Patrol Group. They would go on patrol every 3rd night with the PT Boats.
They would act as a decoy to draw enemy ships into firing on them and the PT would attack from seaward unobserved. One such night was 1 February 1942, Maryanne was escorted by PT 32(LTjg V.E. Schumacher CO and LT Grover Delong as OTC), when Maryanne drew the fire of what was thought to be a cruiser(Japanese records state that the Minelayer Yaeyama was damage this night), Schumacher attacked and fired two torpedoes seeing and claiming hits.
The Maryanne, Perry, and Fisheries ll and the tug Trabajador (which acted as a defacto RON 3 tender)operated with the PT's of RON 3. Maryanne was also tasked with transporting 20 tons of Philippine gold and silver and deliver it and help load it on to USS Trout(SS-202) for evacuation to US via Pearl Harbor.
The Maryanne was destroyed to prevent capture on 5 May 1942. Both the CO and XO of the Maryanne both were awarded the Navy Cross and unfortunately died as POW's.
I have since found Fred Wroble's name on three POW camp rosters and he was a "guest" on the Hell Ship Dainichi Maru(AKA: Lima Maru) which took him from the Philippines to Singapore then to Formosa, arriving on Friday 13, November 1942.
Machinist's Mate First Class Fred Wroble (NSN: 4088487), United States Navy, was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Corregidor, Philippine Islands, on 6 May 1942, and was held as a Prisoner of War until returned to U.S. Military control at the end of hostilities in August 1945. He was held at: Taichu POW camp #2, Sen-05B-Kamaishi (Yanoura), and Tokyo Pow Camp Branch 2 Kawasaki Tokyo Bay Area 35 139.
He was a good guy, but Dad said his stomach was jacked up for the rest of his life. He went on his last patrol in November 1978.
Pretty interesting PT tie in, well at least I think so.
Take care,
TED


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Will Day

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Thanks, Ted.

Will

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Frank Andruss

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Great information, thanks Ted.........


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Nuge210

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Nuge210   Send Email To Nuge210 Posted on: Mar 30, 2015 - 8:53am
Interesting stuff, thanks Ted.

Steve

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