RESCUING A DOWNED PILOT UNDER JAPANESE FIRE

On the morning of September 2, 1944, the submarine USS Finback was on lifeguard duty for downed pilots of carrier-based planes attacking Japanese bases.  The submarine was accompanied by two F6F fighters that accompanied the submarine to give it a combat air patrol escort and to assist in spotting downed aviators.  At 12:36pm the planes spotted a yellow rubber life raft near Chi Chi Jima Island north of Iwo Jima and informed Finback of their discovery.  The pilot was ENS James Wenselus Beckman who had flown his F6F Hellcat fighter that morning from the carrier USS Enterprise.  The situation for Beckman looked grim as his raft was only 1½ miles from the shore and the Japanese were periodically firing at it.  The situation was particularly difficult for Finback as it could not surface this close to the shore because of the gunfire.

Upon reaching the scene, Finback submerged to 55-feet and with the periscope up, she passed close to the raft to let Beckman know a submarine had arrived to rescue him.  Finback then reversed course and tried to meet up with the raft.  About a half-hour later, but almost four hours after the initial report, Beckman was able to hook his arms around the submerged submarine’s periscope.  Finback started away from the island at two-thirds speed but when the Commanding Officer looked through the periscope, he saw the pilot, “with one arm around the periscope and the other around the life raft with a bailing bucket bringing up the rear.”  Moving at two-thirds speed continued to fill the raft with water and caused Beckman to lose hold of the periscope.  Once Beckman was again in his life raft, Finback raised to 38-feet to give Beckman more of the periscope shear to hold on to but not overly expose the submarine to the Japanese guns. 

When Finback and the life raft were about five miles from shore, the submarine surfaced, and waterlogged Beckman was brought aboard.  He was the last aviator rescued by Finback on this operation.  When Beckman was aboard Finback, he met four others had been rescued by Finback.  One of these was LTJG George H. W. Bush, future U.S. President who Beckman had seen earlier that day as he was shot down near Chi Chi Jima.  Once aboard Finback the five men used a piece of Beckman’s yellow life raft to sign their names.  The submarine captain saved the piece and later donated it after the war to the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.

Unfortunately, on December 14, 1944 Beckman flew from the carrier USS Lexington to participate in strikes against the Japanese on Luzon, Philippines.  He was shot down a second time and was killed.  He was survived by his parents who were residing in Davenport, Iowa.  He reportedly has been buried at Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Davenport where his memorial grave marker carries the inscription:  LTJG  -  US NAVY  -  WORLD WAR II.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)