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From: Charles.K.Scott@dartvax.dartmouth.edu (Charles K. Scott)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: WWII multi-element ditching procedures.
Message-ID: <1991May24.030547.9434@amd.com>
Date: 23 May 91 16:43:42 GMT
References: <1991May18.050451.9723@amd.com>
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From: Charles.K.Scott@dartvax.dartmouth.edu (Charles K. Scott)


KARYPM%SJUVM@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (Paul M. Karagianis) writes:
> Locating any of the
> four would give a pretty good fix on the hub: "yeah, he's exactly 14
> minutes magnetic south" (I'm making a possibly bogus assumption that
> ditching is a *relatively* low risk hazard), and reduce the search area
> to rather small pie slices on the remaining three.

Ditching as a group was operational procedure or at least that's the
way it usually went during WW II for many good reasons. 

1. You can't be assured of a good ditching and saving all the
components stored away for survival, so ditching together pools the
resources.

2. You're right in that it is very difficult to see a single raft on a
sparkling sea, but having all rafts tied together does make a bigger
target to look for.

3. Usually, no one is sure where they are when they ditch, that's often
why they're ditching, Once in the water, anything can and will happen
that will make the original ditching positions completely eroneous. 
Currents, winds, local squals etc. all effect the individual members
differently scattering all so badly that finding everyone is unlikely.

4. No one can be sure they will come out of a ditching in good shape,
it's a violent stop after all.  Someone will likely be injured.  If you
stick together it might be possible to assist the wounded, or prevent
someone from sliding out of the raft and possibly drowning

5. Just having a buddy nearby can be a great relief at times, it's a
good moral booster, and when so many men died at sea through drowning
and exposure, who knows what mysterious factors are at work keeping the
spirit alive.

6. Finally, the squadrons were tought to act as a group.  That was
their training since joining the Navy.  Acts of individualism were not
encouraged.  An example was one courageous Navy pilot who, while flying
with his squadron while they searched for the Japenese fleet at Midway,
gesticulated and flew alongside the flight leader for a half an hour
attempting to get the flight turned around to head back to the US fleet
because they had little gas left and had to at least get close to the
fleet to get spotted in the water.  When he was ignored, the man turned
back alone.  This made the commanding officer furious, although he in
turn had to bow to the obvious and turn back shortly thereafter.  None
of the pilots made it back to the carriers.  All ditched South of the
fleet.  Here is an interesting point, they didn't all ditch in the same
place.  Some had gas and contiunued searching for the fleet.  Those who
stayed together were found several days later, but some of the pilots
who flew on were never seen again.

Corky Scott