Air Attack on USS Pecos
Underway in late February en route to India USS Pecos rendezvoused with Whipple and Edsall to take Langley survivors when enemy land based planes attacked the three ships. After fighting off the raiders, the US ships steamed south out of range and completed the transfer 1 March. ... A third strike from Japanese aircraft sent the veteran oiler to the bottom. Whipple raced to the scene and rescued 232 survivors. Pecos suffered 172 fatalities during the attack. Some of the Langley survivors were lost in the attack.
