BATTLE WITH SHARKS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXIV, Issue 37, 12 January 1944, Page 2

BATTLE WITH SHARKS

(R.N.Z.A.F. News Service.) NEW GEORGIA, Jan. 7.

Thanks to being spotted and reported by two R.N.Z.A.F. Ventura bombers, Bieut. D. A. Scott, a 25-year-old Indianapolis pilot of the United States Forces in the South Pacific, was picked up by an American Catalina flying-boat off the coast of New Ireland on New Year's Day and is now well on the way to recovery after eight days' exposure on a life-raft, during which time he fought a desperate battle with sharks. Now back with his Hellcat unit, Scott is rapidly regaining the 251 b lost in his grim ordeal. After shooting down a Zero over Babaul during a sweep on Christmas Eve Scott was attacked by Japanese fighters and eventually forced to make a sea landing. For three days he endeavoured to paddle his life-raft from the coastal area to the open sea but at night the current swept him back. On his fourth night at sea a storm providentially swept Scott seawards and he resolved to sail to Bougainville.

The currents and weather conditions were only part of the American's troubles, for each day just before sundown sharks came swilling to the surface of the sea to prey on the smaller fish following the liferaft. At the outset revolver shots were sufficient to drive the sharks away, but on the seventh night a monster nosed right up to the airman's craft. Scott's revolver failed and he fought desperately first with the gun and then with his bare fists as the shark dived and stabbed viciously at the boat. Finnlly, Scott flung a sea-marker into the face of the shark and it gave up the attack, leaving the raft riddled and sinking. Undaunted Scott plugged the worst of the holes and kept the craft afloat by reinflatinj; it at half-hourly intervals. Nest day #cott signalled frantically to passing Venturas, which, after they appeared not to have noticed him, eventually turned in his direction, dropped supplies, arid circled round his craft for four hours. During that night a storm blew the raft another 15 miles north, but with the search now localised as a result of the R.N.Z.A.F. crews' observations Scott was picked up on New Year's Day. Apart from scratches and cuts from his struggle with sharks and weakness from his exposure to the se» and wind, the American, was in remarkably good physical shape.