Museum opens ‘Castaways on Anatahan’ exhibit

The exhibit entitled “Castaways on Anatahan: the Last Surrender. 1944 to 1951” opened yesterday for a three-month run at the CNMI Museum of History and Culture.

The exhibit is the end result of months of hard work and research on the rescue effort for the Japanese navy crewmen who were stranded on Anatahan during World War II, said museum curator Barbara Moir during yesterday’s opening.

She said their perseverance paid off after they located some of the local residents who took part in the rescue mission. They were also able to locate the relatives of those who have already passed away.

Henry S. Pangelinan and Herman R. Aldan, who were among the men that participated in the rescue mission, attended the exhibit’s opening. Pangelinan and Aldan were onboard the MV Venus in 1951, with Pangelinan serving as interpreter and Aldan a crewmember.

Pangelinan thanked all the people involved in the exhibit for casting light into an important part of not only the history of the CNMI but also events that happened during and after World War II.

“They really worked hard in digging out the history of the war and post war,” he said. Pangelinan recounted some parts of the rescue on Anatahan and said he was thankful the mission was successful in bringing home the stranded Japanese naval officers.

George K. Pangelinan, son of Henry S. Pangelinan, said he is proud of his father’s achievement. He said the exhibit brings honor not only to his father and his family but to the people of the CNMI as well.

He also said the museum has been a tremendous help and has done an excellent job in commemorating the deeds of those who helped in the rescue.

Karl Reyes also attended the opening of the exhibit in memory of his late father, William S. Reyes, who served as an interpreter for the civil administrator during World War II.

Marianas Visitors Authority chair Dave Sablan, Japanese consul Takeo Saito, Humanities Council director Paz Younis, and Philippine consul general Wilfredo Maximo were among the officials who attended the opening.

Museum board member Scott Russell said the project was first conceived in the mid-‘90s when they were able to get in touch with former Deputy of Civil Administration and U.S. Navy Commander James B. Johnson, who spearheaded the rescue mission after the war.

Russell said they were researching on the matter when they found out that Johnson was still alive and living in Florida. He and now Rep. Joe Guerrero eventually were invited to Johnson’s home in Florida, where Johnson showed them memorabilia he kept about the rescue. Russell and Guerrero informed him about an exhibit they were planning and Johnson gave them a number of photos and documents.

Moir said it was a wonderful experience piecing together the story of the Japanese navy crew stranded in Anatahan. She said that, through their research, they gained more friends in the community and still receive calls from relatives of locals who took part in the rescue mission.

The exhibit showcases records of the 31 Japanese seamen who were stranded on Anatahan when the United States bombed and sank their ships at the onset of the Battle of Saipan in 1944.

Photos and other materials are mounted on panels depicting how these men swam ashore and learned the rudiments of island survival, all taught them by 43 Carolinians and two Okinawans.

The museum also shows records of how the Carolinians were evacuated to Saipan and how the Japanese refused evacuation because they did not believe the war was already over. They finally agreed to leave the island in 1951 when they received letters from relatives back home informing them that the war was indeed over.