[Rockin Robbins]

Forget being down for 48 hours! How about a 24 hour with 111 people on board? Yikes!

STILL REMEMBER THIS USS PERMIT?

Early in the war the Permit (Chapple) was ordered to Corregidor to evacuate General MacArthur. While enroute, Permit got the word that MacArthur had gotten nervous waiting and decided to leave Corregidor by PT-boat. The Permit was ordered to proceed to a small island where the PT boat was to take MacArthur. MacArthur had already left when Permit arrived at the island near Panay, and only a disabled PT boat was found. Chapple took the 11-man PT boat crew aboard and proceeded back to Corregidor with new orders to evacuate certain key personnel deemed too valuable to be left behind. A senior naval officer among the evacuee was overcome by a sense of duty as Permit was leaving Manila and ordered Chapple, again'st his will, to continue a war patrol despite the fact that Permit had on board a total of 111 men. An unsuccessful attack on three destroyers proved nearly disastrous as the DD's attacked with depth charges and kept Permit down nearly twenty-four hours. Nearly all of Permit's oxygen supply was used up in this interval, and after surfacing she headed directly for Fremamntle, Australia. Upon arrival, Commander Chapple was severely reprimanded by Captain Wilks for unduly risking the lives of valuable personnel. (It was not recorded what was said to the senior naval officer who forced the issue)