WesWorld

Manila, The Army and Navy Club, Friday, 6 July 1945

The choice of the Army and Navy Club as the venue for the inaugural meeting of the United Architects of the Philippines might have struck many as extraordinary but not so Manuel Molina, late lieutenant of the Philippine Navy. For one, he, like many of his fellow practicing architects, had served at one time in the nation’s military and had be a member here; for another, it was a recognized site for important meetings of military and civil officials; and for a third the topic of the evening’s lecture was of importance to all branches of the Government. It was also important to Molina – for he was to give it.

The subject of his lecture was, “Economical Means and Methods for Construction Wind-Resistant Housing”. It was a result of research he had begun while still serving in the Navy, prompted by his experiences in observing the Bharati Navy’s storm response exercise in the previous year. The key, he discovered, was to develop a simple means to tie the components of a building together to better resist the high wind conditions prevailing in a typhoon or similar storm. After extensive trial and error he had found a way to shape a piece of heavy-gauge galvanized steel that would tie together the outside wall, top plate and roof sheathing of a house, one that could be adjusted to meet any roof pitch and, more importantly, could be installed on an existing building. Together with similar plates that would tie roof components to one another, and others for wall and floor components, he had hit upon a method that would – in effect – make a unitary house structure that could better resist the storms that flattened too many Philippine buildings during a typhoon.

Molina hoped that he could convince his fellow architects to adopt his ideas.

The Manila Times, Monday, 9 July 1945

The patrol combatants Pasay and Pateros were completed today at the Butuan naval shipyard and have embarked on trials.


Destroyer Gavion, 20 dgs, 48 min North, 121 dgs, 29 min East, Wednesday, 11 July 1945

Commander Bernabe Villacampo was feeling good about the progress his crew were making in their post-refit workup; they were becoming familiar with the new systems aboard the ship, and the ship itself was handling well. Together with the recently-refitted Buitron the Gavion was running tracking drills with the submarine Sello, exercising the crew in the proper use of the SPR-44 hidrofono the Chilean specialists had installed during the ship’s refit.

“Hidrofono contact bearing zero-four-zero,” came the report from the sound operator.

“Left rudder twenty degrees,” Villacampo ordered. “Start a track. Let’s see if we can rattle the Sello a bit.”

The destroyer homed in on the underwater contact, adjusting to the twists and turns of the target. “Go active” Villacampo ordered; “Let them know we are on to them.”

The transducer inside the hidrofono unit activated and a powerful “Ba-wha” echoed through the waters of the China Sea. “Target bearing zero one zero,” the sound man reported. “Distance three hundred meters.”

“Left rudder ten degrees, speed fifteen knots,” said Villacampo, “Prepare to drop noisemakers.” The destroyer made its simulated attack run and a party on the fantail dropped a cluster of small explosive charges that would signal the Sello that it had been found. Moments later a splash of water signaled that they had done their work.

“Target changing course and depth,” reported the sound operator. “Bearing one one five, distance one hundred meters, depth forty meters.”

“Trying to turn under us?” Villacampo said aloud. “Very well, let’s make it a good exercise.”

The Gavion stayed with the target, pinging the water with the hidrofono to keep the Sello located, making simulated attack runs every few minutes. Villacampo signaled the Buitron to let her captain know that the Sello was making a great show. The executive officer brought the Buitron’s reply a few moments later.

“Sello alongside after completion of simulated attack,” the response read. “Target is not Sello – repeat – target is not Sello.”

“If it is not the Sello,” Villacampo thought, “then what submarine is it?”

If it is not the Sello, then maybe it is... trouble?

The Manila Chronicle, Friday, 13 July 1945

The submarines Bravado and Guerrero have completed their working up and have taken up their duties with the Northern Fleet.


The Daily Guardian (Iloilo), Monday, 16 July 1945

The submarines Ingenioso and Furia were completed today at the Butuan naval shipyard and have embarked upon their builder’s trials.

Could be the empties the mess steward threw overboard...
Could be underwater submarine-owning pirates...
Could be dastardly Chinese infiltrators...
Could be the Yellow Submarine visiting from Pepperland...
Could be Colombian drug smugglers...
Could be Red October asking directions for Montana...

Or none of the above!

The Manila Times, Tuesday, 17 July 1945

The light cruiser Dagupan was launched today at the Cavite shipyards; she how lies at the fitting-out wharf where work on her continues. She is scheduled to be commissioned next spring.


Manila, The Malacañang Palace, Office of the Defense Minister, Thursday, 19 July 1945

Don Roberto Cain scowled as he read the final report on the Gavion Incident – the inadvertent cat-and-mouse exchange between a Philippine destroyer and an unknown submarine – if it was a submarine. That was the trouble – the board investigating the incident was uncertain. The facts of the case were clear – the Gavion had made hidrofono contact with something while engaged in a tracking exercise, and that something had behaved as if it was a submarine – attempting to evade the Gavion over a period of nearly half an hour – until the commander of the Gavion was informed that it was not the Philippine submarine he was to be training with. He had thereupon broken off contact.

Worst case scenario said it was a Chinese submarine; Cain discounted the truly outside possibility that the boat belong to Chosen or to the Imperial Japanese Navy. If so, the Gavion ought to have prosecuted the contact and made certain of its identity. Best case scenario was that it was a whale – unlikely, as the noisemakers dropped by the Gavion ought to have scared it off. But no one could be certain.

Thankfully it had been kept out of the press so far. If the hardline friends of Senator Teves got their hands on it the progress on reaching a compromise for the next year’s naval budget would be upset.

Interesting options there, Hood. "Yellow Submarine visiting from Pepperland" should be option 7 though... I can see the crazy Mexicans selling subs to pirates.

As for the incident being kept out of the press...

Quoted

July 20, 1945 news:
"Filipinos driven crazy by mystery submarine running circles around the Gavion"

I find it a bit odd that Cain discounts the possibility of the sub being Japanese. All Japanese ships moving into the South China Sea and beyond move through the Luzon Strait. Submerged Japanese submarines are no exception.

Quoted

I find it a bit odd that Cain discounts the possibility of the sub being Japanese. All Japanese ships moving into the South China Sea and beyond move through the Luzon Strait. Submerged Japanese submarines are no exception.

I did not know that the IJN casually deployed vessels into the South China Sea without prior notice. I will keep that in mind in the future. 8)

Next time we'll just drop depth charges and collect the ambergris afterward.

Why should Japan give prior notice when moving ships from some parts of international waters to some other parts of international waters?

Quoted from "Rooijen10"

Why should Japan give prior notice when moving ships from some parts of international waters to some other parts of international waters?

Common player-to-player courtesy perhaps. :rolleyes:

Why would I tell my neighbour about me moving through my backyard?

If it were the English Channel it would be different...

Quoted from "Rooijen10"

Why would I tell my neighbour about me moving through my backyard? :)

Because your neighbor sees it as his back yard?

All your backyard are belong to us.

It may be international waters, but the coordinates given are precious few miles from Philippine territorial waters.

More than 17 nautical miles from the closest bit of Filipino land. Not sure what limits the Filipinos use for territorial waters.

... would be more suspicious if it happened in the Sibuyan Sea...

The South American War broke out because two naval vessels tried a showdown on the boundaries of territorial waters...

How far from territorial waters was that? According to Article VI of the Treaty of Peace between the Empire of China and the Republic of the Philippines, the Philippines is stuck to a 3 mile limit... so if I converted it correctly, you're talking about 15 nautical miles outside Filipino territorial waters which I do not really consider "on the boundaries of territorial waters".

Quoted from "Rooijen10"

How far from territorial waters was that? According to Article VI of the Treaty of Peace between the Empire of China and the Republic of the Philippines, the Philippines is stuck to a 3 mile limit... so if I converted it correctly, you're talking about 15 nautical miles outside Filipino territorial waters which I do not really consider "on the boundaries of territorial waters".

Please note, I have never asserted that the incident occurred in Philippine territorial waters. Please note, I have never asserted that the Imperial Japanese Navy does not have the right to transit the Strait of Luzon. Please note, I have only expressed my concern - as a player - that prior notice of such intent would be appreciated.

Let us not make more of this than is intended.

*Puts popcorn back into the cupboard*

The Manila Chronicle, Saturday, 21 July 1945

The destroyer Gavion has been declared operational following conclusion of her post-refit working up.


Balintawak, near Manila, Sunday, 22 July 1945

Don Andreas Soriano fumed as he read the headline of the Philippine Herald. Somehow they had gotten their hands on a piece of the story of the Gavion’s encounter with an unknown submarine, inflating it out of all proportion.

The Philippine Herald was the mouthpiece for Teves’ nationalist faction, and it would be clear that Monday’s session of the Senate would be filled with more rhetoric about the need to ‘defend the nation’ against foreign aggression. Of course, Teves’ and his friends saw that as big ships – just what the nation could not afford at the moment.

He put down the newspaper and went to his private office to place some telephone calls; he needed to act fast in order to head off a major split in the consensus of the Senate.


(edited)