A few weeks ago I interviewed a local chap who had served as groundcrew on No. 6 Squadron, RNZAF. The squadron flew Catalinas in the Pacific, and during his tenure with the sqn they were based at Halavo Bay, Florida Island, near Guadalcanal.
Now, this chap was a very serious man – hardly a smile or an amusing anocdote in the whole interview. He came across as a very trustworthy and honest man, and I had no reason to doubt what he said in the interview. So when he told me of a very strange incident that still clearly shakes him a bit today, it seems all the more odd.
He says that apart from No. 6 Sqn at the bay, there was also a unit of 5000 American soldiers (I guess probably a US Marine unit). They shared some facilities, and one of these was the open air cinema. Every night they showed a different film to keep up morale because other than that and work, there was nothing else to do at all apart from swimming or fishing. So the cinema was a popular place in the evenings.
He says they were all sitting there watching a film this one night, in the dark, and something he could not describe, apart from that it must have “come up out of the sea” attacked them. Apparently this odd entity of some sort was running around among the men in the darkened stalls of the open air cinema. He said it was big, but invisible, or at least no-one clearly saw it in the pitch black. He said within five minutes after the initial panic, every person at Halavo Bay was locked in their tents scared witless. That is, apart from those who were injured. He said several people had feet and legs crushed by whatever it was as it ran riot through the seated soldiers.
He reckons no-one could explain what the hell had happened, but he looked me in the eyes and swore it was the truth.
I just wondered if anyone out there had heard this story, or any other similar stories in the Pacific. I cannot think of any animals in the Pacific that could have been the culprit, and I doubt it could have been a person. I’m sure if this incident had happened there must be some record of it somewhere or others may have remembered it and told their own version of the odd account.
What do you chaps think?
Is there a forum anywahere online that deals with the history of the war in the Pacific? Especially the air war? (for this and other matters)
By: DazDaMan - 11th November 2004 at 16:38
John, have you any further details on this? Your lead seems worth chasing up. Yes, elephant seals can be very dangerous too when roused, and would crush people. Hmmmm…..
One thing, though. What’s the distribution of the elephant seal?? I know they’re found off California, Patagonia and places like that – but Guadalcanal? :confused:
A sea-lion might be a possibility, but again there’s that noise issue.
Plus, sea-lions as a rule are generally quite cautious of people on land…
By: setter - 11th November 2004 at 07:10
Hi Dave
Yes Homer sounds correct- he has been posting on the WIX forum lately – at least sounds like him same name and approach.
Seriously, I think this is the most obvious solution to the matter – thery are loud and agressive so perhaps this is what it was.
Regards
John P
By: Dave Homewood - 11th November 2004 at 06:31
John, would that be Homer? See here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=131523
http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/features/homer.htm
As for the Plesiosaur, that was off the coast of NZ, but theorists now think it was actually a rotting whale carcus that had rotted into the shape of Nessie. Hmmm.
By: Spacepope - 11th November 2004 at 06:20
As a paleontologist, i’d like to suggest this oddball: A Mosasaur. In the Cretaceous of Kansas, these relatives of the modern day Monitor lizard grew up to 60 feet long, and supposedly came up on land to lay their eggs. I’m not suggesting a full sized tylosaurus, but a clidastres of good size (14-20 feet) could do some damage.
The only sticking point is that they al died out 65 million years ago. Unless you believer the Japanese fisherme that think they pulled up a plesiosaur in the 70’s
By: setter - 11th November 2004 at 06:11
Hi Dave
The report was on TV here a couple of years ago and mentioned that a Seal or Sea Lion was attacking a car somewhere in NZ – it then mentioned a similar incident that they had researched in your National archieves of an attack on soldiers in the Pacific during the war which was first though of as a Sea monster !
Once an investigation was carried out they thought it was likely to be a Sea lion /Sea – I don’t know if this is the same incident but it sure sounds like it. I guess the only way you will know is to see if the National archieve has a record of it or see what TV NZ knows about it.
Regards
John P
By: Dave Homewood - 11th November 2004 at 05:56
Hi
I believe a report was written on this or a similar incident and it was thought to be a bull elephant seal or other large seal – as they can weigh up to two tons this could be a possability.
I think there was a reference to a report in New Zealand archieves at the time.
Regards
John P
John, have you any further details on this? Your lead seems worth chasing up. Yes, elephant seals can be very dangerous too when roused, and would crush people. Hmmmm…..
By: setter - 11th November 2004 at 00:58
Hi
I believe a report was written on this or a similar incident and it was thought to be a bull elephant seal or other large seal – as they can weigh up to two tons this could be a possability.
I think there was a reference to a report in New Zealand archieves at the time.
Regards
John P
By: Moggy C - 11th November 2004 at 00:30
He said within five minutes after the initial panic, every person at Halavo Bay was locked in their tents scared witless.
What do you chaps think?
Can’t have been much of a sea monster if a locked tent would keep it out :confused:
Moggy
By: Dave Homewood - 10th November 2004 at 22:20
Rob, it wasn’t a room. It was an open air cinema. I’d imagine it was like these ones here, also in the Pacific: (Photos: The Late Roy Paton)
By: DazDaMan - 10th November 2004 at 22:01
Rob – yep, a big black piggie could well be a possibility. Though as Daz says, you’d think it’d make a noise they recognised – unless they hadn’t heard one before.
Guaranteed at least half a dozen of them were farm boys…
By: Rob Mears - 10th November 2004 at 21:59
You’d think, though, that they’d have heard something that made them realise what it might have been?? Surely your Havaliena, or whatever it was, would have made some kind of noise??
In a dark room full of scores of soldiers having the bejesus scared out of them? 😉 If that’s what it was, I’ll bet dollars to dung drops that the pig wasn’t the only one squealing its head off. 😀
By: Dave Homewood - 10th November 2004 at 21:56
Rob – yep, a big black piggie could well be a possibility. Though as Daz says, you’d think it’d make a noise they recognised – unless they hadn’t heard one before. And if it were spooked and squeeling it may have made a bloodcurling noise that spooked the troops even more?
ForkTailedDevil – go for it. You’re welcome to take the story there. It may shed more light. Report any theories back please.
Corsair – Squid? Not tooooo sure if it could have been. The biggest deep sea squid ever caught is here in NZ, at Te Papa museum, and there’s no way it could reach from the sea, up the beach, though a camp and find the theatre to cause havoc. It would have to be about 100 metres long, and I believe from memory the Te Papa one is only 20-something metres.
Kev – 5000 American soldiers – undoubtedly some will have drawn their weapons nd fired!!! I am not sure in reality, but you can just imagine it.
Daz – yes, no doubt some injuries occurred from trampling. Des said however it began brushing against people then stepping on them and really hurting them. So some must have been hurt by the monster too. A boar really sounds like a possibility. I don’t think a monkey could inflict such problems.
By: DazDaMan - 10th November 2004 at 21:08
It makes me wonder if, in the confusion, the Marines didn’t actually trample on eachother during the mad rush to escape whatever the hell it was…. (komodo dragon, croc, squid, giant shark, Mothra….), rather than them being attacked! :confused:
By: kev35 - 10th November 2004 at 21:02
On an island packed with service personnel didn’t anyone attemmpt to shoot whatever it was?
Regards,
kev35
By: Corsair166b - 10th November 2004 at 20:41
…and what fun they are….’scuse me, Mothra is at the door…
Mark
By: ForkTailedDevil - 10th November 2004 at 20:12
You’ve been watching 1950’s monster movies too much. 😀
By: Corsair166b - 10th November 2004 at 20:08
Just a shot here, but what about a large deep sea squid? Perfectly capable of coming up from the deep (remember stories by old mariners of the old Krakens?) and causing chaos if not too far from the sea…my 2 cents…
Mark
By: ForkTailedDevil - 10th November 2004 at 19:48
I’ll take this story to the Fortean Times board if thats ok with you. I have an account there myself.
By: DazDaMan - 10th November 2004 at 18:09
My guess is it was a Havaliena. 200-300 lb. hairy black pig with tusks and a mean disposition. There are packs of the located on various SoPac islands.
You’d think, though, that they’d have heard something that made them realise what it might have been?? Surely your Havaliena, or whatever it was, would have made some kind of noise?? :confused:
By: coanda - 10th November 2004 at 16:21
yup that would do it!
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November 10, 2004 at 5:07 am