Originally Posted by
olympus
Would anyone have any idea how big 'Scorpion' was? Certainly big enough to have the crew divided into two 'watches' and carry what sounds like a substantial quantity of rations (including beer!)
Highly recommend 'Global Warrior'.
Page 40 of Global Warrior says the boat (that Jeudwine and his colleagues escaped in from Java to Australia... 900 miles) was 30' long, a lifeboat from a liner. So I guess the floor was about the length of four men, lying head to toe. Not big, hence the decision to take a crew of 13 on the trip to Australia.
Now that I have the book in front of me, I can clear-up some discussion/speculation that was made in the earliest pages of this Thread. It was proposed that the aircrew turfed the groundstaff out of their boat and grabbed it to make their escape, leaving the groundstaff to their fate. That's a horrible slander!
The Japs were in the process of invading Java. Jeudwine and his party of 84 Sqn personnel began their escape at midnight from Tjilatjap harbour with two lifeboats, being towed by a launch. There were 30 members of the squadron in each lifeboat plus 5 in the launch. Jeudwine was one of only two who knew how to sail, the other one was Plt Off Streatfield who skippered the second lifeboat. The launch's engine broke down after two hours and the lifeboat sails were tried out, but these didn't perform as the boats were so over-loaded. So they rowed to a nearby island, a lifeboat now towing the launch. Jeudwine anchored his boat off-shore. Streatfeild reckoned he could see a passage through the reefs to get to shore, but when trying it, the surf picked up the launch and lifeboat, tearing out their hulls on the rocks. Everyone swam ashore and salvaged the stores from the two wrecks.
Jeudwine decided that the best plan was to take the surviving boat with a crew of 13, leaving everyone else to hide ashore for two months and await the arrival of a submarine that would be sent from Australia. He selected his crew, choosing those with useful skills, most being Australians as they had a chance to get home. He hoped it would take 16 days to get from Java to Australia... it took 6 weeks. They had to ration their limited supplies of food and drink, and these became tighter when cans were found to have been spoilt through corrosion. They met with storms and days of calm under the baking sun. Repeatedly repairs to the rudder failed and it broke away from the boat. The most worrying moment was when a Japanese submarine surfaced nearby, the captain surveying them through his binoculars, with the vessels guns being trained on them. Mercifully, he had no blood lust for Westerners and he went on his way. Throughout, morale never seriously faltered, thanks to Jeudwine.
The shore party, left behind, hung-on for six weeks and then got in touch with local Dutchmen (Java being a Dutch colony). They gave them a meal at the local jail, then handed them over to the Japanese. After which they had three and a half years as POWs, roughly a third of them dying in the process. The submarine, sent from Australia, of course found no trace of them at the beach.
As you say, Olympus, 'Global Warrior' is a very worthwhile read. I guess it can be bought, or ordered via an inter-library loan. ISBN 0-9536418-0-5