Update 18 - 林鵬飛醫師

We are saddened to learn that the last surviving member of the class of 1941, 台北帝國大學附屬醫學專門部Imperial Taihoku University Medical School, 林鵬飛醫師Dr Lin Peng-Fei had passed away in March, 2010, at age 92. He was survived by his wife and 5 children.

In 1944/5, Dr Lin was drafted to serve as an IJN doctor海軍軍醫 until the Pacific War ended. Dr Lin then practiced as a surgeon at 台中醫院Taichung Hospital and 彰化基督教醫院Changhua Christian Hospital. He later returned to his hometown 霧峰Wu-feng and opened 民生診所Ming-Sheng Clinic specializing in general medicine. He was well-respected as an ethical physician who often provided free care to the poor. After nearly 50 years of service, Dr Lin retired in 1990 and subsequently relocated to Taichung City.

Dr Lin was a family man who had served his countrymen well.

[Source: 江鳥飛林]

護國丸事件The sinking of Gokoku Maru - Nov 11 1944

In addition to Shinsei Maru, there were other losses during the Pacific War. These are only now beginning to surface. One of the sunken ships was 護國丸 (the Gokoku Maru), and with it 212 Taiwanese youths, only 88 survived. These were high school graduates drafted in 1944 to serve in the IJN and they were sailing from Kaohsiung to training camps in mainland Japan.

護國丸 was one of the three high-speed armed transport ships, a group known as the Hōkoku Maru Type (pictured below, peace- and war-time, respectively) that included 報國丸 (Hōkoku Maru), 愛國丸 (Aikoku Maru), and 護國丸. They were funded and built based on a 1937 government directive “优秀船舶建造助成资金” and were owned and operated by Osaka Shipping Co, initially assigned to run the Japan <--> E Africa route.

The dimensions of this group of ships were as follows:

Displacement: 10,438 long tons (10,605 t) gross
Length: 160.8 m (527 ft 7 in) overall
Beam: 20.1 m (65 ft 11 in)
Draught: 12.5 m (41 ft 0 in)
Propulsion: 2 × Mitsui-B&W Model 12-62 VF-115 diesels, 2 shafts

Speed and armament:

Hōkoku Maru
21.1 knots
• 8 × 150 mm (5.9 in) L/40 naval guns
• 2 × 76.2 mm (3.00 in) L/40 AA guns
• 4 × 533 mm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes

Aikoku Maru
20.9 knots
• 8 × 140 mm L/50 naval guns
• 4 × 25 mm AA guns
• 4 × 533 mm torpedo tubes

Gokoku Maru
20.6 knots
• 2 × 120 mm (4.7 in) L/40 AA guns
• 6 × 25 mm AA guns
• 2 × 13 mm AA guns
• 2 × 7.7 mm machine guns
• 4 × 533 mm torpedo tubes

Capacity: 400 passengers (48 first class, 48 special-third class, 304 third class)
12,000 cubic meters freight

Gokoku Maru was the last of this group of special cruisers built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries starting in 1940, launched in April, 1941, and finished on July 27, 1942. It was originally named 興國丸, but was renamed 護國丸 before launching. It was also different from the other two sister ships in that it was armed during construction and two mid-ship heavy-duty cargo lifts were omitted. The ship was commissioned as an Auxiliary Cruiser under the command of the Kure Naval Defense Office “吳海軍鎮守府”.

In Oct 1942, Gokoku Maru was ordered to South Pacific to intercept and destroy enemy shipping. However, because of the expanded naval and air defense from the Allies, this mission was becoming difficult. With the Americans and Australians pushing back from Guadacanal and New Guinea, the duties of the Gokoku Maru shifted to transporting materiels to the South Pacific. In Oct 1943, it was renovated back to the original high-speed cargo ship to transport war materials as well as military personnel. On Nov 10, 1944, Gokoku Maru while sailing from Taiwan to mainland Japan, was sunk by 4 torpedoes fired from an American submarine, the USS Barb (below), near Kyushu.


Here is a detailed account on that fateful day (see http://www.combinedfleet.com/Gokoku_t.htm):

“10 November 1944:
At 0245, LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Eugene B. Fluckey's USS BARB (SS-220) picks up GOKOKU MARU on her SJ radar.
At 0334, Fluckey fires three MK-18 electric torpedoes at GOKOKU MARU. The first hits aft of the funnel and the second hits forward of the bridge. GOKOKU MARU's port engine room is destroyed. The ship floods, her engines stop, she loses all power and takes on a 30 degree list to port.
Fluckey notices that GOKOKU MARU is not sinking, but heading very slowly towards shore. Captain Mizuno is attemping to beach his ship. Fluckey fires another electric torpedo, but it circles and misses.
Seven miles off Koshiki Jima, E Kyushu. BARB submerges. LtCdr Fluckey closes to 1,400 yards. At 0410, he fires a final torpedo and scores another hit. This time, GOKOKU MARU sinks by the stern at 33-31N, 129-19E.
The number of survivors is unknown, but 326 crew and passengers are KIA including Captain Mizuno. He is promoted Rear Admiral, posthumously.”

Among the dead, 2 were from Danshui. Two other gentlemen also from Danshui, both named 盧, survived to tell the story - possible only years later when it was recounted in a paper published in 2009 [see 陳柏棕: “臺灣海軍特別志願兵之殤--特設巡洋艦護國丸遭難始末” in 臺灣史料研究, vol 33 pp 34-60].

日本東北津波大災難

Update 7/16/2011 6:00PM

Congratulations to Japanese Women's Soccer Team for winning the World Cup.

Update 3/19/2011 2:48PM

今晨新聞報導,福島核災已能夠控制,也許情況會慢慢好轉.

救災重建,路途還很長遠.好好的走. Good luck.

Update 3/17/2011 11:00PM

情況其實不佳: 福島第一核電廠危機持續中.東北地區又見大雪,數十萬災民在救難中心,苦盼運送不到的食物食水和燃油.因為交通還是斷絕: 東海道新幹線停駛,淹沒的仙台機場也尚未復原,貨車無油可用,公路只能開放一部份作緊急通行之用.

災民們默默承受二戰以來最大的災難.但這樣能撐多久,沒人能預測.

希望這場大難能快一點過去.

Update 3/15/2011 4:00PM

終於收到仙台市東北文化學園大學校長電郵: 教職員都好,正在努力復員中.

3/12/2011
今天的波士頓環球報登了這幅劫後餘生照,説明是: "一位陸前高田女仕在救難中心遇到朋友". 陸前高田市是岩手県的一海邊小鎮.被昨日大地震後的津波徹底毀滅.

吳平城醫師就是在岩手醫專畢業,在臺退休後也曾在陸前高田市及宮古市行醫.宮古市也沒有逃過這場浩劫. 鄭子昌醫師也曾考取岩手醫專,但最後決定回臺北帝大醫科就學.

仙台市是岩手県南鄰宮城県的首都,也是專程來淡水,臺中協助眼睛篩檢的東北文化學園大學所在地.目前仙台市不但斷水斷電,通訉和交通也中斷,基本上無法聯系.但間接從北陸石川県金澤醫大的一同僚知道東北文化學園大學校園本身似乎受損不大,一部份教師也無恙,但其他人下落尚不明.而且因為春假,學生們回家渡假,很多人家鄉已受海嘯之害.

祈望他們平安無事.

臺中聚會

2月25日淡水鄭子昌醫師之子和孫,與鄭家家族代表二人,和魏醫師和他的二子,以及黃夫人,加上兩位陪客,大家一起在臺中全國大飯店全福樓歡聚.

神靖丸倖存魏醫師回憶到1945年的航程中,因為正是冬季寒流來襲,大家不得己擠在一起,共用鄭子昌醫師攜帶來的一條薄被取暖.當然一路上也會聊天,苦中作樂.其中郭安邦醫師雖是婦産科專科,也被征召服役.魏醫師清楚記得郭醫師很幽默的為大家解答一些奇怪的婦科疑問.

黃夫人也回想到當年臺中被美軍轟炸時,疏開到鄉下.還記得有位朋友一邊逃掃射,一邊拉開一把雨傘來"防彈",被一位低飛的美軍飛行員看到,兩人也居然相視而笑.大概就是一場無言的對話:"沒嚇倒你?" "沒被嚇倒!"

這些戰時軼事都會是被遺忘的過去.我們會盡力以口述歷史方式保存.

魏黃兩位非常慷慨,還贈送了一大批臺中名産,鄭家人真是滿載而歸.

淡水和平公園

[上: 以紀念出征未歸淡水人為主题的和平公園內預定建地; 下: 從建地西望觀音山]

目前所知,犧牲於太平洋战爭的淡水人包括: 神靖丸共沒5人,護国丸共沒2人,各地战死海軍軍人10人,及商船船員14人.

淡水區計劃立一永遠紀念於此,以悼念上列的出去了就永不再歸來的淡水人.

Jan 12, 1945 - 66週年

Posted by Eyedoc

三角窗舊居: 50年代淡水鎮的三角窗 - 即照片中左手边的小公園一帶,其中的圆形小碉堡現改立馬偕博士半身塑像.再過去的房屋就是鄭子昌醫師的興亞醫院舊址,前(黑牆)後(白牆)二進,中為天井.右後方背景就是淡水長老教會禮拜堂.照片中的西式葬禮樂隊是從馬偕街過來,正要進入中正路.右方從郵筒邊往前右轉是建設街/三民路,是上淡水國小必經之途.

小小的平安的淡水鎮也逃不過太平洋戰争的影響和牽連.1945年1月12日上午9時55分與神靖丸共沒的247人中,5位是淡水人,就是鄭醫師和4位農業生產工作人員.

興亞醫院也從此不再.

謹此紀念與神靖丸一起出征未帰的台湾人

大江大海一九四九 - 1/8/2011

2011年元月8日下午1時,神靖丸到達香港的旅程重新出現在紐約林肯中心Alice Tully Hall 的銀幕之上.這就是在龍應台教授演講之前上演的黃黎明王小棣精心之作,"目送一九四九"紀錄片,開始的一個片段.

龍教授的大作"大江大海一九四九"一書雖然大部份是追述中國內戰的悲慘過去,但還能注意到台灣人1945年代的無奈,是很難得.當然,都是台灣人應知台灣事.

再過幾天, 1月12日,就是神靖丸殉難人員66週年忌日. 這段歷史不會再被湮沒了,各位遺屬家人,親朋好友可以放心.下一步應當是籌劃永久性的紀念.我們再繼續努力.

祝各位新年好!