2010-08-13 - ABB’s profile on “A Century of Turbocharging” contains critical artwork Remy Mills has not been able to find – until now
New Berlin, WI, USA, August, 2010 . . . Remy Mills, employed at Harold Wells Associates, a manufacturer’s representative based in southern California, U.S., recently began a search for photography of the ship her grandfather captained during WWII. That search led to ABB.
Here is her chronicle, in her words; it is a story on how the war interlaced countries, people – and led to a new life, and education, for Ms. Mills’ father and siblings:
“What I was looking for is maybe getting pictures of the ship Don Isidro from your report on Maritime/Turbocharging. Here’s why I want the picture.
“To make a long story short, my grandfather, Rafael J. Cisneros, was a WWII civilian hero. He was the oldest of 14 siblings, and a Captain of a passenger/cargo ship that carried about 500 passengers. The U.S. military basically ‘drafted’ him because he knew the Trade Winds, and they needed his help by using his ship to bring supplies to the Philippines via Australia, as General MacArthur and his troops were starving and running out of food.
“My grandfather negotiated with the military and told them he would do it on the grounds that he, his wife and their children become U.S. citizens and would be able to graduate from the finest schools - USC was my Dad’s choice. (My Dad was of age and he fought for the U.S. Army during WWII and that’s why my siblings and I are U.S., citizens, even though most of us were born in the Philippines).
“The ship, Don Isidro, eventually was sunk near Australia by kamikaze pilots. There are a few books written about the ordeal. Anyway, I was on the computer last night and decided to search for a picture of the ship. Lo and behold, I found it! It happened to be in a report by ABB Turbosystems! I was totally blown away! It sure is a small world! ABB and my grandfather and I have come full circle. Is that unbelievable?!
“Don Isidro was a fast ship (due to the ABB turbocharger) and, due to its size, was able to maneuver easily as they zigzagged across the ocean to make it harder for Japanese submarines to detect them. Since it was a passenger/cargo ship, they had no weapons. They had a handful of U.S. military with them to guard them; therefore, they had a limited amount of weapons.
“Their greatest defense was to zigzag through the water. Alas, as they got closer to northern Australia, kamikaze pilots spotted them. They got shot at, but my grandfather was able to zigzag easily all the while he was on the radio yelling, “May Day, May Day!” as they got closer to Bathurst Island – Australia. Then a kamikaze pilot flew into the engine stack where the ship burst into flames. Another pilot flew onto another part of the ship.
“They were only a few miles away from the island, when my grandfather and his crew had to abandon ship. It was night time and they were swimming in shark-infested waters for 10 hours, until almost all of them made it on shore in the morning. There were 10 men missing originally, but they found them all. The current had brought the still-burning Don Isidro almost to the shore.
“They were saved the next day, but not without more enemy pilots still shooting at them. Nowadays, the area is a divers’ destination and, on a clear spring day, the engine stack and mast are visible from the shore on Bathurst Island.
“It is because of my grandfather’s actions that he was declared a WWII hero….not only because he volunteered to be a cargo runner for the U.S. military. My grandfather died 16 years later of a heart attack on another ship, Dona Maria, while they were in the middle of a cruise.”
ABB is at work, helping Ms. Mills with the artwork she has requested. Here is the online report that helped her find her way to ABB, and make the request: http://www.maxstandridge.net/civhero.htm
Full Story with Photos at Right; see pdf File