The Panay’s XO and the Astronaut
Richard R. Slater
The latest “Historic Ships” (see “The Gunboats Panay”) offers a vivid description of the action that resulted in the sinking of the USS Panay (PR-5) by the Japanese on 12 December 1937. Here is some additional information on the noteworthy executive officer of the Panay, Lieutenant Arthur F. Anders.
Anders, (called “Tex” for his Lone Star origins) took over the ship when the Japanese attack started, after the commanding officer, Lieutenant Commmander James J. Hughes, was badly wounded. Anders, although wounded in the hands himself, took command and directed machine guns on the gunboat to open fire.
When Anders was wounded by shrapnel in the throat, he continued to give orders in writing and supervised the ship when she was being abandoned. For his actions Anders received the Navy Cross, later changed to the Distinguished Service Medal, but changed back again to the Navy Cross in 1969. (There was apparently a little confusion as to what medal applied!)
Anders and the crew of the Panay, many of whom suffered wounds in the action, would have to wait a considerable time before receiving the Purple Heart, which had been revived in 1932. Although considered an “Army” medal at the time, it could be awarded to Navy personnel. The catch was it could be awarded only for action against an “enemy.” In 1937, Japan (officially) was not an enemy. The Panay crew slipped through the cracks until President Harry Truman signed legislation in 1952 authorizing the awarding of Purple Hearts to the Panay’s crew. It took another 40 years before the medals were actually awarded!
Arthur Anders had a single son who was born in Hong Kong during his father’s China service—William Anders. Bill, although following his father into the U.S. Naval Academy, decided to join the U.S. Air Force after graduation. He later joined NASA and participated in the Apollo 8 flight to the moon in December 1968, where he was best known for taking the famous “Earthrise” photograph. (Tragically, Bill died in a plane crash in the San Juan Islands of Washington State earlier in 2024.)
Major General Bill Anders founded the Heritage Flight Museum, located outside of Burlington, Washington. Among the many aircraft, memorials, and other exhibits is a display case honoring his father (Arthur Anders passed away in 2000) and his heroism on board the USS Panay. Included is a beautiful model of the Panay, a detailed account of the incident in Tex’s own words, photographs, and a facsimile of a message he wrote to his crew during the attack—a message covered in Anders’ blood.
The loss of the Panay has faded into history, but this display honors Arthur Anders and the Panay’s brave crew.
Big J off Saigon
Captain Michael A. Lilly, U.S. Navy (Retired); Former Hawaii Attorney General; Author, Nimitz at Ease and If You Die Tomorrow
Your article on the recent refit of the battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) (see “A Star-Spangled Homecoming for the Battleship New Jersey”) reminded me of watching her provide gunfire support to the troops and Marines ashore southwest of Saigon, Vietnam, in March 1969.
I was about a mile away on board the USS Waddell (DDG-24). The battleship’s three turrets of 16-inch guns and 30 5-inch/38-caliber guns had 40 times the firepower of our two 5-inch/54s. Once our spotters corrected the Waddell’s rounds until they zeroed in on a Viet Cong target, we’d saturate the area with up to 40 rounds a minute without completely destroying the target. By contrast, I heard one spotter radio the New Jersey that just one of its 2500# shells obliterated its target without having to make a single correction.
Now that’s firepower.
The Royal Navy’s Battleships of ’44
Daniel Murphy
In Nolan Nelson’s recent letter to the editor (see “In Contact”), he states that the Royal Navy had 17 battleships available in 1944. Although I am not disputing his assertion that the Royal Navy might have been able to supply more shore bombardment capacity at Normandy on 6 June 1944, I believe he is off (or out of date by 1944) with his numbers.
The Royal Navy did begin World War II with 17 battleships and three battlecruisers. However, by 6 June 1944 they were down to 13 battleships and one battlecruiser. The battleships HMS Barham, Royal Oak, and Prince of Wales had been lost to enemy action, and the Royal Sovereign had been transferred to the Soviet Union on 30 May 1944. Of the original three battlecruisers, only HMS Renown was still in service, while both the Hood and Repulse had been lost in 1941. (I did not include HMS Centurion or Iron Duke in these numbers, as both were former capital ships serving in other roles.)
Mr. Nelson does raise an interesting topic that would be worthy of additional study as to which existing Royal Navy battleships in 1944 were in home waters and available for Normandy versus those committed to other theaters of the war.
