The lost “Bukuhatai” of UDT-10

Wearing only swim trunks, mask, knife and new ‘high-speed’ kit received from their recent OSSMU attachments – swim fins – UDT-10 members Howard Roeder, John Ball, John MacMahon, Robert Black and Emmet Carpenter launched their Inflatable Boat Small (IBS) from the submarine USS Burrfish on Aug 16, 1944 and conducted a successful recce mission of coral reefs and amphibious landing approaches on the southern tip of Yap Island (280 miles NE of Palau). A previous recce mission had been conducted by the USS Burrfish on Aug 11 at Peleliu (40 miles SW of Palau) in support of the Sept 15 assault that cost ~ 2,000 American lives – and the highest casualty rate of any USMC WWII landing.

On Aug 18 this team launched another mission on the west side of Yap Island. Tragically, Chief Roeder, Black and MacMahon were unable to swim back to their IBS due to strong currents. Later, American military intercepted enemy radio chatter about three “bakuhatai” (Japanese for “demolition”) that were captured on Aug 20 and interrogated. Reports also indicated they were moved to the Babelthuap island of Palau in early Sept. While their fate is still unknown, the most current research indicates these men were executed by the Japanese on September 4, 1944. Between three to nine US Army Air Force POW’s likely met the same fate in the same location, near the same date – and their remains are also unknown.

NSMSD’s Executive Director, Capt. Todd Perry, USN (ret.) recently returned from the Palau and Peleliu to observe Project Recover’s efforts to bring home our WWII MIAs. Navy SEAL Museum has supported this effort, in addition to the USS Midway and National Medal Honor Museum, which sent CEO (and former SEAL Astronaut) Chris Cassidy and USMC MoH recipient Kyle Carpenter on this trip, which is currently focused on two challenging MIA crash sites on Palau – an F4U Corsair site in a mangrove jungle only accessible at low time, and a TBF Avenger crash site in 120’ deep water. During this trip, a previous, unsuccessful dig site for these UDT-10 heroes was also visited.

To learn more, visit https://www.projectrecover.org