I believe this account is pretty close to the truth and may assist. But what happened to Tom Donovan on his return to the US?
Episode 3
Futile Missions and Tragic Naval Losses
In the grim days on 1942, all around Christmas Island the opposing naval forces had been in continual conflict. The USS Langley, originally constructed pre-WW1 but converted in 1920 to become the US Navy’s first aircraft carrier, had been refurbished as a seaplane tender and was based in Darwin in January 1942. It was ordered to Perth to load 32 P40 fighter aircraft and pilots, desperately needed by the embattled Dutch forces in the East Indies and was enroute with this cargo when sighted by the Islander in February. It later left this convoy, along with the similarly laden transport Seawitch, to deliver its aircraft and pilots at Tjilatjap, on Java’s southern coast, on 27 February. The Langley never made it to Tjilatjap but the Seawitch did manage to unload its precious cargo, all of which was later destroyed, still in crates, by the retreating allied forces.
Needing an escorting force to provide anti-aircraft cover, the Langley rendezvoused near Java with two destroyers, the aging USS Whipple and USS Edsall , and together they then sought safer waters. Unfortunately, the three ships were caught by Japanese bombers in the confines of the coastal waters and the venerable old Langley was seriously hit and finally abandoned. The two destroyers rescued 485 survivors and then the Whipple shelled and sank the disabled old Langley, to prevent its use by the Japanese. The two destroyers were ordered to rendezvous at Christmas Island on 28 February to transfer those rescued to the veteran fleet oiler USS Pecos, which had been supporting American ships in action in around Java and was bound for Colombo. The vessels duly met off Flying Fish Cove later that day.
During the transfer they were attacked by land-based bombers but fought them off and hurriedly withdrew further south, out of range, but in their haste they left ashore a US naval officer from the Langley, Lt-Cmdr Thomas Donovan. They completed the transfer in the open ocean early on the morning of 1 March. The Pecos now had 700 survivors on board and the Whipple steamed off to protect another tanker near the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The USS Edsall had been ordered to retain the 32 USAAC personnel and was now instructed to deliver them to Java to assemble and fly the P40 fighters, an increasingly futile mission.
At 0830 on 1 March the Edsall turned northwards again began its approach into Java. Soon afterwards the Pecos, now sailing alone, was attacked by carrier-borne dive bombers and after several hours continuous action was sunk at about 1548 hours. Soon afterwards the Edsall steamed back into the scene, in answer to the distress calls from the Pecos, probably seeking to rescue as many of its old stricken comrades as possible. When still about 64 kms away, it was pounced upon by a lurking Japanese fleet but defended itself gallantly for several hours, much to the frustration of the Japanese commander, before finally being sunk at 1731. Only a handful of survivors were rescued by the Japanese vessels. It is not known if any of the hapless USAAC personnel, who had now been sunk twice, survived.
Meanwhile the old Whipple had returned to the last position of the Pecos and at 1922 hours began picking up survivors. It detected and attacked a submarine but remained in these perilous waters until 231 men had been rescued, though many had been affected by the anti-submarine attacks. However, aware of the ongoing risks to Whipple’s safety, the captain then accepted the necessity to withdraw, leaving many sailors still in the water to their fate and sailed south to Australia.
Considering the flow of events taking place on Java at this time, and with the virtue of hindsight, it is difficult to justify the decisions that put the Whipple, Langley, Edsall and Pecos and so many precious allied personnel and resources in such perilous danger with so little prospect of success. Certainly, the commencement of bombing raids on northern Australia two weeks earlier meant that aircraft and pilots were sorely needed elsewhere.