A Heroic Rescue
kudoukanchou

戦争中にこのような救出劇があったことを先日初めて知りました。旧日本海軍駆逐艦「雷」の元艦長工藤俊作さんを心から尊敬します。私の大好きな日本は、戦争中も素敵な国だったのですね。


The other day, I learned for the first time about a heroic rescue during World War II. I feel the deepest respect for the former captain of the Japanese Imperial Navy destroyer "Ikazuchi". Even during the war, Japan displayed gallantry worthy of sincere respect and gratitude.


BUZZ NEWS:http://buzznews.asia/?p=29573
YouTube:http://youtu.be/WeUsX7wmZwM



概略を簡単に書きます。詳しくはそれぞれのURLを見て下さい。
I will write only the outline of what happened. To see the details, please refer to the URLs above.



・昭和17年3月2日午後2時頃、日本海軍はジャワ海北西海域で英海軍艦艇2隻を撃沈した。
・At about 2 p.m. on March 2, 1942, the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked and sank two British naval vessels in the northwest Java Sea.



・両艦の乗組員約450人は炎上沈没する艦から脱出して漂流。約20時間も漂流した翌3日午前10時頃、日本海軍駆逐艦「雷(いかづち)」が彼らを発見。
・The 450 crew members of the two ships abandoned the burning and sinking ships. After drifting at sea for more than 20 hours, on the next day, March 3, at about 10 a.m., the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer "Ikazuchi"
discovered the survivors.



・この海域は敵(連合国海軍)の潜水艦が多く、艦を停止させれば狙い撃ちにされる危険性もあった。さらに「雷」の乗組員220名に対して漂流者は約450名。
・A number of enemy (allied) submarines were patrolling this area, so any ship which dared to stop moving risked being sunk. In addition, compared to the 220 crew members of the "Ikazuchi," there were 450 survivors adrift.



・漂流していたイギリス海兵の中には、後に英国外交官として活躍する若き日のサム・フォール卿もいた。自分たちを発見したのが日本海軍戦艦だと分かったときは死を覚悟した。
・Among the British survivors was the young Sir Sam Falle, who later led a distinguished career as a British diplomat. When the survivors realized that they had been discovered by the Japanese war vessel, they resigned themselves to death.



・「雷」の艦長、工藤俊作少佐(当時)は、敵潜水艦の有無を確認させた上で「敵兵を救助せよ」と船員に命令。マストには「救難活動中」の国際信号旗を掲げた。
・Lieutenant Commander of the "Ikazuchi" Shunsaku Kudo, after confirming absence of enemy submarines in the area, issued the order to rescue the enemy combatants, and hoisted the international code flag indicating a rescue in progress.


rescue

・イギリス海兵たちの消耗が激しく救助の手が足りないことが分かると、工藤艦長は「一番砲だけを残し、総員敵溺者救助用意」という命令を出して、ほとんど全ての乗組員を救助活動に当らせ、最終的に422名を救助した。
・When Kudo realized that the condition of the survivors was very poor and that there were not enough hands available to successfully make the rescue, he ordered that a crew be left only on the first cannon, and that all other crew members engage in the rescue of the ailing survivors. Almost all of the crew members of the "Ikazuchi" were deployed in the rescue effort, and as a result 422 people were rescued.



sir sam falle
・50年以上が経過した2003年、フォール卿は自伝「マイ・ラッキー・ライフ」を出版。序文で工藤俊作氏への謝辞を述べた。その後、来日したフォール卿の話で、日本人・工藤俊作艦長が行った救出劇は、初めて日本人の知るところとなった。
・After a period of almost 50 years, in 2003 Sir Falle published his memoirs entitled "My Lucky Life." In the foreword, he expressed his gratitude to Lt. Commander Shunsaku Kudo. The Japanese people first learned of this heroic rescue by the Japanese and Lt. Commander Shunsaku Kudo when Sir Falle thereafter made a visit to Japan.



・救出劇の後、工藤氏は別の艦の艦長となったが、のちに「雷」は撃沈されて乗組員全員が死亡した。工藤艦長は生前、軍務のことは一切口外せず、毎朝部下たちの冥福を祈って仏前で合掌することが日課の日々を送り、昭和54年1月12日に、77歳の生涯を閉じた。
・After this rescue, Kudo was assigned to be the commander of a separate vessel, and later the "Ikazuchi" was attacked and went down with its entire crew. Lt. Commander Kudo never spoke of his military service while he was alive, but likewise he never failed to kneel in front of the Buddhist altar every morning and offer his prayers for the repose of the souls of his subordinates. He passed away at age 77 on January 12, 1979.


Wikipedia:工藤俊作:http://goo.gl/Jz8Ku5
サム・フォール卿 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Falle
敵兵を救助せよ!―英国兵422名を救助した駆逐艦「雷」工藤艦長 [単行本]
http://goo.gl/wSez9B