Lost in the Pacific 1942

After 21 days at sea, Whittaker, DeAngelis, and Reynolds see land in the distance and determine that it is real. They paddle towards it as best they can in their weakened state, and they reach the small island seven hours later. Whittaker and DeAngelis hobble on their paddles to the shore while Reynolds, who is very ill, can only crawl. They find coconuts and rodents to eat, collect water in the empty coconut shells, and take shelter under their boat for the night.

Meanwhile, Cherry is found by Lieutenant Frederick Woodward and radioman Lester Boutte. Woodward and Boutte were flying out from the island of Funafuti, guarding the United States-Australia route from the Japanese, who control the nearby Gilbert Islands. After spotting Cherry in his raft, they silence their plane’s radio, fearing that a radio signal will alert the Japanese. They fly back to Funafuti and alert their commander, who sends out a PT—a Patrol Torpedo boat. Cherry is picked up by the boat and then transferred to the USS Hilo. Though he is weak, he is still able to tell the crew that there are six other men who remain lost at sea.

On his own raft with Bartek and Adamson, Rickenbacker sees a plane circling above them. While the plane’s pilot appears to see them as well, the plane does not come any closer for a while. This is because the pilot is trying to decide if he should risk cramming the three men into his small plane, or if he should send a rescue boat to collect them after dark. Eventually, the pilot decides to pick them up in his plane. After they are rescued, Bartek and Rickenbacker are put on a boat, but Adamson remains on the plane.

Back on the island, Reynolds, Whittaker, and DeAngelis are found by natives, who take them into their homes and feed them juice and chicken soup. A wireless station on the island that is controlled by the Allies contacts the Funafuti base, and it alerts the base about the men.  

Back in the United States, relatives, spouses, and the public learn about the crew’s survival. Their survival and rescue are interpreted as signs of luck and great examples of American resilience and ingenuity during wartime: “If American planes could pluck three tiny rafts from such a vast stretch of ocean, how could the Japanese or the Germans or the Italians possibly hide from us?” (144)

The crewmembers recuperate in a small Funafuti hospital before they are transferred to a larger one in Samoa. They all return to Hawaii except for Adamson and Reynolds, who need further treatment. From there, they separate. Taking advantage of their new renown, Whittaker and Bartek embark on speaking tours. Meanwhile, Cherry and Rickenbacker go back to work, and Rickenbacker fulfills his Guadalcanal mission. Rickenbacker is shocked by the “hellhole” he finds on that island (146). The soldiers there have been killed in droves not only by persistent Japanese attacks, but also by malaria and difficult living conditions.

While the story of the crew’s survival is inspiring, it also prompts many Americans to ponder the arbitrariness of fate. Shortly after the B-17 crewmembers were rescued, the USS Juneau was destroyed by a Japanese torpedo. Of the 100 castaways who fled the sinking boat, only 10 survived. Many Americans lost family members in WWII, and the crew’s survival made the nation wonder why some people survive wars while others do not.