20. Not all downed airmen welcomed rescue by American submarines
During Operation Barney, which began in late May 1945, American bombers operated missions over the Japanese Home Islands. Many returned home damaged, and some aircrews often had to either bail out or ditch in the Pacific, awaiting rescue from Navy seaplanes, surface ships, or submarines. On June 1, 1945, one of the submarines participating in Operation Barney, USS Tinosa, received orders to divert from its present course to search for the crew of the B-29 Skyscraper I. The bomber went down in the Pacific about 600 miles from the Japanese coast.
Tinosa located the airmen the following day, afloat in life rafts. Ten survivors went aboard the submarine, received food and water, and then were addressed by the captain. The aviators learned that before returning to their base, they would be operating within the Sea of Japan. The Army Airmen decided to take their chances in the recently vacated life raft rather than endure submarine combat in Japanese home waters. They returned to the raft, with additional provisions from Tinosa, and no doubt heavy ribbing from the submarine’s crew. They were picked up by another submarine, bound for home, and safely returned to their base. Tinosa sank four Japanese ships during Operation Barney, and returned safely to Pearl Harbor on July 4, 1945.