Chapter 22

"Mr. Austin?"

"Yes, Miss Acton-Smyth."

The 17 year old sophomore was standing in the hatchway to the Chart room. Sylvia Acton-Smyth was one of the problem children. Repeatedly expelled and held back she was very old to be in the 10th grade. She wasn't too young though to be dressed in foredeck sunning gear ... nude and slathered with sunblock. She was bouncing ... just a trifle ... but bouncing just the same. If Andrea hadn't been standing behind her she would have had his interest up.

"Just what are we doing?"

"We are looking for the Southern Star."

"That's easy ... but it's not night."

"The Southern Star was a tramp steamer sailing out of the Philippines just after the Japanese bombed Pearl ... Andrea? Would you continue?"

Miss Acton-Smyth was quite surprised to find Mrs. Austin standing behind her. Andrea had a pad and pencil in her hand and handed them to the girl.

"Take notes ... there will be a quiz."

'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck ... the only reasonably mature man on the damn ship ... well ... except for Felix ... Chief Felix Sanchez ... but he had his daughters with him ... damn damn damn.'

"Yes ma'am," she said, taking the pad and pencil.

Andrea switched from tanner to Ph.D ... it was a visible switch ... like someone had thrown a switch or started a Ferrari. From housewife to supermodel.

"The Southern Star sailed out of Manila with three hundred twenty three nurses and dependent wives and their children. The children aged from babies in arms to seventeen year old high school girls ... the boys stayed.

"The ship was 235 feet of slow moving rust. She had a crew of 23 ... mostly stokers ... a Captain ... Angus Alabaster, from Australia. Harold Potter, first mate, from Michigan. Jonathan Stokes, England ... second mate, Scott McTavish, Chief engineer from Aberdeen, Scotland. None of the officers actually had a 'ticket' for their position. Alabaster owned the ship ... along with the bank ... he was some seven months behind on his loan and some weeks ahead of the repossessors.

"Potter and Stokes signed on together in New Zealand ... they had been 'on the beach' for months ... some problem with female passengers on a liner.

"Scottie was a former motorcar mechanic ... he was learning steam 'on the go, ' ... so to speak.

"The Star sailed on December, 11, 1941 with the aforesaid passengers, a load of 'scrap machinery' for delivery to Japan. The ship and cargo were rerouted and two Australian Navy Lieutenants were assigned to keep the crew under control.

"Coast Watchers recorded and messaged that she had sailed through the Verde Island south passage. She coaled at Balasan Harbor. Alabaster was a wily old goat and kept close to shore. She was seen and reported off the south end of Cebu Island. The Coast Watcher radioed that she was not making smoke but hauling ass. She was probably burning dead dry hardwood at the time since there were piles of it on deck. She was next reported between Basilan and Mindanao ... but nearly five weeks had past. The Lieutenants reported that the scrap machinery was a load of Bofors 40mm guns and the ammunition and mounts for them. She was armed to the teeth and flying a Japanese flag. She disappeared into the Celebes and never seen again.

"Japanese records report a serious engagement between planes and a 'Pirate' ship. The Japanese occupation forces recorded a loss of ten aircraft and the ship on fire before the sun set and full dark.

"Either the ship sank with the loss of all on board or she made it to one of the small islands. Side scan sonar has picked up numerous wrecks but nothing of the size of the Southern Star. There were literally hundreds of small freighters fleeing the entire area ... Singapore ... the Malay peninsula ... anywhere the invaders went, whites fled. Very few made it to Australia.

"The Southern Star is 'a ship of interest, ' because several of the passengers were the sole heirs of multi- millionaires. If that money is unclaimed, the Queen gets it.

"The Japanese didn't occupy every island ... we hope to find evidence. As far as anyone knows ... and this is pure guess work ... between 15 and 25 thousand people died aboard ships and small boats sunk in 1941 and early 1942. The Japanese were Very thorough ... even diligent in their attempts to remove the white blight from their sphere of influence.

"There have been reports of light skinned blue eyed children throughout the Celebes ... that's where we're going next. After that, it's Darwin where we lose all you wonderful students and start speaking with the survivors of the war."