PATROL-BOAT ACE

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 May 1942, Page 2

PATROL-BOAT ACE

GREAT WORK IN PHILIPPINES

SYDNEY, May 14

Lieutenant John Bulkeley, the expert in patrol torpedo-boats (P.T.’s), who supervised General MacArthur’s dash from the Philippines last March, travelled by air from Australia to America with three other torpedoboat officers. He is regarded as America’s “Ace” in the handling of P.T.’s, which the Philippine Army was beginning to adopt on General MacArthur’s request when the Pacific war began. P.T. boats have always been strongly favoured by General MacArthur. He tried several times to have them adopted as part of the modern machinery of war before they finally were tried in the Philippines, where the archipelago forms an island sea. He had urged their use for harassing any capital invading ships, and staked his reputation on their efficiency. In response to General MacArthur’s plea 12 of these boats were delivered to the Philippines, six arriving in the charge ol' Lieutenant Bulkeley just before the outbreak of war. In a fewmonths Lieutenant Bulkeley sank seven Japanese ships. Twice he went into Subic Bay and scored heavily. Once he returned to make certain that a Japanese cruiser was sinking, and was almost captured. Lieutenant Bulkeley won the Distinguished Service Cross.