“This is not only one of the best of the war books, it is a
record of cooperative courage achieved by a group of men in a manner
wholly American.” The New York Times

At the
outbreak of the Second World War U.S.S. Quail was in the Philippines
sweeping mines to provide access for American shipping to South Harbor,
Corregidor.
Damaged by enemy bombs and guns during the Japanese
invasion of the island John Morrill and his fellow men decided to make
the decision to scuttle their ship rather than allow it to be
captured.
This led them to begin one of the most daring escapes
of the Second World War.
Lieutenant Commander John Morrill and
sixteen fellow sailors took a thirty-six-foot diesel boat nearly two
thousand miles through Japanese controlled waters.
They moved
mostly at night, with a homemade sextant, some salvaged charts, with
little fresh water and food, but even despite these difficulties they
eventually made their way to Darwin, Australia.
“nonfiction
account of his breathtaking escape in 1942 from the Japanese at
Corregidor, the beleaguered U.S. fortress commanding Manila Bay in the
Philippines.” The Washington Post
“The enthralling
story of how a handful of Navy men escaped from falling Corregidor
southward to Australia in a leaky 36-foot landing boat.” Foreign
Affairs
“A matter of fact, modest and inherently dramatic
account of an isolated incident in the pacific war” Kirkus
Reviews
John Morrill was a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S.
Navy. In June 1939 he became commanding officer of the minesweeper
U.S.S. Quail. Pete Martin was a journalist and author. Their book
South from Corregidor was first published in 1943. Pete Martin
passed away in 1980 and John Morrill passed away in 1997.