48th Material Squadron, U.S. Army Air Corps
R. E. Lee was one of 1803 Prisoners of War on the Japanese transport the Arisan Maru. He was killed in action when the ship was hit by torpedoes from an American submarine in the South China Sea on October 24, 1944.
Most of the POWs survived the attack. Some, who could not swim, ate their last meal from the ship's food lockers during the two hours that the ship remained afloat. They wanted to die with full stomachs. Others swam to other Japanese ships but were pushed away, with poles, by Japanese sailors. The POWs were left to drown.
As the ship broke in two and sunk, many POWs tried to find anything that would float. The cries for help could be heard in the dark by the few POWs who had managed to get into an abandoned lifeboat. Only nine POWs of the 1803 POWs survived the sinking. Only eight POWs survived to the end of the war.
R. E. Lee was one of 1803 Prisoners of War on the Japanese transport the Arisan Maru. He was killed in action when the ship was hit by torpedoes from an American submarine in the South China Sea on October 24, 1944.
Most of the POWs survived the attack. Some, who could not swim, ate their last meal from the ship's food lockers during the two hours that the ship remained afloat. They wanted to die with full stomachs. Others swam to other Japanese ships but were pushed away, with poles, by Japanese sailors. The POWs were left to drown.
As the ship broke in two and sunk, many POWs tried to find anything that would float. The cries for help could be heard in the dark by the few POWs who had managed to get into an abandoned lifeboat. Only nine POWs of the 1803 POWs survived the sinking. Only eight POWs survived to the end of the war.
48th Material Squadron, U.S. Army Air Corps
R. E. Lee was one of 1803 Prisoners of War on the Japanese transport the Arisan Maru. He was killed in action when the ship was hit by torpedoes from an American submarine in the South China Sea on October 24, 1944.
Most of the POWs survived the attack. Some, who could not swim, ate their last meal from the ship's food lockers during the two hours that the ship remained afloat. They wanted to die with full stomachs. Others swam to other Japanese ships but were pushed away, with poles, by Japanese sailors. The POWs were left to drown.
As the ship broke in two and sunk, many POWs tried to find anything that would float. The cries for help could be heard in the dark by the few POWs who had managed to get into an abandoned lifeboat. Only nine POWs of the 1803 POWs survived the sinking. Only eight POWs survived to the end of the war.
R. E. Lee was one of 1803 Prisoners of War on the Japanese transport the Arisan Maru. He was killed in action when the ship was hit by torpedoes from an American submarine in the South China Sea on October 24, 1944.
Most of the POWs survived the attack. Some, who could not swim, ate their last meal from the ship's food lockers during the two hours that the ship remained afloat. They wanted to die with full stomachs. Others swam to other Japanese ships but were pushed away, with poles, by Japanese sailors. The POWs were left to drown.
As the ship broke in two and sunk, many POWs tried to find anything that would float. The cries for help could be heard in the dark by the few POWs who had managed to get into an abandoned lifeboat. Only nine POWs of the 1803 POWs survived the sinking. Only eight POWs survived to the end of the war.
Bio by: JimO
Inscription
LEE R E JR - PFC - 48 MATERIEL SQ - LOUISIANA
Family Members
Other Records
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
