BASS, Harold F, Technical Sergeant, Headquarters Squadron, V Interceptor Command, U.S. Army Air Forces, Service no. 6884439, Enl: South Carolina, d. 24/10/1944
POW casualty of the Japanese hell ship Arisan Maru
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ARISAN MARU - THE GREATEST LOSS OF AMERICAN LIFE IN MARITIME HISTORY
On 24th October 1944 Arisan Maru carrying 1782 US POW was hit by 3 torpedoes from American submarine USS Shark (not knowing the Japanese freighter was carrying US POW) in the South China Sea, 200 miles N.W. of Luzon Island, Philippines. Arisan Maru was carrying 1782 US prisoners, 125 Japanese passengers and 204 crew from Manila to Japan.
After 2 Japanese destroyers attacked and sank USS Shark they returned to Arisan Maru to look for survivors. No POWs were killed by the torpedo strikes and nearly all were able to leave the ship's holds but the Japanese did not rescue any of the POW that day, only Japanese. Japanese destroyers even deliberately pulled away from the men struggling in the water to reach them. 1777 POW died.
Only 9 of the prisoners aboard survived the event. Five escaped and made their way to China in one of the ship's two lifeboats. They were reunited with U.S. Forces and returned to the United States. The four others were later recaptured by Imperial Japanese naval vessels, where one died shortly after reaching land.
This makes Arisa Maru the greatest loss of American life in maritime history.
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Harold served as a Technical Sergeant, Headquarter's Squadron, V Interceptor Command, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Colleton County, South Carolina prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on August 26, 1939, prior to the war. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed a amusement occupation and also as Divorced, without dependents.
He became a POW of the Japanese Army and was held somewhere in the Philippines at a POW Camp.
While a POW he was later loaded onto the Japanese cargo ship "Arisan Maru".
The Japanese ship "Arisan Maru" was loaded with 1,782 U.S. POW's and about 100 civilians in the cargo holds. The U.S.S. Shark, not knowing that American POW's were on board, fired three torpedoes at 5:30pm that hit the ship, causing it to break into two pieces that floated before sinking.
The entire crew except for nine of the POWs aboard died in the sinking. The sinking was the largest loss of American lives in a single disaster at sea.
Harold was declared "Missing In Action" in the sinking of the "Arisan Maru" during the war.
He was awarded the Prisoner Of War Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 6884439
Note: Later that same day the U.S.S. Shark (SS-314), which sank the "Arisan Maru", was also sank by the Japanese destroyer Harukaze off Taiwan with a loss of 87 crew members.
Bottom Bio by: Russ Pickett
BASS, Harold F, Technical Sergeant, Headquarters Squadron, V Interceptor Command, U.S. Army Air Forces, Service no. 6884439, Enl: South Carolina, d. 24/10/1944
POW casualty of the Japanese hell ship Arisan Maru
-------------------------------------------
ARISAN MARU - THE GREATEST LOSS OF AMERICAN LIFE IN MARITIME HISTORY
On 24th October 1944 Arisan Maru carrying 1782 US POW was hit by 3 torpedoes from American submarine USS Shark (not knowing the Japanese freighter was carrying US POW) in the South China Sea, 200 miles N.W. of Luzon Island, Philippines. Arisan Maru was carrying 1782 US prisoners, 125 Japanese passengers and 204 crew from Manila to Japan.
After 2 Japanese destroyers attacked and sank USS Shark they returned to Arisan Maru to look for survivors. No POWs were killed by the torpedo strikes and nearly all were able to leave the ship's holds but the Japanese did not rescue any of the POW that day, only Japanese. Japanese destroyers even deliberately pulled away from the men struggling in the water to reach them. 1777 POW died.
Only 9 of the prisoners aboard survived the event. Five escaped and made their way to China in one of the ship's two lifeboats. They were reunited with U.S. Forces and returned to the United States. The four others were later recaptured by Imperial Japanese naval vessels, where one died shortly after reaching land.
This makes Arisa Maru the greatest loss of American life in maritime history.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harold served as a Technical Sergeant, Headquarter's Squadron, V Interceptor Command, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Colleton County, South Carolina prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on August 26, 1939, prior to the war. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed a amusement occupation and also as Divorced, without dependents.
He became a POW of the Japanese Army and was held somewhere in the Philippines at a POW Camp.
While a POW he was later loaded onto the Japanese cargo ship "Arisan Maru".
The Japanese ship "Arisan Maru" was loaded with 1,782 U.S. POW's and about 100 civilians in the cargo holds. The U.S.S. Shark, not knowing that American POW's were on board, fired three torpedoes at 5:30pm that hit the ship, causing it to break into two pieces that floated before sinking.
The entire crew except for nine of the POWs aboard died in the sinking. The sinking was the largest loss of American lives in a single disaster at sea.
Harold was declared "Missing In Action" in the sinking of the "Arisan Maru" during the war.
He was awarded the Prisoner Of War Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 6884439
Note: Later that same day the U.S.S. Shark (SS-314), which sank the "Arisan Maru", was also sank by the Japanese destroyer Harukaze off Taiwan with a loss of 87 crew members.
Bottom Bio by: Russ Pickett
Inscription
BASS HAROLD F - T SGT - HQ SQ V INTERCEPTOR COMD - S C
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